Joshua Slocum. Miami, Florida, and the Bermuda Triangle

Joshua Slocum, author and first single handed sailor to circumnavigate the world, made Coconut Grove on Biscayne Bay his last port of call in 1909. His departure was to be the last time he would ever be seen. Sailing out of Biscayne Bay and into the Straits of Florida, the Bermuda Triangle was there to claim another vessel and its crew.

The Straits of Florida is one of the most heavily traveled bodies of water in the world and no place to be drifting at night. All of the shipping traffic from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea converged here upon entering the Atlantic Ocean. This is the famous and treacherous “Bermuda Triangle”.

The above photo is of the schooner Our Dream, which is of similar rig and size to Joshua Slocum’s, was one of the last of its breed. Our Dream is a traditional Bahamas built wooden schooner that made Coconut Grove at Dinner Key, Miami, Florida, its home port. Owners Warren and Nira Brown called their Our Dream home anywhere they dropped their anchor.

For the rest of these interesting stories read  Sailing the Florida Keys by John M. Grimsrud.  It is available in paperback and digital editions from booksellers throughout the world.  Click here for more information. 

Recommended Reading:

Sailing Alone Around the World and The Voyage of the Liberdade by Joshua Slocum. These two books are all time classic sailing adventure stories that have stood the true test of time. These kinds of books are the variety that any lover of the sea or sailing will want to own and pass on to their next generation or also reread as I have.  Both books are available as free audio books from librivox.org or download as ePub, Kindle, or text from Project Gutenburg.