From the skiffs rowed by Ais Indians to the nineteenth century Sharpie Schooners that delivered goods and people and contemporary fishing and pleasure boats, boating has been integral to the history of the Treasure Coast. The stories have a romantic aspect as well as a tragic one during the era that gave the Treasure Coast its name, as sixteenth century boats sunk or went aground in the waters along South Florida, leaving their treasure and their occupants beneath the sea. By the time that Henry Flagler was developing the railroad that opened South Florida to development, travelers were already well aware of this part of Florida because of the boats that plied both the ocean and the rivers, bringing tourists and ultimately settlers to an area of extraordinary natural beauty.

Fishing in Treasure Coast waters is legendary. The ones that got away really were “that big,” and the ones that were caught were huge. While for centuries, the residents of the Treasure Coast fished in order to eat and used boats for basic transportation, boating and sport fishing, gradually became both a passion and an economic engine for the area.