WHEELING THROUGH AMERICA: 10 BARRIER-FREE TREASURES FROM BIG CITIES TO NATIONAL PARKS TO EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN part 11

TRANQUIL ADVENTURES

Captain Mick Nealy, who has post polio syndrome and sometimes uses a wheelchair for mobility, has more insight into barrier-free boating than any charter boat captain in the Keys.

From the back of his Key Largo home, he launches a ramp- and lift-equipped pontoon boat that is perfect for wheelchair users.

The boat has a hydraulic lift that can lower disabled swimmers, snorkelers and kayakers into the water and it even has an improvised barrier-free restroom: a portable flush toilet, shower curtains for privacy.

The Captain, who knows Largo’s waters from gulf to bay, reef to mangrove-lined backwaters, is an expert angler and who has figured out all kinds of ways of rigging fishing poles and equipment to accommodate even high level quadriplegics.

Tranquil Adventures, Key Largo Florida, 305-451-2102, www.tranquiladventures.com

Tomorrow: Tips on barrier-free travel planning