The Florida Keys of my imagination
The Florida Keys might be the road well taken, but its wild coral waters, mangrove-covered islands and fiery sunsets reveal a more natural side
There’s a magical moment on every trip when I think: “This is it! This is the place I crossed the Earth for and it’s everything I imagined it to be.”
My first few days in the Florida Keys had been very enjoyable but I’d yet to have that moment. In Key Largo, I spent a couple of nights on a houseboat, getting up before sunrise to sup coffee on the upper deck while pelicans passed overhead. My first night had involved a meal of exceptional seafood while I marvelled at just how many of the silver-bearded diners around me resembled the writer Ernest Hemingway. And on an eco-boat trip, I had seen manatees and birdlife galore.
But that moment – the one when I had to pinch myself and think, “Hey, I’m here, really here in the Florida Keys” – didn’t arrive until I was driving the Overseas Highway across Seven Mile Bridge. This is one of the longest causeways in the world, yet just one of 42 bridges that link the 182km island chain. With aquamarine water shimmering on both sides, I found myself in wonder at the geography of the Keys and how being surrounded by so much ocean had defined life here and given it the unique flavour that is now its draw.
The Florida Keys has these moments that creep up on you. Its bountiful waters once stocked the fisheries and fuelled the sporting exploits of the likes of Hemingway and others, but these days it is about celebrating what is here more than what you can take from it. I’d come in search of the islands’ natural side; one that can often be lost on first-timers.
In boats we trust
“You know the Overseas Highway? Well, think of this as the fish highway,” said Captain Brady as he pointed to the Northwest Channel on a map, explaining the route we were going to take. “We have dolphins year-round here because there is plenty of shallow warm water around the Keys, plus lots of food via the channel, too.”
It was a sunny but breezy morning, and I was on-board SQUID, Key West’s first electric-powered charter boat operated by Honest Eco, for a dolphin-watching trip. There were seven of us on the tour, plus the captain and Jaclyn, both marine biologists.
The wind had curtailed plans to go out too far; instead we headed to the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. This was established by former US president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt in 1908, to protect a crucial habitat and breeding ground for birds, turtles and other wildlife.
Captain Sam of KeyZ Charters is one of the Stewards of the Keys (Simon Chubb)
Captain Sam of KeyZ Charters is one of the Stewards of the Keys (Simon Chubb)
We motored along for an hour or so, rarely seeing another boat. Entering an area called the Pearl Basin, Captain Brady dropped our speed and shouted to keep an eye out for dolphins. I turned and almost immediately saw a grey shape crest the ocean just metres from the boat. “Dolphin!” I squealed.
It was a mother and baby, and they were almost close enough to reach out and touch. “They are coastal Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, just like Flipper,” said Brady.
Jaclyn was busy taking photos, ready to upload to a database. She had been collecting data and studying these creatures for two years. “We’ve been able to identify 125 individuals just here in Key West,” she told me. “We note their dorsal fins and add the data to the Whale & Dolphin Tracker – an app that anyone can download. We use it to piece together the life stories of the dolphins we are watching every day. It’s kinda cool to get to know them on a personal level and tell people their stories.”
If you spot one Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, chances are that there are others around, as they tend to travel in pods (Simon Chubb)
If you spot one Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, chances are that there are others around, as they tend to travel in pods (Simon Chubb)
It turns out the Keys is a safe place for dolphins. “The population is not just stable but growing,” said Jaclyn. “There’s a lack of predators, such as sharks, and plenty of fish to eat, so it’s a paradise for them. They can stay their whole lives.”
A couple more appeared and seemed in a playful mood as they circled the boat. Brady explained: “We’re in a little bowl area, about ten football fields in size, and we’re over a kind of underwater hill. The dolphins are just checking out that slope. I thought we would see them fishing – they drive the fish to the shallow water, as they’re easy to catch there – but we have a mom and a baby here and they just seem to be curious about us. They know the boat.”
I expressed surprise that a dolphin could recognise boats. “Definitely,” he smiled. “In two ways: visually, when we’re close enough, and by our sound. This boat makes a unique noise, so they will have known it’s us. They’re very relaxed and haven’t changed their natural behaviour. That’s our goal. It’s a good sign that they feel so comfortable with us, especially moms and babies. That shows trust… It’s really special to see.”
(Shutterstock)
(Shutterstock)
(Alamy)
(Alamy)
Reef encounters
We eventually left the dolphins and carried on to a quiet spot. Those who wanted to snorkel donned wetsuits and slipped into the relatively shallow water. Below us, the sandy ocean floor was scattered with large sponges almost a metre in breadth. Sheltering beneath them was an array of fish of different shapes and sizes. The most dazzling were the porkfish, coloured bright yellow with black stripes. Several schools of grey snapper swam by, whereas the red-and-black groupers hung out on their own, ignoring us.
The weather conditions that day were not suitable for going to the Florida Reef, the world’s third-largest barrier reef system. It is 579km long and, along with the mangroves and remaining native forest, provides important protection to the Keys from storms, flooding and erosion.
However, like other coral reefs around the world, it faces threats ranging from climate change to pollution, to agricultural runoff, overfishing and damage from anchors and irresponsible snorkellers and divers. Chemicals in sunscreen can even harm corals. In Key Largo, I visited the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) to meet Roxane Boonstra, who filled me in on the scary statistics of just what had been lost.
The good news was that the CRF has a successful programme raising corals in nurseries. They grow 20 different species on “trees”, with each of them home to up to 60 corals. The foundation currently has eight nurseries but has plans for 45 in total. The corals are then planted on the reef by volunteers, with Roxane working with local dive operators on a programme that allows the public to get involved for a day.
Roxane was one of few local residents to have been designated a “Steward of the Keys”; she wouldn’t be the last I’d meet. In Islamorada, I joined another Steward, Captain Sam Zeher, one of the few female business owners here, on an eco-tour through the mangroves. We searched in vain for a crocodile that had been recently spotted; they are rare in North America but a small population does live here. We had more success with pelicans, boobies, egrets and an osprey, as well as several manatees.
Snorkelling around Key Largo, which is home to the first undersea park in the US, John Pennenkamp Coral Reef State Park, established in 1963 (Rob O'Neal)
Snorkelling around Key Largo, which is home to the first undersea park in the US, John Pennenkamp Coral Reef State Park, established in 1963 (Rob O'Neal)
A diver for the Coral Restoration Foundation tends to one of the “trees” they use for growing corals (Tim Grollimund, Florida Keys News Bureau)
A diver for the Coral Restoration Foundation tends to one of the “trees” they use for growing corals (Tim Grollimund, Florida Keys News Bureau)
Greedy pelicans gather at the marina at Robbie’s of Islamorada hoping for scraps from the fishing boats (Simon Chubb)
Greedy pelicans gather at the marina at Robbie’s of Islamorada hoping for scraps from the fishing boats (Simon Chubb)
“The Florida Keys is home to five of the world’s seven species of sea turtle, but they face many dangers”
The Turtle Hospital is located in Marathon (Shutterstock)
The Turtle Hospital is located in Marathon (Shutterstock)
The Florida Keys is home to five of the world’s seven species of sea turtle (Beth Higham)
The Florida Keys is home to five of the world’s seven species of sea turtle (Beth Higham)
Turtles are treated for many human-caused problems: getting hit by boats, entangled in nets, or swallow something indigestible, such as plastic bags (Shutterstock)
Turtles are treated for many human-caused problems: getting hit by boats, entangled in nets, or swallow something indigestible, such as plastic bags (Shutterstock)
The shell game
While the future of the region’s coral remains in the balance, things are brighter for its turtle population, which has had a resurgence over the last five decades. From the late 18th century onwards, the meat of green turtles was much in demand in Europe, as the prime ingredient of turtle soup. A lucrative industry grew in Key West, processing turtles kept in water-filled pens, called “kraals”, for export. Even when trade was past its peak, it continued into the 1970s until protection was afforded to local turtles under the Endangered Species Act.
At the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, I met with manager Bette Zirkelbach, another Steward, who explained that I was standing in the only dedicated turtle hospital in the world. Upon my arrival, the reception area had thronged with families checking in for its 90-minute tour, of which it does several a day. Such is the interest now in turtles that it gets over 100,000 visitors a year.
The site was a motel and nightclub before being bought by founder Richie Moretti in the 1980s. He hadn’t intended to open a turtle hospital but fate led him down a different path. The Florida Keys is home to five of the world’s seven species of sea turtle, and they face many dangers here; they often end up getting hit by boats or entangled in nets, or swallow something indigestible, such as plastic bags.
Bette also explained that green turtles can suffer from a condition called fibropapillomatosis, an aggressive herpes-like virus that causes tumours to grow. These can be treated with chemotherapy and surgically removed. Research is still being conducted but she pointed out that the condition is only found around developed coastlines.
The hospital had taken in 20 juvenile turtles from New England that were suffering from hypothermia and pneumonia. Bette took me to see some cuties hooked up to makeshift nebulisers; it was almost too adorable to describe. At the other end of the scale, size-wise, was the hospital’s latest arrival, Sheldon, a mature loggerhead turtle
“Look at the size of his head,” Bette pointed, “he’s in his prime. We think he could be 50 years old.” Sheldon had come in a few days earlier having had his leg caught in a crab-trap line, but it was not badly damaged, so he would soon be returned to the sea.
Bette’s passion for turtles shone through, and I asked her why she was so drawn to them: “They are one of the oldest species known to man; they’ve been around since dinosaurs walked the Earth – and they’re just really cool animals!”
Literary pursuits
Turtles were only one of several lucrative industries that 19th-century Key West was known for. In the early 1800s, it’s said that the city was the wealthiest per capita in the United States. However, its fortunes have waxed and waned since; now tourism is by far the most important industry today.
Indeed, arriving in Key West, it all seemed a bit too touristy at first, as I walked to Mallory Square for the daily celebration of sunset. Stalls were selling souvenirs and street performers were doing their thing – it was like a cross between Covent Garden and Marrakech’s Djemaa El Fna. Then the evening turned cold and windy, as a leaden grey cloud completely obscured the sun. I would have to wait for my perfect sunset.
Capt Tony’s Saloon is a dive bar with a past, and back when it was known as Sloppy Joe’s, the cream of US literati drank here, from Truman Capote to Tennessee Williams, and of course, Hemingway (Alamy)
Capt Tony’s Saloon is a dive bar with a past, and back when it was known as Sloppy Joe’s, the cream of US literati drank here, from Truman Capote to Tennessee Williams, and of course, Hemingway (Alamy)
The disappointed crowd dispersed, many heading for the lively bars and restaurants of Greene and Duval Streets, the tourist hub. I stopped for a beer at Captain Tony’s Saloon, a legendary spot that was the site of the original Sloppy Joe’s bar, synonymous with Ernest Hemingway. A tree grows through its interior, though only its trunk is visible. Stories abound that it was once used for hangings, and the bar is said to be haunted by a woman hanged for killing her husband and sons. Today, most drinkers are too busy perusing the ceiling, with its thousands of hanging bras, to notice if a Lady in Blue wafted by them.
This wasn’t the Key West of my imagination just yet. But, after strolling a few of blocks, I entered a more timeless world. The streets of the old town were lined with picket fences, behind which stood pastel-coloured wooden houses with “gingerbread” trims and louvre shutters. I wondered at their inhabitants over the years and the sights they had seen from their verandahs.
The wooden homes of Key West’s old town have charming verandahs and picket fences (Simon Chubb)
The wooden homes of Key West’s old town have charming verandahs and picket fences (Simon Chubb)
I could see the appeal to writers and artists. Key West has been graced by literary titans such as Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway and the poet Robert Frost. Even today, it is said that a disproportionate number of writers are based here.
The streets were hushed as I reached my hotel, Winslow’s Bungalows, which consisted of a collection of historic houses converted into guestrooms. When I located the building that held my room, it struck me that the only soundtrack here was one of cicadas, calling into the night like a million clicking typewriters hammering out page after page.
The sun also sets
The next morning, the soundtrack had changed to crowing roosters. Descended from jungle fowl from Cuba and the Caribbean, the local chooks were originally brought here as food and for cock fighting. They now freely roam the town, weaving in and out of the traffic. Locals call them “gypsy chickens”.
“This is the only rooster-free zone in town,” said a guide at Hemingway House, pointing to some of the 58 cats that lived there. They are supposedly all descended from a feline called Snow White that Ernest Hemingway was given when he lived here in the 1930s. She had six toes on each foot (known as a polydactyl), a genetic mutation that many ships’ cats once possessed and was considered good luck. Hemingway named Snow White’s progeny after famous people, and that tradition carries on. A purring ginger tom called Buster Keaton curled up on my lap as I took a quick break on a garden bench.
Hairy Truman the cat is descended from the many polydactl (six-toed) felines Ernest Hemingway used to own, after being gifted one by a local sailor – as the author once wrote, “one cat just leads to another”, and today nearly 60 live in his old house (Rob O'Neal)
Hairy Truman the cat is descended from the many polydactl (six-toed) felines Ernest Hemingway used to own, after being gifted one by a local sailor – as the author once wrote, “one cat just leads to another”, and today nearly 60 live in his old house (Rob O'Neal)
Hemingway spent nine years here in what is often considered his most productive period, writing To Have and Have Not, Islands in the Stream and a couple of well-known short stories. He had lived here with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, having been drawn to Key West by the laid-back lifestyle and deep-sea fishing. All went well until he met the journalist who was to become his third wife, Martha Gellhorn, in Sloppy Joe’s.
Hemingway House is arguably the best known of Key West’s sights, but the island is still crammed with things to see and do, from the “Little White House”, in which former president Harry S Truman used to take “workations”, to the fascinating Museum of Art & History. But there was one quintessential Florida Keys experience that I was yet to have – seeing one of its legendary sunsets.
The winter base of former president Harry S Truman (Simon Chubb)
The winter base of former president Harry S Truman (Simon Chubb)
The evening weather had been against me all week. My last chance was a private sunset sail, but the omens did not look good upon my arrival at the marina where a catamaran called Rogue Angel awaited me under a thick grey wall of cloud.
“You wait! Captain Tyler’s smile will bring the sun out,” was the bold claim of one of the directors of Bluesail Charters.
Florida Keys sunsets are coveted – even 19th-century writer Mark Twain was said to have made the trip to see the sun sink over Mallory Square, which now fills with a nightly carnival (Simon Chubb)
Florida Keys sunsets are coveted – even 19th-century writer Mark Twain was said to have made the trip to see the sun sink over Mallory Square, which now fills with a nightly carnival (Simon Chubb)
Once into open water, Captain Tyler pulled up the sail and it felt exhilarating to follow the coast of Key West while sipping on prosecco and nibbling on a variety of cheeses. We passed Mallory Square, where the crowds were gathered in hope of seeing a sunset, and then turned away, rounding Sunset Key and heading back to Stock Island. The only other vessel in sight was a solitary schooner, the America 2, modelled on the winner of the first ever America’s Cup. As she turned and crossed the horizon, silhouetted against the skyline, the clouds miraculously cleared, the sky changed colour to a flame orange ... and it was one of the best sunsets I had ever seen.
Yes, the Florida Keys of my imagination really does exist.
Take the trip
A similar itinerary from America As You Like It includes return flights with Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow to Miami, seven days fully inclusive car hire, two nights at the Mangrove Marina & Resort, Key Largo, three nights at Winslow’s Bungalows by Kimpton, Key West, and two nights at Tranquillity Bay Beach House Resort, Marathon.
For more information, head to the Florida Keys and Key West's official website, or learn more with Wanderlust
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