January 15, 2011 Virginia Key to Key Largo

            We left our anchorage at 8am and had the Miami skyline behind us.  It was quite a sight!  We traveled along Key Biscayne and went out the Biscayne Channel to reach Hawk Channel.  Reaching that channel was interesting; on the way we passed Stiltsville which was a collection of tall homes built on stilts.  I understand that was done prior to Hurricane Andrew hitting the area and doing horrendous damage to these actual houses in 1990.  At the time, someone living on the water did not have to pay real estate taxes - hence, people built houses on stilts. It looked to us that only one home could have been currently occupied since there had been a boat parked under it.  After these fine homes, we encountered four to five foot choppy waves to get to Hawk Channel which runs down the Keys on the Atlantic side but inside the reefs.  The reefs help to prevent waves from forming so once we got to that point we had a pleasant ride to Key Largo.

A home on stilts

Andiamo in Hawk Channel

            We had a slip at Marina Del Mar for two evenings and getting in there was another interesting experience.  First we had to time our entry at high tide since the entrance was shallow; however, once you were in the complex there was more than enough water. That was a very unique situation and I was not sure what other word to use.  It had a number of side channels that had homes with each having a boat parked in front. There were a number of work yards and restaurants.  When entering this complex you came down a long channel and the end was called “crash corner”.  It was a well know spot in Key Largo where there was literally a 90 degree turn.  You must call on the VHF radio to any boat on the other side that could be approaching.  We got through the turn only to go down another long channel and, finally, at the end was our marina.  There were three hotels lining this end of the channel: Ramada, Holiday Inn, and Marriott Courtyard.  Since we were part of the marina, we had access to each of the hotels' amenities.  That was a great advantage with all the different pools and hot tubs.

Approaching Marina Del Mar, following Brunelle down the waterway.

One of the many homes in Key Largo on the waterway

                                                Just a boat outside of someone's home

            We had a great meal at the Galley Restaurant with our group.  We sat in front of the TV which showed the Steelers beating the Ravens.  Needless to say, it was a lively restaurant.  We went back to our marina, sat on their veranda, and had a night cap to end the busy day.