Helen M's wild ride: How a hurricane tossed a 64

I try to be a good son, I really do. So I did not actually lie to my mother Helen a few days post-Ian when she asked me how King Fisher Fleet had fared during the storm. My reply — "Mostly good, with a few things to work through" — was technically accurate.

After all, eight of our nine boats had come through the storm nearly unscathed. Among all eight of them, we had one canvas from a T-top that disappeared, a Bimini top that ripped, a broken VHF antenna and a missing anchor light. The boats were a dirty mess and water had been blown into places it should really not be, but all was minor with nothing even remotely approaching an insurance claim on any of the eight.

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Capt. Ralph Allen runs the King Fisher Fleet of sightseeing tour boats located at Fishermen's Village in Punta Gorda. He is an award-winning outdoor writer and photographer, and is a past president of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association. Contact him at 941-639-2628 or [email protected].

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