Ray’s Canoe Hideaway reopens after Debby and owner hope to sell

Mark Stukey, owner of Ray’s Canoe Hideaway on the Upper Manatee River in Bradenton, flooded during Debby when the Lake Manatee Dam released billions of gallons of rainwater. Fifteen of his boats were swept away by the river.

Then Milton came, who blew out windows and toppled trees. But much has survived, including the boathouse, whose walls are lined with yellowing, aging photos of satisfied customers.

This week, EMU shares the stories of people picking up the pieces and getting back to work after Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.

Stukey says business took a while to recover after so many storms. He bought the house when he was 50 and now hopes to retire and sell his business and house next door.

The old boathouse at Ray’s Canoe Hideaway

“Yeah, and now I’m 70, so that tells you how long we’ve had it,” Stukey says.

“Every time customers come in, they come into this building and they look around, they look at the windows that roll down. And they’re like, ‘Now that’s old Florida!’ I say, ‘Yeah, It’s true. You can’t find them like that very often.”

Yellowing pictures are tacked to the walls of the boathouse, proof of the satisfaction of many customers over the years.

“I’ve been through many floods. I’ve been through many hurricanes. However, these, during this summer of 2024, have definitely been the most intense, as evidenced by all the sand that has washed up on the bottom water. the river that came with tropical storm Debby And then Hélène put a little water here and there, but then Milton, there was a pretty intense wind, broke some trees, installed some. toilet here, needs repairs. accompany the storm season.

In September 2024, a month after Tropical Storm Debby dumped a deluge of rain on the area, Mark shows a mark he drew in the latrine, after floodwaters from the release of Lake Manatee Dam sent a torrent of water about five feet high. .

“People may be in denial about climate change. But I can tell you the truth, there is climate change. Just live on a river like this, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. The tides are rising , and every year something is a little different.

An old sign by the river also survived the storms of 2024.

“The house never floods. Yeah, you know, that’s right, the little bathroom is going to go underwater, the boathouse office, it’s going to go underwater. But it’s This has been the case since the 50s, 60s and 70s. and they are still standing.

A look inside the “Old Florida” boathouse

“Even with the high winds and storms, we have never suffered any serious damage in all that time. In fact, even in the last few years, any previous owners have never suffered any damage. So there is something really special about this section here, I don’t know what it is, but someone is watching it very, very closely, I can tell you, honestly.

Mark Stukey looks out at the river and the blue sky above from his boathouse door.

“Someone would really like to have this place. They really would. People in Manatee County know about Ray’s Canoe Hideaway, people who have lived here all this time.

“I wish the new owners would do the same thing. You don’t have to build a billion dollar house. A little house up there is fine. It has a wood fireplace to keep us warm warm in winter. I will definitely I will start this tomorrow And there is always an inexhaustible supply of wood on the river You don’t have to worry about it.

This audio postcard is part of a series about the experiences of people returning to work after a series of powerful storms during the 2024 hurricane season.