Into The Viridian Sea

History of Key Largo

Here is a string of words never uttered by a member of the Sanders family, "Hey Babe, we're dropping the hook tonight at Key Largo, right?"  Until now.  Our stay at Hurricane Hole at Biscayne Key was very relaxing.  The wind finally died and the water was like a sheet of glass this morning.  We had to wait for the tide to start coming in so we could be sure to get over the sandbar at the exit. 



By 8:30, the Ritchie Compass on the dash said we were headed south for our anchorage at Key Largo, FL.  Once in the AICW, we might as well have been in the ocean.  There were only hints of land on the horizon east and west, nothing to the south and to the north the cityscape of Miami sank into the sea as we steamed away.  Viridian was the only vessel on the water for the first few hours, no chatter on the radio, no bridges to deal with, no sport fisher cruisers waking us in the channel and no houses, skyscrapers or cruise ships anywhere in sight. 



The water was the perfect blue/green and the sky clear blue.  The average depth for the 43 miles traveled today was about 12-14 ft. deep, and you could see the bottom.  Glad to be out of the mega cities and back to feeling like we were the only people around.  Most of the islands along the way to Key Largo were uninhabited.  Most were mangrove forests that looked impossible to penetrate on foot.  Other islands looked like they could be explored if you had a mind to.  Our passage today took us from Biscayne Key out into Biscayne Bay and South for about 32 miles to Barnes Sound.  Once under the first bridge we picked up a nice 2 mph current, and we rode the outgoing tide at a blazing 9 mph!  At mile 40 we passed under Hwy #1 that goes all the way to Key West, FL. 


We poked around looking for a protected anchorage that was deep enough during low tide.  Finally, we found a place in Blackwater Sound and dropped the hook 200 yards off the western shore of Key Largo, directly in front of Sundowners Restaurant.  After it cooled off some we took Jazzy over to the restaurant, tied her up at the dinghy dock and walked about 2 miles north to Winn-Dixie.  With our backpacks full, we headed back and stopped at Sundowners Restaurant and the best seafood meal since leaving Huntsville.   We ate outside on the pier overlooking Blackwater Bay where Viridian lay at anchor in the smooth water protected by the land of Key Largo.

That's the news and here's the views:

We are here

Today's route from Biscayne Bay to  Key Largo, FL - Anchorage

 Morning at Biscayne Key Anchorage

Crossing under Highway #1 Bridge

Tiki Hut on the other side of Hwy #1

I wasn't expecting to have to anchor near a place like this..

Viridian at anchor off Key Largo