PUBLISHERS’ NOTE
Publisher & Editor
Gregory Enns
772.940.9005
enns@indianrivermag.com
Associate Publisher
Allen Osteen
Writers
Janie Gould,
Gloria Taylor Weinberg,
Camille S. Yates,
Susan Burgess, Willi Miller,
Catherine Enns Grigas,
Sandra Thurlow,
Wm. F. Crary II, Greg Gardner
Christina Tascon,
Alisha McDarris, Louisa Beckett
Photographers
Ed Drondoski, Bob Dobens,
Juan Dale Brown
Cover Photo
South Florida Dive Journal
Design
Michelle L. Burney
Design Intern
Ashley Thomas
Copy Editors
Jay Goley, Judith Collins
Advertising Coordinator
Laurie Cox
772.466.3346
laurie@indianrivermag.com
Advertising Representatives
Sunny Gates
772.204.5043
sunny@indianrivermag.com
Marsha Lange
973.714.4141
marsha@indianrivermag.com
Yvonne Calvert
561.706.4542
yvonne@indianrivermag.com
Distribution Coordinator
Frank Shotto
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A TREASURE TO READ
Indian River Magazine Inc. is a locally
owned company based at 308 Ave.
A in Fort Pierce, FL 34950 Indian River
magazine publishes five times a year:
early October, late November, mid-
January, early March and early May.
All material contained herein is copyrighted
by Indian River Magazine Inc.
A pleasant distraction
When we began story-planning
for this issue, our annual boating
edition, we urged writers to pitch
us stories about some of the more
outstanding boats on the Treasure Coast and
their captains.
One of our more surprising pitches came from
Willi Miller, a writer with us since we started the
magazine seven years ago. Willi had recently
begun kayaking and suggested we do a feature
on its growth on the Treasure Coast.
We were skeptical at first, since we had a hard
time putting kayaks in the category of other boats
like the Schooner Lily Page 72, the Boomer
Page 76 and the Seaward 46RK Page 78.
But Willi was relentless. She attended a kayak
fishing seminar in Stuart and followed up with
story ideas such as: padding with manatees
through mangroves; cruising waterfront neighborhoods
in a kayak; fishing for your supper
from a kayak; and kayaking to stay in shape.
Finally, we gave in and the result is Willi’s story
on Page 62.
Willi’s love of kayaking began in the spring of 2012 when she was house-sitting for
friends on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Her niece had come to visit and, looking
for things to do, they rented a kayak at Cinnamon Bay. “Neither one of us had kayaking
experience but we liked it so much we went back the next day and rented two,” she said.
“When I returned to Florida, the Ocean Research & Conservation Association e-mailed
about a kayaking fund-raiser, so I had to join in. Then I was really hooked and hunted
Craig’s List until I found my own.”
Actually, she ended up buying two kayaks and she’s been paddling ever since. She’s had
more time to devote to her newfound hobby since retiring last year from public radio station
WQCS, where she hosted the “Arts Spotlight” program since 1997.
“At that time, Bob Betcher, the entertainment writer for local Scripps papers, called me
the only full-time broadcaster covering the arts on the Treasure Coast,” she recalled. “He
wondered how I’d ever find enough to talk about five days a week. Things have changed
since then, and I’d like to give “Arts Spotlight” and WQCS a lot of the credit for the tremendous
increase in arts reporting.”
Willi hopes to start a Treasure Coast arts blog soon and, lucky for our readers, continues
to write about the arts and many other topics for Indian River when other things aren’t taking
up her time.
“I have to confesss to enjoying retirement way too much,” she said. “Unfortunately, the siren
song of the kayak and the lagoon distracts me. I’m just beginning to learn kayak fishing.”
4
Indian River writer Willi Miller shows off a catch
after a day of kayaking on the Treasure Coast.
Reach Publisher and Editor Gregory Enns at
772.940.9005 or enns@indianrivermag.com.
Reach Associate Publisher Allen Osteen at
772.466.3346 or osteen@indianrivermag.com.
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