25:05.39N 80:25.95W   Key Largo

 

We motored down from Miami to Rodrigues Key, waiting for the high tide to go into Port Largo. Exiting the cut on the south side of Miami we passed “Stiltsville”  There are about 5 of these buildings on stilts that were built one mile offshore, in the 1930’s,  to facilitate gambling and drinking during the prohibition. Remarkably they are still standing – many storms and hurricanes later.

 

 

So why Key Largo?   Its another great small world story.  Some years ago we met Dale Stringer, briefly on a plane and then got to know him the following day at our yacht club in Simons Town, when we discovered the Nordhavn link.  Dale then owned the  Nordhavn57  SnowWhite, but was in South Africa to assist his friends Shelia and Stuart, sail their yacht back to the USA.  We bumped into him and his wife Sandy up in Palm Beach a few months ago, and he very generously  offered us a dock outside one of his homes in Key Largo, where we could leave Time2 if we needed to go home. As it turned out, we could not get down to Puerto Rico to leave Time2 there, due to the problems still associated with the hurricane – so we took up Dale’s offer.  

 

Port Largo is a series of about 5 streets, each with deep water docks at the back of the homes – (you can zoom in on the index map to this blog, and you will see more detail).  What a great place to live. The entrance was very shallow for Time2 with her close to 7ft draft – so we timed it exactly on high tide. Once inside, it is much deeper and we were quickly tied up, with the help of Shelia and Stuart- who had heard we were coming in.   Another lovely surprize. Dale has a super talented “fixer of all things home and boat”, called Omar – who will keep an eye on Time2 so we can go home for friends & family birthdays. How lucky we are!