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American Spirit II - Arrived in the Dry Tortugas; January 5, 2014



Late Sunday night just before midnight we entered the National Park called the Dry Tortugas, home of the largest masonry structure (Ft. Jefferson) in the Western Hemisphere and about 90 mile from Havana, Cuba. Yes, it IS larger than even the Pentagon; and even has a moat around it. The anchorage was deserted, an indication of the 2 gales (one having just passed by a few days earlier, and the other coming) impacting the Florida and international boating community.

The anchorage at Garden Key,directly across from Ft. Jefferson, was empty. First time we've ever seen that in over 30 years. The anchorage was the last port of call for the USS Maine, a battleship that went to Havana, Cuba after leaving the Dry Tortugas and was blown up and sank, helping to start the Spanish-American War. Also, Dr. Mudd, alleged to have treated US President Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth in 1865, was incarcerated here; only to be freed after helping stem a yellow fever epidemic, putting his own life at risk in doing so. His name is where the term "your name is mud" comes from. (That last bit of trivia was entered by Joel Heyne, who always has to get his 2 cents in).

Th evening tasks were concluded with a toast to Captain Morgan. As 'lights out' was instigated, there was no wind in the anchorage. The calm before the storm.

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