Captain Marian Schneider is a legend in this
area, and has recently written a book about
her life experiences called, “There’s A Captain
In You.” Marian has been touted by Florida
Monthly Magazine as a passionate biography
written by the “Queen of Ecotourism” and one
of the states “21 Most Intriguing Floridians.”
Marian introduces us to a lifelong journey that
began with a young girl and her all inspiring father,
who was the wisest fishing mentor imaginable. Her
dream was realized before she ever owned a boat
or booked her first Grande Tours fishing charter;
her influence on Floridians and visitors to the Gulf
Coast has reshaped our interactions with nature.
Her dad provided the ultimate influence.
“He taught me by example, not by telling me,”
she said. “He showed me how to be strong, yet
gentle, how to believe in myself, yet remembering
others at the same time. I learned to share! Share
so much with others just as he did all my life.”
Marian Schneider has a lifetime of experiences
on the water. The course of her life took a drastic
change when at age 46, she returned to her roots
in a village called Boca Grande. She had a boat and
a dream to make a living on the water. Her true
passions are being on the water, wildlife
conservation, historic preservation and ecotourism
with thousands of people more than 27 years.
“When I was growing up in the late 1940s
through the 1950s, I spent most of my childhood
in Boca Grande, located on Gasparilla Island,”
Marian said. “The town had a population of about
350 working-class families and a few dozen
old money winter residents. There were few
automobiles at that time and no bridge connecting
the island to Placida until 1958, so you had to have
a boat if you lived on Boca Grande. I got my first
boat before I got a bicycle. I was 7 when Daddy
gave me a 16-foot wooden boat with a five-horsepower
Evinrude outboard engine. Since then, I’ve
never been without a boat.”
Marian caught her first tarpon at 12 years old.
“My first tarpon was caught in Boca Grande Pass
with my Dad. He loved to fish with his friends, and
I watched them closely in my younger years. On
this day, July 7, 1955, it was my turn. I was 12 and
he felt I could handle whatever came along. Then it
happened, no one on the boat was allowed to help,
unless really needed, the first goal was to bring him
in yourself! In those days, Dad allowed you to bring
in your first tarpon to weigh and take photos, for
bragging rights later ... his boat was at the L-Dock,
public dock near where Millers is now. He removed
a scale from the fish and presents you with a
beautiful certificate, with scale attached, as proof of
“the big one that did not get away.”
BOOK
REVIEW
ThERe’S A
CaPTaIN IN YOu
A Book Review - By Jonathan Herbert