Record Fleet for Annual Blessing

While the Blessing of the Fleet may never become the signature event in Everglades City—that distinction belongs to the Everglades Seafood Festival—it probably best epitomizes the fishing village that calls itself the stone crab capital of the world. Sure, the Everglades Seafood Festival is bigger—one of the largest festivals in the state—but the smaller Blessing of the Fleet perhaps best reflects the small town charm of Everglades City. 

A half hour prior to starting time on Saturday, September 27, locals, many of them in fishing boots, start to converge on Camelia Street Grill, the site of the Blessing of the Fleet. An Everglades City resident is talking on her cellphone in her front yard, sharing some good news with a friend. “Our chicken just started sitting on her eggs,” she reported proudly. 

The scene at Camelia Street Grill is Americana, Everglades City style, at its best. Where else in Southwest Florida do you see young mothers milling around with babes in arms? Curious visitors from around Southwest Florida mingle with locals to watch the stone crab fleet navigate their way down the Barron River and tie up along the seawall in front of the restaurant. 

Everglades City’s two big events, the seafood festival and the Blessing of the Fleet, are both organized by the energetic trio of Carrie Doxsee, Holly Dudley, and Kelly Kirk. They are also founding members of the Florida Stone Crabbers Association (FLSCA), the organization that runs both events. Kirk was unable to attend Saturday.  

“Even though Kelly's not here today,” Carrie Doxsee said, "she is missed tremendously. She is a very important part of all of this and everything that we do. So, she may not be here physically, but she's definitely here in spirit.” 

This is the third year the event has been staged at Camelia Street Grill. From all appearances, it was the best turnout so far. 

“It's a pretty good turnout today,” Dudley said. "I think we had about 15 or 16 boats in the fleet. That’s a record. Our first year was close to that, probably off by one or two. We have the whole fleet from Everglades City and Chokoloskee here, and two from Goodland. And we're probably goingto feed about 300 or 400 people today. We've got 500 pounds of fried mullet and grits. We've got pulled pork, rice and beans, and adult beverages." 

"We do want to say a big thank you to Naiara Rementeria of Camilla Street,” Doxsee said. “Without the support of Naiara and her entire crew, we couldn't do this. It is amazing that she's been willing to participate." 

Doxsee’s husband, Daniel, is a third-generation stone crab fisherman. His boat is named Endangered Species. The name is symbolic of the plight of the stone crab industry. 

“The future of our commercial fishing industry is unknown,” Doxsee said. “It's not like you can go to school and study how to be a crabber. This is a generational thing that's passed down, and it's very expensive to get into. So, we may actually be an endangered species. The Florida Stone Crabbers Association is doing everything they can to try to protect and advocate for a commercial industry and bring public awareness and support. We have a working commercial waterfront, and even that is going away with the real estate expanding the way that it is. If these guys don't have a place to dock, where are they going to bring their products? Commercial working waterfront is a big concern for us. I don't think the public is aware of the impact that real estate expansion has on these small industries. This is a big source of tourism. People come to Florida for stone crabs because this is really the only place you can get them in the entire United States."  

Tyler Few is a fourth-generation crabber, working out of Goodland. He and girlfriend Claire Orgass and her son Elliot brought Few’s boat, Crab Daddy, to the blessing. 

"I come from crabbing, from a family tradition,” Few said. “They're all out of it now, but I'm trying to bring it back. I'm 36. I'm just trying to keep it alive. Last of the dying breed. I've been doing it since I was probably about eight. My family originated from Capri Fisheries on Isles of Capri. It's a hard job. It takes a lot of dedication. You've got blood, sweat, and tears. If you ain't bleeding for it, it ain't worth it. You’ve gotta want to do it. If you don't want to do it, it ain't for you." 

Orgass works side by side with Few. 

"It takes a certain finesse to watch him on the back of the boat,” she said. "And the way that he's worked on getting this boat ready for himself and for the family this year is remarkable. It's not for the faint of heart."