Boating is more than recreation in Southwest Florida—it’s identity. Hurricane Ian could have severed that connection, but instead, it deepened it. The region’s response has been swift and ambitious: multi-million dollar marina investments, luxury megayachts with concierge services and re-energized boat-up dining. Don’t think of it as any day out on the water; these are curated experiences you can only get on the Gulf.
Saltleaf on Estero Bay’s marina is a portal to the larger community. The waterfront, London Bay development (still under construction) includes The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay, and a full- service marina slated for January. Residents get first dibs on slips, but the public can access a new restaurant from James Beard Award–winning chef Michael Mina and about 10 day-use slips. An event yacht rounds out the offerings. “[It’s] not just a place to park your boat,” London Bay’s Mark Wilson says. For him, it’s about stepping fully into the Gulf lifestyle.
Courtesy Saltleaf on Estero Bay
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One of the Gulf’s most anticipated debuts, Saltleaf on Estero Bay brings about 10 day-use slips and a restaurant from James Beard Award–winning chef Michael Mina. Below: Gulf Harbour Marina recently completed a $6 million renovation.
The seafaring expansion reaches into Fort Myers Beach. This fall, the much-anticipated Bonita Fish Co. opens in the former Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Cafe location—a longtime locals’ hangout now reimagined by the HM Restaurant Group, the team behind Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille and Dixie Fish Co. A new marina is expected to follow in early 2026, offering about 35 slips for annual lease and 10 guest docks. HM partner Joe Harrity calls the project “the Fisherman’s Wharf of Fort Myers Beach,” a nod to the iconic waterfront in San Francisco.
Cape Coral’s Slipaway Food Truck Park & Marina launched this summer, combining the food truck trend with waterfront access. Boaters can dock at one of 27 slips, sample offerings from 10 food trucks and grab drinks at The Helm bar. Live music fills most evenings. Nearby, an icon is revived on the Cape as the city gets the final permit approval to reconstruct the Ian-shuttered Yacht Club Community Park, including a new dock with more than 200 slips. There’s no set timeline yet, but in July, locals got another sign of progress in the Yacht Club area, when the city approved plans to bring back the beloved Boathouse Tiki Bar and Grill—first battered by storms, then gutted by fire.
Across the region, Ian’s destruction became a catalyst for evolution for established marinas. Port Sanibel Marina used the devastation to rebuild stronger—remodeling stores and restaurants, reconstructing docks and adding a boat barn. Fort Myers’ Gulf Harbour Marina invested $6 million in renovations before reopening in March 2024 with 270 annual rental slips. Holiday parties and food truck nights returned with the docks, restoring community spirit after Ian’s near-total destruction. “I was in disbelief (after Ian). But there was never a thought that this would not come back,” says board member Bob Cunningham.
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Courtesy Gulf Harbour Marina
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The luxury charter scene is evolving just as quickly. Seafair Yachts’ latest megayacht, the 12,000-square-foot Crystal Grandeur, can host 600 guests and is outfitted for over-the-top events. Think: multi-course meals, fireworks off the deck and DJs playing under the stars. “Everybody wants a bespoke, experiential event,” says Seafair Principal David Lester. “We can provide something you can’t get anywhere else in Naples.”
That appetite for curated experiences also inspired Nautical Miles Yacht Charters, which launched in Naples in 2024. The fleet of 40- to 120-foot yachts caters to private groups and leans into creativity—with events like Shipwrecked: A Wine of the Sea Tasting Experience, with vintages aged underwater, or docking for the F1 Miami Grand Prix.
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Boat culture increasingly blends recreation with refinement. At Naples’ Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club, private slips meet protected waters.
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Nautical Miles reflects the rise of curated chartering, with experiences like F1 weekend escapes and rare wine tastings.
For something a bit more low-key, Copacetic Sailing on Fort Myers Beach offers Saturday morning yoga aboard a catamaran. The Gulf breeze, the sound of the water, the early light—it reminds us why we live here in the first place.
The Gulf has always been our backdrop. Now, it’s our stage—part gathering place, part getaway, part calling card for a region that knows precisely where it’s anchored. Whether it’s a food truck dock, a private megayacht or a sunrise stretch at sea, the coast keeps offering new ways to call us back to her.