| Cape Harbour home to tour boats BY TERRY BRADY Since August, the Banana Bay Tour Company has been operating out of Cape Harbour, giving area residents a chance to see Southwest Florida from a different perspective - the water. They've offered everything from three-hour ecological tours to Picnic Island to Sunset Cruises. J.R. Trepper, one of the six captains the company has to head the Coconut Woman, a 52-foot catamaran that holds 49 people, said business has been going well. "We were quite blessed to find Cape Harbour," Trepper said. "There is so much going on here. People used to have to go over the bridge (for tours). Now they're coming to Cape Harbour." Trepper said before finding the Cape, they operated out of Lake Okeechobee. Although business has been good, Trepper said they're strapping in for the upcoming slow season as the part-time resident exodus is beginning and the temperature is rising. "We're not bailing out," Trepper said. "We are here the whole year through." To help, Trepper said he is going to make a few tour schedule adjustments such as offering the more popular tours, like the Eco-Nature Tour, over the weekends, instead of on Wednesdays. He said they are also creating an island cleanup tour for those concerned about the environment. "We'd scour the island for debris," he said. Trepper said it was the responsibility of all to assure a litter-free environment but said he felt an extra responsibility to contribute as he makes his living off it. Banana Bay is a member of the Society for the Ethical Ecotourism of Southwest Florida. Trepper said he was considering starting an island cleanup in May, but said he was concerned not too many would be on board because of the heat. A lot of people still are unaware that tours are available here, Trepper said. The tours run anywhere from $22 to $40 depending on the tour.
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On Thursday, Trepper made a special eco-nature tour to accommodate about 10. However, he said his normally scheduled tours usually see a full boat. The trip left the dock at Rumrunners restaurant, headed through a channel into the Caloosahatchee River and into San Carlos Bay.
Dolphins playfully swam about as Trepper guided the boat as close as he could to them. "I like following the dolphin and watching him roll," said George Kolarchick, 5. After about 15 minutes of watching dolphins circle the boat, Trepper headed the boat, the Coconut Woman, back on course to Picnic Island, where they stayed for an hour to have lunch. "This is so beautiful," said Marion McDonnell, 82, as she looked over a lagoon on the island. "Oh my. I'm so glad I came." Patrick and Helen Curran, who were visiting from England, took the tour three times. In doing so, they gained a little experience in making the trip more pleasurable. "The trick is to bring chairs," Patrick Curran said. He and his wife sat in a couple of folding chairs and sat looking upon the lagoon drinking a bottle of red wine and enjoying their lunch. "This is the life," Patrick said. On the way to and from the island, Trepper pointed out native plants, eagles, osprey, egrets wood storks and pelicans. He said manatee usually make an appearance, but no one aboard the Coconut Woman saw any on Thursday. In addition to the Eco-Nature Picnic Island Lunch Tour out of Cape Harbour, Banana Bay offers a home and harbour tour, which is a leisurely cruise that points out million-dollar estates along the harbour, a Sunset Cruise and offers group charters.
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