Sunday Favorites: Gouls, Ghosts and Florida Man, Part 2

The Ghost of Anna Maria

Along the Anna Maria shoreline, a male apparition, draped in a shroud of darkness, has been witnessed strolling along the beach, gazing out over the Gulf of Mexico. Did he meet his demise in a shipwreck, or was it a fire? The truth remains a  mystery, but sightings of this ghost near Coquina Beach have persisted for decades, according to the website Southeaster Ghosts and Hauntings. 

This figure in black has been seen by beachgoers at various locations, from the Longboat Key Bridge to Three Piers Beach. Sometimes, he lingers in the tree line near the multi-use pathway before making his way to the water's edge, only to vanish into the waves. On occasion, he even appears in broad daylight.

The purpose behind haunting remains uncertain. Is he awaiting the return of someone or something? We may never truly understand, but I have a theory about his origin and what it might take to finally free him from this world.

The ghostly presence is believed to be one of the eight crew members of the sunken steamer known as the Regina, who is desperately seeking a long-lost friend. The Regina, initially a cargo steamer constructed at the beginning of the 20th century to transport molasses between Florida, Cuba, and other Caribbean nations, met a tragic fate on March 8, 1940.

At that time, the ship had been converted into a barge and was being towed from Cuba to Tampa, carrying a substantial cargo of syrup. However, it encountered a violent afternoon storm with 12-foot seas, gale-force winds, and freezing temperatures. The tow lines broke loose in the tumultuous conditions, causing the Regina to drift towards Anna Maria Island, as documented by the Florida Division of Historical Resources.

The tanker ran aground off the coast of Three Piers Beach and began to crack and disintegrate as powerful waves relentlessly battered its hull. The crew of eight was left terrified, but they chose to stay aboard due to the deplorable weather conditions and freezing temperatures. Merely 200 yards from the safety of the shore, they sought refuge in their crew quarters, anxiously waiting as water inundated the hull, filling the bilge up to shoulder level. Through the portholes, they could see fires lit on the beach by residents, hoping to guide them to safety.

At 1:00 a.m., a land-based rescue team made two unsuccessful attempts to shoot a lifeline to the stranded crew. Both times, the rope fell short.

The crew spent a harrowing night trapped on the ship, but the break of day brought a glimmer of hope for their rescue. Despite turbulent conditions, a U.S. Coast Guard seaplane flew over the ship, dropping life jackets and supplies. Unfortunately, everything they dropped, except for one lifejacket, was washed back to shore.

Eventually, one of the crew members, feeling it was his sole chance, decided to take the plunge. His loyal German Shepherd followed him into the water, and the onlookers on the beach watched in horror as they disappeared in the choppy conditions, just a mere 100 meters from shore.

A rescue dinghy equipped with life jackets braved the treacherous waves and reached the tanker in the nick of time, attaching a line that was also secured to the shore, just as the tanker capsized. The remaining crew member clung to the line to reach safety. Brave residents on the beach formed a human chain, extending into the water to help swimmers when they could no longer go on. Volunteers provided black blankets to prevent the crew member from succumbing to hypothermia.

The next day, the drowned crew member, identified as the cook, was found lifeless.

In my interpretation, the ghostly figure haunting the beach, wrapped in a black cloak he never received in life, is, in fact, the cook, eternally searching for his faithful German Shepherd who never made it to shore. I like to think that the dog somehow managed to survive, perhaps finding the one lifejacket that went missing that fateful day and holding on until he washed ashore miles away from the wreckage. I hope that these two spirits will one day be reunited.

Happy Halloween!