Heading south (again)

I’ve picked up my friend Ralph and we are heading south to the Keys.



I don’t have any pictures of the start of the trip for when we got out on the ocean the breeze was over 20 kts and it was mighty rough. The first 4 hours of the day were really YUCK. So, we ducked into the Miami shipping channel and continued south in Biscayne Bay. Our destination is Boca Chita harbor.



It’s one of the first decent sized keys that starts the Florida Keys and it has a nice harbor, buildings that are built of coral blocks and a private lighthouse on the island.

 
Back in 1937 an industrialist, Honeywell, (Yes, the man who invented the control systems for large buildings) bought the island and made it into a paradise retreat for the wealthy.





 This lasted only a few years until his wife fell on the island and died of her injuries. Afterwards, he lost interest in the island and the National Park Service bought it and converted it into a harbor/park within the Biscayne National Park. It’s a great place to visit. Hope that you can come here some time for a picnic!