We departed Key West around 8:00 am for the 2:15 hour trip to Fort Jefferson, the public centerpiece of the park on Garden Key, one of the numerous small coral and sand keys that make up the Dry Tortugas. The weather was overcast with lightning and occasional rain squalls on the way out to the park 70 miles west of Key West. When we got there after an occasionally bumpy boat ride (the boat is a 100 ft catamaran), the sun came out and it was partly sunny and dry while we were there. We had breakfast on the boat on the way out and a guided tour of Ft. Jefferson and lunch while we were there.
Ft. Jefferson is something to behold. It is the largest brick structure in the world after the Great Wall of China. It was built with 16 million bricks, all shipped in. The fort was built to protect one of the most strategic deepwater anchorages in North America and maintain an important advance post for controlling the seaborne approaches to the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits. Construction began in 1846 but the fort was never completed or fully armed and was abandoned by the Army in 1874. It was subesquently used by the Navy as a coaling station and used briefly during both world wars. It was established as a National Monument in 1935 and rededicated as the Dry Tortugas National Park in 1992.
The islands were discovered by the Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon in 1513 and named Tortugas due to the abudance of large sea turtles in the area. They were subsequently called the Dry Tortugas to warn mariners about the lack of any fresh water on the keys.
We departed Ft. Jefferson about 3:00 pm just ahead of a strong cold front heading towards the area. This was a serious weather system for the keys as the forecast predicted rain in advance of the front and strong winds (25-35 knots with 50 knot gusts) behind the front. There were at least 10 shrimp boats anchored in the lee of Ft. Jefferson to ride out the winds that were predicted to generate 9-12 ft seas.
It started to rain just as we docked so we decided to get out of town instead of staying there for dinner. It turned out to be wise decision. The wind and rain really increased and we returned to the RV Park with carry-out Chinese food for dinner. The wind is really blowing hard right now and waves are splashing over the sea wall behind the RV.
We are leaving in the morning for Ft. Lauderdale, checking into the La Quinta Inn near the airport/cruise terminal where many people are staying prior to the cruise. We will park the RV and VW there and take their shuttle to the cruise ship around noon on Friday, departing for the Caribbean around 5;00 pm.
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