Author: Useppa

Useppa 4th of July Weekend – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Happy Hour and Pasta at the Collier Inn on Friday, the pool on Saturday and Sunday, Patio dining and music by the pool…. families and friends arriving by boat or staying on the island all had fun. Coming together in friendship, being together for fun… 4th of July on Useppa is a highlight of the year on Useppa.

Izaak Walton 4th of July Kids Fishing Tournament – Thoughts and Photos by UseppaGin – Eighteen young fishermen lined the dock, stood on boats throwing a line, catching and releasing almost twenty fish. The smallest was a 7” Pinfish. The largest was 15” Snapper. The most unique fish was a little 8” Grunt. It was the first tournament for some and the last one for a veteran 12-year-old. Now she joins her mother as an Izaak Walton Tournament alum. Now like her mom, in the future she will help others catch a fish. Thanks to the Tarpon staff, and thanks to Kyle Corey for another great time.

The 4th of July on Useppa – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – The 4th of July is a family holiday on Useppa. All ages are on boats, in cottages, at the pool, the Tarpon Bar, and dining at the Collier. Fellowship and friendship describe life on our island. Time together on Useppa is a gift.

Father’s Day Weekend – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Summer on Useppa is family time. Most of its residents are gone, and the island is a place where local members come by boat with goodies and children for lunch on the Collier patio and an afternoon by the pool. Rentals are vacation getaways. Multigenerational fun and love are shared in the warm summer sun. Grandparents and grandchildren swim in the pool while parents sit side by side watching and smiling. Little puppies hide under chairs waiting for treats. Useppa’s employees make it all possible. A special thank you to them for all their hard work.

Summer Island Fun – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Summer means Tarpon fishing, boats at the Marina, dinners at the Collier, and all day by the pool. During one Happy Hour we celebrated an Islander’s 1st Tarpon. She was given an Izaak Walton pin and posed by the picture of a Collier-era Tarpon angler (Men and women fished in separate classes of Izaak Walton Tournaments, but if the size of their catch was compared, the women won.) Multigenerational family reunions were held. Birthdays were celebrated. Boaters filled the Marina. Members relaxed by and in the pool. It’s only beginning. All ages smile during summer on Useppa.

Memorial Day Weekend on Useppa I – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – …. Reunions and visits of families and friends describe this year’s Memorial Day Weekend on Useppa. For a few, it was their first island holiday. For others, it was a years long tradition, a once little girl now a mother. Flags everywhere honored those who fought and died for our country. It was a weekend in the Useppa family tradition.

2024 Memorial Day Kids Fishing Tournament – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Standing on one foot, the young anglers took The Fisherman’s Oath to help their fellow fishermen when help was needed and to release all fish caught unharmed. Then the fun started. Tournament graduate and Izaak Walton fisherman Kyle Corey, Marina Harbormaster Captain Ken, Jasmin and Ian from the office, and two more young men made it all happen. Thirty fish were reeled in, measured, and released. Prizes were awarded to Weston for the Biggest Catch – a 15 1/2-inch Mangrove Snapper, to Blaine for the Most Fish Caught (5), and to Bryce for the Most Unique Fish, a 10-inch Blue Runner. If only grownups could have as much fun…..

Mother’s Day Weekend on Useppa – Thoughts and Photos by UseppaGin – Pickleball, swimming, cocktails, walking the Pink Path, and more. At the Marina, in the Collier Inn, in the pool, and around the island, families and friends spent quality time together. Everyone was smiling. Useppa can bring out the best in all of us. Thank you to the hard-working staff who make it possible.

Springtime on Useppa – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Useppa springtime is Happy Hour gatherings of neighbors and friends before the northern exodus begins. It’s lunch on the Collier patio, the Kentucky Derby at the Tarpon Bar, relaxation in the hot tub by the pool. It’s goodbyes at the Marina. For one of our residents, it’s her 40th year for that last wave as the boat pulls away heading to Florida and beyond. (As almost 100-year-old Thurston Greene once said getting ready to leave on the launch, “This is Useppa.” And he pointed, “Florida is over there.”)

Sunset Museum Cruise & Author Bob Macomber – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – It couldn’t have been better, a sunset cruise sponsored by the Barbara Sumwalt Museum and a talk by multi-award-winning author Bob Macomber. The Lady Chadwick welcomed Museum members aboard, cocktails and snacks were served. Cruising the waterway toward Boca Grande Bob Macomber told stories about Useppa during the Civil War. It was history made real with a setting sun and green flash on the horizon.