Travel Tips

Stiltsville is still here.

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Stiltsville - south of Miami

Dec 19-21 - Down Hawk Channel

Stiltsville is a controversial community on the flats south of Miami between Florida Bay and Hawk Channel. The water is from 1 to 3 ft deep at low tide. The general mud flat area is divided by several main navigational channels. One of these channels is Biscayne Channel, the most frequently used channel south of Government Cut and the only access channel before Government Cut was made. Most of the houses are along the Biscayne Channel.

We rarely use Biscayne Channel as we consider the Cape Florida channel to be shorter. The Biscayne channel is better marked though.

From "Save Our Stiltsville" The "official" history of Stiltsville begins with a local fisherman named "Crawfish" Eddie Walker in the early 1930's, however some historians say there were about 12 shacks out in "the flats" as the area was known, as early as 1922.

As Key Biscayne grew, the residents complained the houses and shacks on the flats would lower their beachfront property value, and referred to them as squatters, even though the houses had submerged campsite leases with the state. Judge Frank Knuck of the Dade County Circuit Court, built his first house in 1953, stated "We're a family-type colony, not a scruffy bunch scruffy bunch of squatters."

Opposition continued as Florida Secretary of State, Bruce Smathers, characterized the community as a " blight on Biscayne Bay," and called for it's end to existence by 1986. However others disagreed and took great pride in Miami's unique village on the sea.

Bay bottom leases were issued by the State of Florida in 1976. The leases were transferred in the late '80's to the National Park after the boundary was extended northward in 1980, just enough to include Stiltsville. By then there were fourteen houses and a radio tower.

In August 24, 1992, hurricane Andrew the strongest hurricane since 1926, left only seven of the fourteen houses standing. The destruction was devastating, but half of the stilt houses survived. A testimony to the quality building design of many of the structures and a triumph over natures fury.

On August 28, 1998, the Florida National Register Review Board voted unanimously to recommend the Stiltsville site to the National Register of Historic Places.

Seven months later, on March 18, 1999, the National Register of Historic Places denied the application based on the fact that the remaining seven houses were under 50 years old.

As a result of the denied application, the National Park Service, owner of the land since 1980, will not renew the bay bottom leases that the houses stand on after July 1,1999. They have issued a mandatory removal of all structures

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Cape Florida Light south of Miami in 2004

December 19, 2001

After we got out into Hawk Channel (from Miami) Bob struggled to pull out the main - it resisted, and then put up the staysail. The wind was almost non-existant until after 12:30 when it moved from almost on the nose to somewhere useful. Up to that time we were motoring at about 5.6 knots. Tried to turn on the engine driven refrigeration, but the belts were too loose or the clutch was slipping.

Turned off the engine. At 3:55, after the engine cooled off, Bob tightened the belts, and ran the refrigeration.

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Sunset over the Keys

Last year, we left from RIckenbacker and made it as far as Point Willie off Key Largo and anchored. We aren't going to get that far this year so we anchored off Point Elizabeth after 37.9 nm at about 5 pm. It is very peaceful here - no other boats, and the boat was steady all night.

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Typical shoreline in Key Largo area 2003

December 20, 2001

Bob started to pull the anchor about 7. We put up the sails and motor sailed, and then even sailed for a bit. By 12:20, we were motor sailing off Upper Matecombe Key. There were huge mats of floating grass off Grassy Key. Bob was afraid that the grass would clog up the engine intake but when he checked it didn't seem to have done so.

We had intended to anchor at Long Key, but Bob thought we'd make it to Duck Key. We were both wrong. We made it almost all the way to Marathon and anchored SW of the island in Vaca Bight about 4:45 after 55.1 nm at an average speed of 6.2 knots. We were less than half a mile from shore, and the wind (which was considerable) was coming directly over the land. The wind generator was putting in 5 to 10 amps all night.

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Sunrise over the Keys in 2003

December 21, 2001

We measured wind at the boat of 16 to 23 knots, and there were white caps all around, but although the boat rocked some, the anchor held us steady. There was a crab pot float which ended up around the bow, and the line for that was wrapped around the anchor chain. This didn't prove as difficult to remove as Bob had feared.

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Passing Fat Deer Key in 2004

It was very bumpy motoring past 7 Mile Bridge, as the wind was from that direction. Bob pulled the jib out partway to get some benefit from the brisk wind. We were doing about 6.5 knots.

After we got opposite the next Key, the waves dropped quite a bit so Bob unrolled the rest of the jib. I called the NAS marina at Boca Chica to see if they could take us a day early and they said they could and they would put us on the 'wall' instead of in a slip. That didn't sound too good to me. I asked them about the power line on the chart and they said it didn't exist anymore, which is good.

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East or West Sister Rock off Marathon

Next - Christmas and New Years at Boca Chica