Not too long ago someone said it would be cool if there was a posting about the "turtle tanks" at Boat Haven.Well, here ya go . . . complete with a little "lift" from "DuBroy Setptic Tank company" and Captain Cecil Lamb passing by in the background aboard his tarpon-fishing boat "Silver King".
This is in the early 60's, before roofs were added over the tanks. The gas docks are located behind the crane, and the Boat Haven building is in the left background.
Very cool picture! That memory is etched into my brain.
ReplyDeleteThanks Danny and SH
Oh my gosh, how great is this shot! I remember my father taking me to Boat Haven especially to see the turtles. That is a genuine “Old Naples” memory.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, they scared me to death! I had no idea turtles could be so big. When he said he was going to take me to see the “turtle tank” I thought he was talking about those cute little green ones, in those cute little plastic turtle terrariums with a plastic palm tree. (OK, give me a break, I was just a kid!) I thought maybe I would be coming home with a new pet!
Oh my goodness, wouldn’t PETA have a field day with this idea, today!?! Whaa-Hooo! I'm pretty sure that not only would they admonish those that offered this attraction, they would sully the Old Naples memory and sue you if you even dare think of it. Oh my.
Lake Park Homegirl
I am really gald you mention Captain Lamb. I was thinking about him while looking at the old photos of the city dock you posted earlier. I could not remember the name of his boat,Silver King.
ReplyDeleteCaptian Lamb was an impressive person. I recall seeing him at the city dock during the 1950's/60's with his white shirt and slacks along with his white Captain's cap. He took my father tarpon fishing in 1952 and caught one that still hangs on the wall at the house. Somewhere we have a picture of Captain Lamb, in full uniform, and my father with the fish hanging between them at the old city dock. I'll see if I can find it. My dad told me yesterday, when I mentioned the photo and Captain Lamb, that Captain Lamb knew where the fish were by instinct and by following the tide.What ever it was, it worked.
There were times we would race with Captain Lamb in the back bay coming up from Marco after a day of fishing. We would be running side by side,full blast up the canal between the markers, but kept from "waking" each other. He was a fixture of old Naples, just like the Beach Store and the pier. Boy, do I miss those days.
I didn’t know about the Boat Haven Sea Turtles. That’s really great! We used to patrol the beach form Wiggins Pass to Clam Pass with a Beach Buggy in the late 60s, late night to check for Loggerhead turtles laying their eggs and early mornings to cover up the tracks so the poachers wouldn’t find their eggs. As you can see in the previous pictures there were no building or houses from Seagate to Vanderbilt Beach road, nothing but Beach and Mangroves. I hope someone is protecting them now days or maybe you could have turtle eggs for breakfast at the Ritz! Nuff said!
ReplyDeleteVanderbilt Beach Homeboy
I feel better now about not being able to rescue the turtles that night. We tried it without a crane.
ReplyDeleteI remember a bunch of itty-bitty turtles that were allowed to grow in the safety of the tanks until they were large enough to survive on their own.
ReplyDeleteI rescued some eggs from a raccoon raided-nest on Seagate beach in the early 60's and incubated/hatched them at home. I kept them in my mom's biggest roasting pan, with Clam Bay salt water changed twice a day, and fed them frozen shrimp. When they were about 3-4 inches in length, I released them at Seagate beach making sure there weren't any seagulls around; the rest is history.
Seagate Homeboy
NHS class of '67
11:37 AM PST
I LOVED those turtles!!! My Dad used to take me to visit them often. Also, Dad once rescued about a dozen sea turtles (about the size of a 50 cent piece). We kept them in a large galvanized tub at home until they grew to about twice their size, and then he released them back into the wild. How nice that a Dad could do that for his kids "back in the day" and not have some conservationist on his back. We didn't have a permit - didn't need one. We fed them, took care of them, learned about them and then let them go...
ReplyDeleteI remember going to see the turtles when I was a kid. Dad would often swing by Boat Haven on the way to the Plantation Pancake Inn. Growing up in Naples was magic for me, and it's great to see that others remember it as it was. Thanks for posting the older pics!
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