Book review by Capt. Chick Melfi -
The Last Pirate is an adventure story, about a boy who searches for a pirate treasure and discovers it, along with some of life's most valuable lessons. This adventure is good reading for the young and young at heart. It takes place in the outer islands of southwest Florida during summer school vacation, which also happens to be hurricane season. The story has a Huck Finn touch to it.
The principle character is a young man named Harley Copper. While spending high school vacation fishing for Blue Crabs with his dog Hammerhead a very smart black Lab at his side, he becomes a pirate treasure hunter. He is a mature teenager who lives with his single mom & sister in a trailer on Pine Island and helps the family make ends meet by selling his blue crab catches. The small community has its share of interesting characters. One is his old hermit friend Salt, who tells him many stories about the pirates that once roamed the area plays a pivotal part in his life.
Harley ran a crabbing boat named White Stripe, that he had salvaged after his lazy estranged father had left it for scrap. He loved to run through the waters of Pine Island Sound, surrounded by the beautiful outer Islands of, Captiva, Caya Costa, Gasperilla and Useppa, a privately owned island. In the early eighteen hundreds Gasperilla Island was known as a Pirate haven according to Salt's little ditty stories, as he called them.
Life stepped it up a notch when Harley found a pirate's map in a bottle in one of his crab traps and dreams of gold doubloons overtook his every thought. It was very old looking with writing in Spanish, naming islands, as well as other details such as an X that marked the treasure location. He called on his friend Salt to help him decipher the map, as Salt seemed to know a lot about pirates and read Spanish. Salt lived on Caya Costa and Harley had spent much time on the Island, where they teamed up for the treasure search. Caya Costa is a very remote island with it's beach facing the Gulf of Mexico. It is mostly state park land used by campers and day trippers shelling the beach. It is also filled with wildlife, such as feral hogs, gators and raccoons.
As many teenagers, Harley had his relationships with friends and foes alike. His mom tried to steer him in the right direction and actually had done a commendable job under a very difficult situation. He shows a very high standard of morals for his young age and also enjoys having a fun time with his friends.
The yarn takes many turns, as Harley and his friends battle a cat 4 hurricane in a fight for survival. The author was able to give the reader a feeling of being there in the middle of all the action, keeping the reader on edge to find what will happen next. The Last Pirate makes for a good read which I enjoyed and I've got a feeling that you haven't heard the end of Harley & Salt.
Wilson Hawthorne, the author, is a very well rounded, talented guy who lives in Cape Coral and knows the islands that he wrote about, as well as having knowledge of Pirates and their treasures. He also has a true insight into the welfare of young people and the importance of their reading at a young age. Again he has first hand knowledge, having five children of his own. This author has a lot to offer, in a very entertaining and educational way.
Acknowledgement
This book would not have been possible without the help of two people. My mother, Lucille May, who during a 50 year career in the restaurant industry, took the time to teach me to cook and gave me an appreciation for good food. My partner, Jeanne Adams, who encouraged me to do this book and did all the typing and editing of the book.
I hope you all enjoy our little book.
Captain Dick May grew up in the restaurant business. His parents were professional restaurateurs. When he grew up, it was only natural that he would follow in their footsteps. After 40 years in the restaurant business, he retired to Bokeelia, Florida, and started a charter fishing business called Easy Rider Charters. What he had once done as recreation, he now does as a business.
When his how to cook what they caught, he was always ready with a recipe. Eventually, he started writing a column for the local newspaper and local marine publication Nautical Mile titled “Catch ‘em & Cook ‘em”. As time went on, people told him that they read his recipe columns on the internet up north in the summers and wished that he would put al of his recipes together in a book.
Some of the recipes in the cookbook have not made it into papers and some of the recipes in the papers have not made it into cookbooks. This is because he was always finding new ways to cook the wonderful bounty of the sea which he catches practically in his backyard.
Capt. Dick's
“Florida Gulf Coast Cookbook”"
2010 EDITION
is hot off the press
Plus:
Pantry Basics -
Baking Breads -
Vegetables & Fruits -
Measurements -
Equivalency Chart -
Quick Fixes -
Cooking Terms and more.....
