Captain's Log: March 16, 2012
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| I just got back from the Florida Keys and got this email from Capt. Jim Taylor Sr.'s Uncle. It is written by a friend who spent time with Capt. Jim back in the day. It is an awesome recollection of the Legendary Capt. Jim Taylor!--------------------- Realizing that I may be one of the very few of us who saw Jimmy in his true environment, I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of the paradise he made for himself in his chosen corner of the world…Islamorada, Fla. My husband, Sam, and I were cruising the Florida Keys during the 90’s and we pulled into Key West to provision…we left 4 years later. Within the first month of our arrival, Deecie and her family came to visit for Christmas. She told me that Jimmy was still in Islamorada running fishing charters and that we should visit him. One of the first things we did after flying back home to bring a car down was to head up the Keys in search of the elusive Jimmy Taylor. We drove straight to Whale Harbor Marina, found the ‘Charter Boat Row’ and were in the process of walking up and down the docks when a helpful/hopeful charter captain asked if he could help us. We told him of our mission and he directed us to Jimmy’s boat. We knocked on the hull and out from the cockpit bounded this tall, tanned, lean but muscular, handsome man dressed in kacky Sportif shorts, a sky blue Columbia shirt with his head full of snow white hair blowing in the wind. He was a most striking figure and the absolute epitome of a Fla. Keys Charter Boat Captain. A Fla. Keys Charter Boat Captain is a special breed, not found anywhere else in the world. They are unique to that 90 mile chain of islands and Islamorada is even more unique, as it is the pivotal island that separates the dark tannic waters of the northern keys from the crystal clear shades of blue and green that extends to Key West. It is a threshold to a different world. The charter boat captain is the heart and soul of that dimension and the life blood of the Keys. They are the dream weavers that every sun burned tourist spends the rest of their lives talking about. The star of their often repeated stories isn’t the sailfish or dolphin fish that they caught, it’s the captain, whose job it is to turn their daydreams into reality...if they do it right, magic happens… and for that one day they all get to be Ernest Hemingway! This is what Jimmy did. He was an ambassador of magic; he summoned fantasies for those lucky enough to have chosen his boat over the others. There are literally thousands of people who will be telling their stories of Capt. Jim and their big adventure for the rest of their lives. They will never forget a single detail of their day at sea or the man who made it possible beyond their expectations. Jimmy loved Islamorada and Islamorada loved Jimmy. He was a bit of a local legend, his knowledge of the profession was not questioned and his passion for his craft was obvious, but what set him apart was that little touch of southern grace that made it all believable. That was his gift. He was a Fla. Keys Charter Boat Captain to his very soul, and he will continue to live in each one of those treasured tales, so enthusiastically recanted by the men and women who chose to spend their day with Capt. Jim out on the open ocean…or as he called it, “my office with a view” We made several other trips to visit with Jimmy during those 4 years. Sometimes we’d meet at the Lorelei on Key Largo and spend the day sitting in the sun, listening to the band, and telling sea stories. We met ‘Little Jimmy’ who was 6 years old at the time and was the spitting image of ‘Big Jimmy’. Young Jim is now running a charter company in Nicaragua…following in his dad’s footsteps and making dreams come true for a whole new generation of excited, sun burned tourists. Jimmy was a Fla. Keys Charter Boat Captain, and fine one at that. His mission was to show other people how to realize their dreams and in the process, realized his. He made his mark on the Keys and that mark becomes part of the legend on which the Keys are built. The sands can come and go, but the legends always remain in stories told over and over again by those who dream. I’m fortunate to have seen Jimmy in his ‘natural habitat’ and thankful for the time we spent together in Paradise. Susan Joye Purcell |
 Our deepest condolences to Capt. Jim Taylor Sr.'s family. It is an honor to have Capt. Jimmy Jr. down in Nicaragua with us carrying on the family tradition!!!!  Capt. James Taylor with an awesome Marlin!  Guess where Capt. Jimmy Jr. got his mad wahoo skills!!!!!!  It's all about making people smile!!!  What a sea monster!    I bet this little kid still remembers this day like it was yesterday!  Keys Legend!  This pic is classic!!!!  Capt. Jimmy Jr. carrying the torch proudly in Nicaragua! |
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