Bokeelia Trading Company
Destination Pine Island is a division of Nautical Mile Publications which began in 2003 as a free monthly paper serving the Lee area coastal community. Our company has expanded with a yearly boating guide, an annual guide to Pine Island (Island Time) and Destination Pine Island, which is a quarterly visitor’s guide and a web based informational website catering to residents, visitors and new residents of Southwest Florida.
Destination Pine Island is designed to be a place that visitors use to find things
to do while visiting the Pine Island area. Fishing, lodging, resorts, restaurants,
art stores, nature trails. Name it and Pine Island has it. If you are visiting our
area, please drop us an e-mail about your trip & where you are from, where you stayed,
etc.
(239) 282-0435
office@thenauticalmile.net
DESTINATION PINE ISLAND 2009
Pine Island Florida - Fishing - Kayaking - Lodging - Boating - Restaurants - Vacations
St. James City - Matlacha - Pineland - Bokeelia
Nautical Mile Publications - 2009
Jim Griffiths
Nautical Mile Enterprises
Founder / Publisher
At the age of 4, Jim moved to Lee County from
Long Island and has seen a lot of changes. With
a few years in Key Largo, California and a quick
stop in Alaska, his life has always been spent on
the water, usually with a fishing rod in his hands.
As a kid working at the boat rentals at Pennekamp
Park in Key Largo, a custom rod builder and part
time on charter boats out of the Ocean Reef Club
in the 80’s, cable TV came to town and MTV
was the big thing. Visions of being a rock star
appeared so Jim packed up and headed to
California. He did well playing guitar, but he knew it wasn't his calling. Jim then traveled Alaska for a few
months to "Find Himself", but a phone call from Florida found him instead. His sister, Donna Griffiths,
was dying of cancer and his place was home with her. Her death hit him hard and taught him to appreciate
life while it was good.
"Her death was my toughest experience, but I have great friends, I'm healthy and I live in a great country with
unlimited opportunity, so I'm living every day like it were my last".
A job at a car wash lead to the Waxman, a mobile boat detailing business that Jim started in 1998, where
the idea for The Nautical Mile came from. "My boat customers were always asking me about local information
or where they could buy something. Why is there no directory for boaters in a city that has over 400 miles
of canals"? With a wax clientele of over 100 boaters, Jim saw a local marine related publication/directory in
more demand than waxing boats, so off he went. With no publishing experience or advertising knowledge, he
knew the community wanted it and would support it if he was willing to build it. "You don’t have to know
how to do something to be good at it. You do have to be honest, a student, and willing to learn".
The 48 page Nautical Mile is now the exclusive marine publication in our area and
has over 100 distribution points that move thousands of papers monthly, plus they
publish a
quarterly guide to Pine Island called “Destination Pine Island”.
Jim credits the success of the company to friends, writers
and businesses that support the paper. He fishes aboard the
"Grooper Snooper" with Capt. Mike Coppola and resides
with his Lab "Bo" in Bokeelia.
Special Thanks to:
Chuck Caukins, Ft. Myers Marine
Mike Coppola, Lifetime Fishing
Pal
Mom, Mike & Bo
The Nautical Mile is published monthly
in memory of Dean-O Hicks
