FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Simply off McGregor Boulevard, a windsurfing sail invitations individuals to discover the fun of watersports. The sail is positioned there by Roy Massey who has been captivated by the game for over 4 many years.

Massey, the proprietor of Ace Performer, reminisced about his love for windsurfing, a journey that started on the shores of Fort Myers Seaside in 1982, and has continued since.

“It was blowing 50 miles an hour, so I really went on the market and windsurfed in Hurricane Andrew,” Massey shared.

Nonetheless, Hurricane Ian wasn’t fairly the identical. The hurricane flooded each his enterprise and residential, forsaking a thick layer of mud.

“It was a nightmare, three months simply attempting to get all of the mud out,” Massey stated.

Family and friends rallied to help Massey. Ace Performer was capable of reopen its doorways, to a drastically modified panorama. The aftermath of Hurricane Ian noticed a downturn in tourism, notably affecting companies like Massey’s that relied closely on guests to Sanibel.

“As soon as all of the resorts obtained destroyed on Sanibel, then I misplaced all that enterprise, which nonetheless hasn’t recovered. The resorts, not all of them are up, it’ll be some time,” Massey explains.

The Lee County Customer and Conference Bureau studies solely 6% of Lee County’s guests are staying on Sanibel. A dramatic fall from 31%, two years prior. This shift has impacted Massey’s enterprise, with gross sales dropping to a 3rd of their earlier quantity.

“It will come again, so I simply inform everybody to be optimistic, that is all I’m, although I misplaced all my rental enterprise,” he said

As Massey seems to the long run, he is aware of he can’t change the route of the wind, however stays dedicated to adjusting his sails.