| Travels of Dursmirg Vol. 3 Chapters 16-17 |
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CHAPTER 16 KEY WEST AND THE HAWK CHANNEL
The Florida Keys geography: In an almost mirror image of the Florida Keys is a string of reefs lying to the south and
east and separated by a narrow but navigable channel known as the Hawk Channel. Though well marked by
navigational aids and markers for day and night passage, the unpredictable cross currents driven by tidal flows and
barometric differentials can send a well-navigated vessel off their intended course and into a virtual “mine field” of
submerged coral heads. Semidiurnal tides with the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean each out of sync with one
another and the narrow channels between the keys accelerating and focusing these currents into a type of venturi
that fluctuates wildly and unpredictably makes these normally tranquil waters a nautical trap.
To add to the treachery of these waters are the thousands of lobster and stone crab traps with their floating
polypropylene “pot-warp” tied to their marker floats. A boater under motor power in these waters is in imminent
danger of being decommissioned and stalled only to be left to the whim of these fickle fluctuating currents. Like a
snake in the grass in less than a heartbeat, the twisting propeller can snatch up a lobster trap by its float rope and
make a fouled knot requiring hours of tedious labor to remove.
In calm seas during daylight hours, this mess is a curse, but at night or in any kind of turbulent seas extracting the
unwanted conundrum becomes an insurmountable task.
We would only sail in these waters and even then we would anchor up at night.
We were witnessing an end of an era back in the 1970s in the days before sat-navigation and GPS systems that put
precise all-weather navigation into the hands of even casual boaters with little or no boating or seamanship skills.
The Florida Keys are a testament to the hazards of navigation they present. From the very early times of sail when
the first Spanish galleons plied these waters there remains many of those vessels bones still littering this string of
islands where the current of the Gulf Stream waters formed a natural sea-highway for early European explorers
returning home with their plundered gold and slaves from America.
The Florida Keys remained a lonely and very isolated outpost until Henry Flagler brought his Florida East Coast
Railroad all the way to Key West back in 1912 and put this string of low wind and wave swept coral outcroppings
sparsely vegetated and virtually unpopulated on the map.
Left to the whim of the weather these Florida Keys have a high vulnerability to killer hurricanes and lethal tornados
spawned both by the tropically heated dark inky blue waters of the Gulf Stream flowing north into the Atlantic laying
to the south and also to the east, the shallow rapidly heated Coke bottle green waters of Florida Bay in the Gulf of
Mexico on the north.
I am here to tell this story mostly because of some luck. As a child in the late 1940s driving down Highway #1 to Key
West with my parents I witnessed my first tornado sighting and what I saw left a lasting impression. When these
tornados pass over open water the Florida locals refer to them as water spouts. It is almost like a lightning strike; if it
is going to hit you there is no running away, especially if you are in a slow moving sailboat. Jane and I have even
witnessed two of these destructive freaks of nature at the same time while sailing in the Hawk Channel along the
Florida Keys.
The road and development quits at Key West but the Florida Keys continue on westward for another 80 miles and
end with the group of seven small islands known as the Dry Tortugas where the American government erected Fort
Jefferson back in 1846 . Fort Jefferson’s only claim-to-fame, as limited as it is, is that it was once used as a
detention center and even though it only had one inmate, he was well renowned. Doctor Samuel Mudd’s only
offense was that he happened to have treated a man with a broken leg named John Wilkes Booth, who was the man
that shot Abraham Lincoln. The detention center ceased to operate in 1869 when Doctor Samuel Mudd was
pardoned.
Eventually the fort was made into a national monument and bird sanctuary.
Jane and I have sailed out to this remote and isolated outpost and anchored within the very low islands that shift and
often times run awash with storm driven seas of the Gulf of Mexico.
The surrounding waters attract a few hardy souls that will brave the open sea passage to sport fish in relative
isolation.
One of the small islands that make up the group of islands known as the Dry Tortugas happens to be the sole
rookery of the semi-pelagic sooty tern. They are protected during their nesting season from everybody except the
National Park Service helicopter.
Upon arrival at the Fort Jefferson Park office, we were told of the strict park rules that forbid even the coming close
to nesting sooty terns on their nearby rookery island.
Nesting sooty tern at Dry Tortugas
We also witnessed another bird tragedy there at Fort Jefferson. It so happened that a tropical storm had blown a
large number of snowy white egrets out to sea from their native home in Cuba and they took their only refuge on
these small barren keys. Not being strong long distance flyers their fate was sealed. We watched those feeble birds
stumble to their death one by one from dehydration and starvation. The park rangers told us that nature must take
its course.
This made me think of the place we had just sailed past on our way out from Key West.
Just past a series of islands known as the Marquesas Keys in the shallow waters west in the open expanse of the
Gulf of Mexico is designated a large restricted zone, the nautical chart notes as “bombing and strafing area –
explosives dumping Naval operations training area”. Also noted on the chart were several military dumping
areas…dumping what? This made me thing of the park ranger that said, “we must let nature take its course”.
Jane and I found this place away from the mainstream of civilization to be strange and interesting and a reflective
look of what all of the Florida Keys must have been like before the first settlements. This is not the kind of place that
the casual visitor is ever likely to visit. It does not beckon a return trip but is among one of our picks as our best
Dursmirg memories.
No drinking water is available out in the Dry Tortugas and the visiting boater must carry all the provisions that will be
needed. We ironically came back from our Dry Tortugas journey with more drinking water than when we had arrived.
Our wheelhouse top rain catcher proved that we were self-sufficient in that department. Our wind generator
generated more electricity than we needed and our fishing skills fetched us more than enough fresh seafood.
We took a day and a half to sail out into the open seawaters to the Dry Tortugas.
When leaving Key West two options are available. One choice takes you up the northwest channel and then along
the north side of Marquesas Keys, which will afford some protection from southerly winds and storm surge because
anchoring out in the open roadstead becomes a necessity if daylight sailing is your goal. (Another important
consideration is that this area is shrimped at night and mostly those trawlers are set on autopilot for long periods of
time with nobody tending the helm or standing watch…they are not looking out for anchored sailboats)
The other option when leaving Key West is the southerly route out past Sand Key Light and on the southerly side of
the Marquises protecting the sailor from northerly weather. Whichever route you choose many miles of open and
unprotected seas lies ahead with the Gulf Stream water generating a weather system of associated squalls along
this route.
The air and water are pure being nearly 90 miles from the nearest city, Havana, Cuba and nearly 200 miles from
Miami.
An interesting and unforgettable thing occurred soon after we dropped anchor in amongst the Dry Tortugas Islands.
Eager for a cooling swim in the crystal clear and pure waters, I put our boarding ladder over the side, which had a ½-
inch nylon rope tied to the bottom step in a loop to make it easier for the swimmer to mount the boarding ladder.
Well, shock! Surprise! In less than a split second after I put the boarding ladder over the side and into the water a
huge barracuda struck with lightning speed and razor sharp teeth neatly and cleanly severing off that nylon rope
loop. My heart sank as I contemplated losing a hand or foot in that lightning flash of teeth. Had I just chosen to
plunge into those waters that were home territory to a world of ravenous flesh eaters I would have been part of the
food chain then and there.
This queen helmet conch measures over 12-inches in length and is from the waters of the Dry Tortugas.
It is part of our collection of nautical memorabilia.
Our trip back to Key West started out as a spirited sail but before the day was out our lovely beam reach in 5 to 6
foot seas turned into a nasty close hauled pound into a steep choppy sea that all but checked our forward motion. It
was 3 AM the following morning before we were at the approach to the North West Channel leading into Key West.
Here I must thank Jane for her astute attention to detail that saved our lives. In reading over the coastal light list she
discovered that our chart was dead wrong concerning the jetty lights that for some mysterious reason had all been
changed. The channel entrance marker light on the rock jetty had been moved up into the channel and a different
light was now at the entrance. Yes, we safely made it out of the pounding seas and into the channel. The wind even
piped up to 25 to 30 knots. We were totally exhausted and decided to pull off the channel and anchor and rest until
daylight. Down with the anchor and up with the anchor light. We were crashed out totally exhausted and bone weary
tired. In less than 20 minutes the Coast Guard came by to inform us that we would have to move on… we were too
close to the channel. So, we cranked our motor and moved on to Key West arriving just before sunrise…we were
drop dead tired!
We spent five days anchored at Key West. “The end of the road” and “The Last Resort” is how this place is literally
known.
This small city confined to an island just six miles long and two miles wide has the large and influencing affect of a
hefty sized military presence together with a fishing industry whose employees supported a number of rough and
tumble bars. Jimmy Buffet at Howe’s Bar was a must-see to pick up the special flavor and atmosphere unique to the
Florida Keys in the 60s and 70s.
Hemmingway’s ghost still haunts the old town but it is rapidly being whitewashed away by the tourist exploitation
business with its sightseeing trains and guided tours geared to extract the last tourist buck.
For the cruising boater Key West is a bummer; forced to anchor across the busy channel frequented by Naval
vessels, some as large as aircraft carriers and a steady stream of shrimp trawlers all leaving destructive wakes. The
swift currents only added to the challenge of making a dinghy boat ride to shore.
The dinghy boat landing was at the foot of Simonton Street where large crowds gathered every afternoon to watch
the sunset out over the Gulf of Mexico. This soon became a type of circus atmosphere with street musicians,
jugglers, itinerate hell and brimstone preachers and a variety of screaming activists with various political axes to
grind. Burned out hippies trying to make a buck off the tourists hawked homemade macramé with psychedelic beads
and handmade palm frond hats
Nothing of material value was safe here. The boaters chained and locked their dinghies and carried with them their
oars. It seems strange but it was easy to spot the anchored out boaters in downtown Key West; they could always
be seen toting their oars, in restaurants, bars and even checking out of supermarkets…there were the oars.
Key West was not in any way friendly to the cruising sailor and the Coast Guard didn’t ask permission to relocate
anchored boats. Sailors that found places to tie their boats off to shore or in some protected niche weren’t there
long. They were told to move and if the response wasn’t immediate the boat was towed usually to a distant place
open to the sea.
My advice about a visit to Key West; if you must do it, come by car.
Jane and I waited five days in Key West for the wind to come around so that we could continue our sail back to
Marathon up the Hawk Channel.
We did however have some visitors from Key West. First came hundreds of black flies blown over from the city and
then next a very nice little bird that took up residence inside our boat, even nesting at night in one of Jane’s
flowerpots. The little energetic bird was a flycatcher that I am sure ate more than his body weight worth of flies every
day. We spent many an amazing hour watching the relentless snap, snap, snap as our newfound passenger did his
ships duty.
When the wind shifted the black flies from Key West quit coming and our little flycatcher friend departed. With that
our anchor came up along with the sails and we were underway.
Oh, by the way!
I have seen Key West do a remarkable transformation over the years. My first visit to this isolated little spot that is
literally the “end of the road” was back in the mid 1940s. I have written of my experience then in my autobiography.
At that time tourists seldom visited Key West and only the huge military presence supported the local economy.
In 1949 all that changed, when Salvador Tringali discovered the enormous shrimp fishing grounds there and sleepy
little Key West overnight underwent a transformation akin to a gold rush atmosphere and I had been there to see it
happening.
The 1960s and 1970s saw another transformation when the flower children took up residence and evolved into the
peaceniks and free-lovers of the pill generation.
The 1980s and 1990s saw the arrival of the gay community that did a remarkable clean-up job and restoration that
upgraded the rundown and dilapidated hanging out places and priced the hippies out of town.
CHAPTER 17 JANE’S LETTERS FROM THE KEYS
Letters that Jane wrote to her parents, Edwin R. Pearson and Eunice Pearson of Maple, Wisconsin.
1974 January 27 (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her parents;
We made it to Marathon yesterday. We left Miami on the 23rd and sailed down. We only sailed during the day
so we anchored inside the ocean reefs at night. The last night and day we ran into some rough weather and
had to anchor in the ocean-it was impossible to sleep so it was nice to get inside a snug harbor and get some
sleep. We had one really bad squall on the first day down with 50 MPH winds and lots of rain. We really
heeled over but I managed to get the jib down. Always excitement-a top blew right out of my bottles of
“home brew” and I haven’t found it yet. Luckily it was corked instead of capped.
We plan to stay here in Marathon for a while so you can forward our mail here until I let you know otherwise.
Mail it to us: General Delivery, Marathon, Florida 33050.
This is really a nice place. We have the Atlantic on one side of the island and the Gulf of Mexico on the
other. The island is 6 miles long and 2 miles wide and the climate is real tropical 75-85 degrees all the time.
We are going to put our bicycles ashore and do some exploring tomorrow. It will be good to get the bikes out
again- we haven’t used them since November. In Miami there was no safe place to leave them.
I hope everyone is doing well-wish I could send you some of this sunshine.
We really love it. Love, Jane and Bing
Dinghy up and Dursmirg riding at anchor in Biscayne Bay 1974.
Anchor up and Dursmirg is silently sailing away as our little home strikes off to the distant horizon in
search of another adventure and a new place to call home until the spirit moves us again.
1974 February 9th (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her parents;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
Thank you for forwarding the mail. Keep sending it until I let you know otherwise. We haven’t received the
magazine yet and we are anxious to read the article. We met a doctor in Miami who said he had read an
article about us. That must have been the one.
I sure hope that Dad finds a doctor that can help his eyes. Bing and I know Doctor Nisswandt. He had been to
our house in Superior and also aboard the boat at Drill’s Marina in Duluth. Tell him hello for us. He is
building a 55-foot sailboat. He bought the hull a few years ago and is finishing it himself. Also he is supposed
to be one of the top neurosurgeons in the United States... We sure hope that he can help. Can Dad see okay
other than reading?
We sure have been enjoying Marathon. It’s been real warm and we swim every day. I’m getting better at my
swimming and can swim long distances now. Today we didn’t get any swimming done though-a north wind
started blowing bringing down Arctic air-its 65 degrees and that feels cool with all the humidity. With the
wind blowing and the gray sky it looks like it could snow, it brought back memories of Wisconsin.
We have met a lot of nice people here on boats. Mostly refugees from the snow. It’s really amazing how many
people live on boats. We are repainting the black paint on the hull of our boat again and also painting the
deck. We also have to scrape barnacles off the bottom again so there is no end of things to do. It seems like
we are always busy with not enough time in the day. In another five years we might have this boat done.
I sure hope that everything goes okay for Dad. Please keep me informed.
Bing and I are both doing okay, getting skinnier (Bing is 150 lbs. and I’m 122). It must be all of the exercise
because we sure eat plenty. I’m going to the dentist on Monday to get my teeth checked. It sure is hard to
find a dentist that will take a new patient. My legs are doing great. I haven’t taken any medicine for almost 4
months now and no more pain or swelling.
Gas prices here are just as bad as Wisconsin. Maybe worse now. In the Keys its 50 cents a gallon with a 6
gallon limit at most stations. Last weekend there was no gas at all available in the Keys. (From Miami to Key
West). Bing and I took our bikes on the highway because there was so little traffic. We can get all the diesel
fuel we want here in Marathon for 25 cents per gallon. Cheaper than Miami, but since we have been sailing
and not using the engine, we don’t have to buy much, only the little we use for cooking... My diesel strove
really works good and it will run 15 hours on one gallon of fuel.
Love Jane and Bing
1974 February 13 (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her parents;
We are still in Marathon so keep sending the mail here. If we leave here for a while the post office will hold
our mail for us.
We went to a big party aboard a lobster boat. Everyone brought a dish for a potluck supper. All the anchored
sail boaters were invited and it was a lot of fun and a lot of good food.
We got the magazine in the mail. That was a real good article. Bing and I sure were fat when those pictures
were taken. You should see us now. I’ll write to Sharon and thank her. Thank you for getting us the copy,
Hope everyone’s okay.
Love, Jane and Bing
1974 March 6 (Florida Keys-Newfound Harbor-Key West)
A letter that Jane wrote to her parents;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
We are at a place called Newfound Harbor in the Florida Keys. We have been anchored here for about a
week. We are waiting for favorable winds to go on to Key West. It’s only 25 miles. We plan to stay in Key West
only two or three days and then head back to Marathon to pick up our mail and get more supplies.
Could you send the mail you have and then stop sending it? Would you also enclose a letter letting us know
that it’s the last mail so we don’t wait for more? As soon as we get the last mail we will head for Miami again,
(or near Miami to a place called Elliot Key). We were there in January and liked it so well that we are going
back for a few weeks. We won’t be able to get mail for a while once we leave Marathon.
The temperature had been nice here but it’s been too windy for comfortable sailing. I hope it improves. We
haven’t been doing much here at Newfound Harbor except exploring by dinghy (when the wind dies down)
and a little swimming. This is a wilderness area with no towns close by. We had some friends anchored here
with us all week but they left this morning to head back to Marathon. We plan to meet them again at Elliot
Key. Later on.
I’ve tried fishing but haven’t had any luck. We’ve seen a lot of sharks and stingrays but haven’t been able to
catch them either. One more good reason to return to Elliot Key. There I caught fresh fish for supper every
day and we do love fish.
We sure enjoyed Marathon too! A nice town and a lot of nice people with good protected anchorage. We also
had our bicycles ashore, so we got a lot of exercise.
Since we haven’t been too active this week I can’t think of too much to write about. I hope that it quits
snowing up there soon. I’d sure like to come home for a visit but it will have to be when it’s warm as I don’t
think I could handle the real cold weather.
Hello and love to everyone. Jane and Bing
1974 March 11 (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her brother Jim and his wife Penny;
Dear Jim and Penny,
Thank you so much for your letter. I’m glad you are enjoying your winter. If you have to spend a winter in the
north, Carl’s place is an ideal place to spent it, only it sounds like you two get a little too cozy some cold
winter nights, so I see the Pearson name is going to be carried on for another generation.
When does Jim go back to work at his business? Keep us posted on your new address when you move.
We are still in Marathon (again) still enjoying the fine weather. It was in the 80s yesterday so we spent the
afternoon swimming from our boat. Bing and another fellow went fishing yesterday morning and caught
enough fish for lunch. We tried in the evening but they just weren’t biting.
We left Marathon a couple of weeks ago and went to Key West. It’s a nice town but too many hippies and it
wasn’t safe to leave our dinghy anywhere so we came back to Marathon. As soon as we get our last mail
from Mom and the wind from the right direction we are heading towards Miami and after restocking supplies
to a place called Elliot Key. No one but a few park rangers live on the island, the water is so clear you can
see bottom everywhere and swimming and fishing are good. We were there in January and liked it. We felt it
was the nicest place in the Keys. Marathon is nice, protected anchorage, but it is civilized, with all kinds of
places to spend money. We have enjoyed our stay here however. But it’s getting time to head north again.
We are only going as far north as Daufuskie Island again this year. We really like it there. We sure wish you
two plus (?) could come and visit us. We’d love to have you anytime. Just let us know ahead of time so we
can be somewhere where we could meet you.
We are still making wine. I’ve got 15 gallons kicking now and I’ve got to get more beer going soon as the last
5 gallons is gone already. My home-brew is really potent.
Well it is almost 11 AM and time to head for shore and bike up to the post office and supermarket. It’s a 6
mile round trip.
I suppose you will be getting your bikes out soon. Are you still going to bike to Canada? Sure would be a
great trip.
We enjoy hearing from you so keep on writing.
Love, Jane and Bing
1975 December 17th
Florida Keys, Marathon
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom Dad and Joel,
It is hard to believe that it is almost Christmas already.
As I write this letter, we are anchored next to Rodriguez Key about 50 miles north of Marathon. We should be
in Marathon by tomorrow night. We will be staying there a couple of months, so would you please forward
our mail there.
We have some friends sailing with us, Jim Muller and Leigh from Savannah, Georgia. We picked them up in
West Palm Beach on December 9th. We spent a few days in Biscayne Bay south of Miami, but yesterday
started for Marathon, because the wind finally started blowing from the right direction. Jim and Leigh will
leave us on the 19th at Marathon. We hate to see them go, as they are real fine people and crew.
I hope that you have a nice Christmas. It is so beautifully warm down here, I wish that I could be there or you
here.
I have a package to send, but I won’t have it ready by Christmas, but when I do send it, I’ll put it in John’s
suitcase and send by Greyhound bus to Maple. Does the Maple Co-op except packages from Greyhound or
would it go to the Iron River or Superior?
I’ll try to call at Christmas but I can’t be sure if I can get through as the phone exchanges get so busy.
Merry Christmas
Love, Jane and Bing
Our good friends Jim and Leigh from Savannah on our sailing adventure into the Florida Keys.
1976 January, 20th
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel;
We have been busy as usual. Bing has completely rebuilt the chart table since the 1st. He divided the three
big drawers into 9 smaller ones. We have been out to a reef near here a couple of times snorkeling and
gathering conch, (a big snail-we eat the meat).
We have friends on five other sailboats here so we have had a lot of fish fries and conch fritters.
A few days ago I came down with a cold and been in bed constantly ever since. This morning I had a dentist
appointment which I went to. He took x-rays between coughs. I think that I will have my remaining teeth
capped. I may change my mind when he gives me the estimates next week.
Hope you all had a nice Christmas. Please write and tell me about it.
Love Jane and Bing
When are you coming to Florida?
1976 February, 8th
Florida Keys
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
Our last letters must have crossed in the mail. In case you didn’t receive it I got the Christmas package and
thank you very much. The shirts all fitted fine and are something that we really needed. Thank you for Joel’s
picture. It is real nice. I still can’t believe that Joel is so old already.
We have company again; A Friend from New Hampshire came yesterday. I’m not sure how long he will stay. It
was too cool here to do much today. Last week was nice and warm. We went out sailing in the Gulf of Mexico
on a friend’s boat from New York last Friday. We had a beautiful sail; I got a little sunburn however.
I went to my dentist here on Thursday. I need three cavities filled. I also asked him to give me an estimate on
capping my teeth and some bridgework. His estimate was $5600.00. I still can’t believe a figure that high! Of
course I’m not having the work done by him. I maybe eligible to have it done by the Merchant Marine as I’m
checking with them and also a dental school in South Carolina.
Bing and I sewed a big awning to use as a rain catcher. It took us a couple of days to sew it. We have put a
hand crank on our sewing machine. It hasn’t rained since we put it up. Water is expensive down here and
scarce. An average home has a water bill of $35.00 a month. No one has a cistern here, which is foolish as it
rains a lot for nine months then dry for three.
I’ve got some more wine going. I’m making some with Welch’s grape juice and also some coconut wine.
I wish that the coconut would be ready when Keith and Ann come, but I doubt it. I’ll let them try some of my
new prickly pear. We are looking forward to their visit. Hope it is warm so that we can take them out on the
ocean.
It has been cool down here this winter compared to the last couple of years but it still is very enjoyable. We
complain when it drops into the 60s but that sure is warm compared to zero.
Love, Jane and Bing.
1976 February, 27th
Florida Keys
A letter Jane wrote her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel;
I meant to write sooner but I’ve been so busy with company. We had friends from Melbourne, Florida staying
with us this past week.
Keith and Ann were here on the 16th. We really enjoyed seeing them. Ann fell aboard our boat into the
engine and cut her head. She had to have four stitches in it. I hope it healed okay. We really feel bad about
it. Sounds like they will spend their whole vacation here next year.
The weather turned cool again. It is in the 60s but that is cool for here. We had some hard rain this week but
unfortunately we didn’t have our rain catcher up, so we are still short of water. We have to try to buy some,
but no one wants to sell it. The marinas want you to pay $150.00 a month dockage, then they will give you
water. Next time we come here we are going to make sure our 750-gallon tank is full.
I think that we will be in Marathon at least one more month.
Time to fix supper. I’m going to make tortillas (a Mexican dish). It’s one of Bing's favorites.
Love, Jane and Bing
PS I found my last contact lens. Also if you can locate anymore one-gallon plastic jars I would love to have
more.
1976 March 21st
Florida Keys, Marathon
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
When we leave here we will sail to Biscayne Bay and spend six weeks at Elliot Key. After that we will sail to
Melbourne, Florida, which will be the next place that we pick up mail. After that, we will go to St. Augustine.
I’ll try to write from Elliot Key, the park rangers may mail them for me. As far as I know now, there will be no
way to pickup mail at Elliot Key.
We had more company from Duluth, some people we met when we were members of the Duluth Power
Squadron. They just spent the day with us. The week before a friend of Bing’s from Grand View, Wisconsin
stopped to see us.
I’ve been busy this past week putting groceries aboard and getting the boat ready to travel. Bing’s been
busy doing salvage work on wrecks, collecting a lot of fittings.
I also made Bing a macramé watchband of white nylon. I also bottled 72 fifths of wine, so it has been a busy
week.
I hope that you received the suitcase okay. I plan to write to Judy and hope to get a reply when I pick up my
mail at Malabar. I want to know if they plan to come to Florida this summer and when, so I can meet them.
I really hate to leave Marathon but Bing is anxious to get moving again, so we go.
Love Jane and Bing
March 23rd;
We are still in Marathon so I thought I’d add another note.
We had planned to leave here yesterday, but Bing’s father’s cousin, Fred Grimsrud and his wife Julie from
Superior came on Sunday. We had no idea that they were coming except from your letter. They wrote to us
but got it back marked, “unclaimed”. The U. S. post office sure can mess up the mail. We drove to Key West
yesterday with Fred and had a good time sightseeing but it was hot, even for us. They are staying in a motel
nearby so we all spent a lot of time swimming in the motel pool. They are leaving today sometime.
I suppose we will leave in a couple of days, when and if the wind is blowing the right way.
We are going to the post office now.
Love, Jane and Bing
On the deck of Dursmirg at Boot Key, Marathon is Bing, Jane and Julie Grimsrud (wife of Fred Grimsrud).
The Boot Key lift bridge is in the background.
1976 April, 9th
Florida Keys
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
We finally left Marathon on Monday, April 5th. We had good weather that day and sailed 80 miles before we
anchored for the day only 23 miles from Miami. Tuesday the weather was terrible, on the way to Miami
entrance we got hit by a nasty thunderstorm, all we could do was hang on and wait for it to pass, which it did
in an hour. We are now anchored at Sand Key in Biscayne Bay about 18 miles south of Coconut Grove area
of Miami. Because we have a draft of 6 ½ feet we have to sail 103 miles north from Marathon then south 18
miles to get here. We will be in the general area between Sand Key, Elliot Key and Adams Key, (All Biscayne
National Monument Park), for at least a month. I like it here. It is all wilderness and undeveloped and no
bridges to these Keys.
It sure has been windy since we got here and has turned cooler too. 65 degrees that is cold for April in
Miami, especially with a 25-knot north wind blowing. We had rain two nights ago and caught 20 gallons of
rainwater. It sure tastes good. Bing has been busy with projects. He made some blocks for the line on our jib
boom. He made the boom in Marathon.
We’ve sailed our dinghy to the beach every day but today, too much wind for an eight foot boat.
Love, Jane and Bing
I hope you have all your seashells cleaned or at least odor free by now.
I’m not sure how long we will be in Marathon but I’ll write when we arrive. I’ll mail this from Key Biscayne.
Love, Jane and Bing
Florida Keys – Marathon
April 18, 1977 Postcard
Dear Mom and Dad,
We arrived in Marathon on Sat. the 16th. Norm and Allene arrived then too. Jon and Dale are still with us.
We are in Key West now seeing the sights. We rented a car and drove down. Please send all first class mail
to Gen. De. Marathon until I call and say we are leaving. Weather is beautiful and we wish you could see the
Keys. I’ll write a letter in a few days. Love, Jane
Florida Keys – Dry Tortugas, 1977, May 19
Birthday card that Jane sent her Mom
Happy Birthday Mom,
Bing and I are now anchored about ½ mile from the town of Key West. This afternoon we are going to take
the dinghy to town to mail letters and buy some diesel fuel.
We had a wonderful trip to Dry Tortugas which is about 65 miles due west of here. We left Marathon on the
seventh and got to Dry Tortugas on the eighth. We sure liked the place. I’ve never seen so many big fish
before. Bing got a 5-foot barracuda. I got one 38” weight 10 pounds on 8-pound test line. What a fight! We
were in the dinghy and Bing sailed the dinghy to shore, I got out and landed the barracuda on the beach.
Bing’s biggest thrill was a 4 ½-foot amberjack fish that he hooked from the dock at Dry Tortugas. He fought
it a long time. A Coast Guard cutter was at the dock and the chief had 2 of the crew launch their small boat
and take Bing out off the dock to fight the fish. After 40 minutes, they lost the fish because they were
unable to gaff him and haul him in the boat. We had plenty of fish to eat however. Dry Tortugas was also
full of birds. The sooty, the black and the brown noddy terns were nesting on an island near where we
anchored. There were thousands of them. These birds are open sea birds and are only seen on land where
they nest and the only place in North American where they nest is at Dry Tortugas on Bush Key at Dry
Tortugas.
We met a lot of the people there. We didn’t expect to see so many boats there(eleven). We met a lot of
people from Naples. One fellow, Charles Moore owned a 70’ power yacht called Diamond Star. He owns the
Diamond Salt Co. Another fellows boat was Black Diamond and he owned coal mines. His sister is married
to one of the Schlitz Co. Uhliens. Lots of money in Naples. All the men from Naples were at Dry Tortugas to
fish and they had a profession fish guide with them and they really caught a lot of fish. They gave us a lot of
fish. They were really nice people. They all came to our boat, took pictures of us and had some homemade
wine. We went to all their boats several times and had a lot of fun. A lot of the rich are usually of the snob
variety but these people sure weren’t. They all went back to Naples on the 12th.
We left Dry Tortugas on the 16th because the weather forecast looked good for sailing to Key West, but the
weather turned bad and we had a real wild ride back to Key West. We got here at 3AM on the 17th. The
wind is still blowing strong out of the east but we are anchored behind a small island so we are in protected
water (no big waves). Our next stop is Marathon but we have to wait until the wind comes from the
southeast or the south to sail there as Marathon is almost due East of here. I’m not sure how long we will be
in Marathon before we head to Miami and then St. Augustine.
Remember when you were on our boat at Dinner Key? There was a boat called Arête there from St. Paul,
Minn. Well, when I was home almost 2 years ago, Gramma gave me an article from one of the Twin Cities
papers about that boat and I didn’t make the connection until last week at Dry Tortugas when we met
another fellow from Minneapolis who asked us if we’d seen the Arête anywhere. The fellow on the Arête
wrote the book, Zen, Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I remember Gramma saying after reading the article
that she did not think they knew what they were doing and from what we heard from the crew of the
Minneapolis boat, they still do not know what they are doing! We are supposed to give them a message from
the Minneapolis boat when we get to Dinner Key so we will probably finally meet the people and find out if
they are any crazier than we are!
I got a few more shells at Dry Tortugas. We were only allowed to take dead shells from the beach as all
marine life there is protected except fish that can be caught on hook and line.
There are a lot of flies that came aboard when we anchored here near Key West but they are no problem
any longer to us as yesterday a little bird came aboard and started catching and eating them. We think he is
an Acadian flycatcher. He left last night and this morning was back. He can get flies better than we can.
Bing’s lying on the couch reading and he will come and sit on Bing’s head, leg or book.
I hope all our pictures have arrived by now. We will send some more slides of the Dry Tortugas soon for
developing and have them mailed to you first. It will be quite awhile before we pick up mail again.
Say hello to everyone. I suppose you and Dad are real busy in the garden every day now.
I’ll write again when we get back to Marathon. We will only be there a few days then on to Miami. I hope we
can see Carl while in Miami this time. We won’t be in Miami long either as we have to get North before
hurricane season is too far along. Love, Jane & Bing
Florida Keys – Marathon, 1977, May 25
Postcard Jane wrote to her parents
Dear Mom & Dad,
We are back in Marathon. We got here yesterday afternoon. We are only staying until the wind is right for
sailing to Miami, which maybe a day or 2 or more. I will write when we get to Miami. Love, Jane and Bing
next chapter
The Florida Keys geography: In an almost mirror image of the Florida Keys is a string of reefs lying to the south and
east and separated by a narrow but navigable channel known as the Hawk Channel. Though well marked by
navigational aids and markers for day and night passage, the unpredictable cross currents driven by tidal flows and
barometric differentials can send a well-navigated vessel off their intended course and into a virtual “mine field” of
submerged coral heads. Semidiurnal tides with the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean each out of sync with one
another and the narrow channels between the keys accelerating and focusing these currents into a type of venturi
that fluctuates wildly and unpredictably makes these normally tranquil waters a nautical trap.
To add to the treachery of these waters are the thousands of lobster and stone crab traps with their floating
polypropylene “pot-warp” tied to their marker floats. A boater under motor power in these waters is in imminent
danger of being decommissioned and stalled only to be left to the whim of these fickle fluctuating currents. Like a
snake in the grass in less than a heartbeat, the twisting propeller can snatch up a lobster trap by its float rope and
make a fouled knot requiring hours of tedious labor to remove.
In calm seas during daylight hours, this mess is a curse, but at night or in any kind of turbulent seas extracting the
unwanted conundrum becomes an insurmountable task.
We would only sail in these waters and even then we would anchor up at night.
We were witnessing an end of an era back in the 1970s in the days before sat-navigation and GPS systems that put
precise all-weather navigation into the hands of even casual boaters with little or no boating or seamanship skills.
The Florida Keys are a testament to the hazards of navigation they present. From the very early times of sail when
the first Spanish galleons plied these waters there remains many of those vessels bones still littering this string of
islands where the current of the Gulf Stream waters formed a natural sea-highway for early European explorers
returning home with their plundered gold and slaves from America.
The Florida Keys remained a lonely and very isolated outpost until Henry Flagler brought his Florida East Coast
Railroad all the way to Key West back in 1912 and put this string of low wind and wave swept coral outcroppings
sparsely vegetated and virtually unpopulated on the map.
Left to the whim of the weather these Florida Keys have a high vulnerability to killer hurricanes and lethal tornados
spawned both by the tropically heated dark inky blue waters of the Gulf Stream flowing north into the Atlantic laying
to the south and also to the east, the shallow rapidly heated Coke bottle green waters of Florida Bay in the Gulf of
Mexico on the north.
I am here to tell this story mostly because of some luck. As a child in the late 1940s driving down Highway #1 to Key
West with my parents I witnessed my first tornado sighting and what I saw left a lasting impression. When these
tornados pass over open water the Florida locals refer to them as water spouts. It is almost like a lightning strike; if it
is going to hit you there is no running away, especially if you are in a slow moving sailboat. Jane and I have even
witnessed two of these destructive freaks of nature at the same time while sailing in the Hawk Channel along the
Florida Keys.
The road and development quits at Key West but the Florida Keys continue on westward for another 80 miles and
end with the group of seven small islands known as the Dry Tortugas where the American government erected Fort
Jefferson back in 1846 . Fort Jefferson’s only claim-to-fame, as limited as it is, is that it was once used as a
detention center and even though it only had one inmate, he was well renowned. Doctor Samuel Mudd’s only
offense was that he happened to have treated a man with a broken leg named John Wilkes Booth, who was the man
that shot Abraham Lincoln. The detention center ceased to operate in 1869 when Doctor Samuel Mudd was
pardoned.
Eventually the fort was made into a national monument and bird sanctuary.
Jane and I have sailed out to this remote and isolated outpost and anchored within the very low islands that shift and
often times run awash with storm driven seas of the Gulf of Mexico.
The surrounding waters attract a few hardy souls that will brave the open sea passage to sport fish in relative
isolation.
One of the small islands that make up the group of islands known as the Dry Tortugas happens to be the sole
rookery of the semi-pelagic sooty tern. They are protected during their nesting season from everybody except the
National Park Service helicopter.
Upon arrival at the Fort Jefferson Park office, we were told of the strict park rules that forbid even the coming close
to nesting sooty terns on their nearby rookery island.
Nesting sooty tern at Dry Tortugas
We also witnessed another bird tragedy there at Fort Jefferson. It so happened that a tropical storm had blown a
large number of snowy white egrets out to sea from their native home in Cuba and they took their only refuge on
these small barren keys. Not being strong long distance flyers their fate was sealed. We watched those feeble birds
stumble to their death one by one from dehydration and starvation. The park rangers told us that nature must take
its course.
This made me think of the place we had just sailed past on our way out from Key West.
Just past a series of islands known as the Marquesas Keys in the shallow waters west in the open expanse of the
Gulf of Mexico is designated a large restricted zone, the nautical chart notes as “bombing and strafing area –
explosives dumping Naval operations training area”. Also noted on the chart were several military dumping
areas…dumping what? This made me thing of the park ranger that said, “we must let nature take its course”.
Jane and I found this place away from the mainstream of civilization to be strange and interesting and a reflective
look of what all of the Florida Keys must have been like before the first settlements. This is not the kind of place that
the casual visitor is ever likely to visit. It does not beckon a return trip but is among one of our picks as our best
Dursmirg memories.
No drinking water is available out in the Dry Tortugas and the visiting boater must carry all the provisions that will be
needed. We ironically came back from our Dry Tortugas journey with more drinking water than when we had arrived.
Our wheelhouse top rain catcher proved that we were self-sufficient in that department. Our wind generator
generated more electricity than we needed and our fishing skills fetched us more than enough fresh seafood.
We took a day and a half to sail out into the open seawaters to the Dry Tortugas.
When leaving Key West two options are available. One choice takes you up the northwest channel and then along
the north side of Marquesas Keys, which will afford some protection from southerly winds and storm surge because
anchoring out in the open roadstead becomes a necessity if daylight sailing is your goal. (Another important
consideration is that this area is shrimped at night and mostly those trawlers are set on autopilot for long periods of
time with nobody tending the helm or standing watch…they are not looking out for anchored sailboats)
The other option when leaving Key West is the southerly route out past Sand Key Light and on the southerly side of
the Marquises protecting the sailor from northerly weather. Whichever route you choose many miles of open and
unprotected seas lies ahead with the Gulf Stream water generating a weather system of associated squalls along
this route.
The air and water are pure being nearly 90 miles from the nearest city, Havana, Cuba and nearly 200 miles from
Miami.
An interesting and unforgettable thing occurred soon after we dropped anchor in amongst the Dry Tortugas Islands.
Eager for a cooling swim in the crystal clear and pure waters, I put our boarding ladder over the side, which had a ½-
inch nylon rope tied to the bottom step in a loop to make it easier for the swimmer to mount the boarding ladder.
Well, shock! Surprise! In less than a split second after I put the boarding ladder over the side and into the water a
huge barracuda struck with lightning speed and razor sharp teeth neatly and cleanly severing off that nylon rope
loop. My heart sank as I contemplated losing a hand or foot in that lightning flash of teeth. Had I just chosen to
plunge into those waters that were home territory to a world of ravenous flesh eaters I would have been part of the
food chain then and there.
This queen helmet conch measures over 12-inches in length and is from the waters of the Dry Tortugas.
It is part of our collection of nautical memorabilia.
Our trip back to Key West started out as a spirited sail but before the day was out our lovely beam reach in 5 to 6
foot seas turned into a nasty close hauled pound into a steep choppy sea that all but checked our forward motion. It
was 3 AM the following morning before we were at the approach to the North West Channel leading into Key West.
Here I must thank Jane for her astute attention to detail that saved our lives. In reading over the coastal light list she
discovered that our chart was dead wrong concerning the jetty lights that for some mysterious reason had all been
changed. The channel entrance marker light on the rock jetty had been moved up into the channel and a different
light was now at the entrance. Yes, we safely made it out of the pounding seas and into the channel. The wind even
piped up to 25 to 30 knots. We were totally exhausted and decided to pull off the channel and anchor and rest until
daylight. Down with the anchor and up with the anchor light. We were crashed out totally exhausted and bone weary
tired. In less than 20 minutes the Coast Guard came by to inform us that we would have to move on… we were too
close to the channel. So, we cranked our motor and moved on to Key West arriving just before sunrise…we were
drop dead tired!
We spent five days anchored at Key West. “The end of the road” and “The Last Resort” is how this place is literally
known.
This small city confined to an island just six miles long and two miles wide has the large and influencing affect of a
hefty sized military presence together with a fishing industry whose employees supported a number of rough and
tumble bars. Jimmy Buffet at Howe’s Bar was a must-see to pick up the special flavor and atmosphere unique to the
Florida Keys in the 60s and 70s.
Hemmingway’s ghost still haunts the old town but it is rapidly being whitewashed away by the tourist exploitation
business with its sightseeing trains and guided tours geared to extract the last tourist buck.
For the cruising boater Key West is a bummer; forced to anchor across the busy channel frequented by Naval
vessels, some as large as aircraft carriers and a steady stream of shrimp trawlers all leaving destructive wakes. The
swift currents only added to the challenge of making a dinghy boat ride to shore.
The dinghy boat landing was at the foot of Simonton Street where large crowds gathered every afternoon to watch
the sunset out over the Gulf of Mexico. This soon became a type of circus atmosphere with street musicians,
jugglers, itinerate hell and brimstone preachers and a variety of screaming activists with various political axes to
grind. Burned out hippies trying to make a buck off the tourists hawked homemade macramé with psychedelic beads
and handmade palm frond hats
Nothing of material value was safe here. The boaters chained and locked their dinghies and carried with them their
oars. It seems strange but it was easy to spot the anchored out boaters in downtown Key West; they could always
be seen toting their oars, in restaurants, bars and even checking out of supermarkets…there were the oars.
Key West was not in any way friendly to the cruising sailor and the Coast Guard didn’t ask permission to relocate
anchored boats. Sailors that found places to tie their boats off to shore or in some protected niche weren’t there
long. They were told to move and if the response wasn’t immediate the boat was towed usually to a distant place
open to the sea.
My advice about a visit to Key West; if you must do it, come by car.
Jane and I waited five days in Key West for the wind to come around so that we could continue our sail back to
Marathon up the Hawk Channel.
We did however have some visitors from Key West. First came hundreds of black flies blown over from the city and
then next a very nice little bird that took up residence inside our boat, even nesting at night in one of Jane’s
flowerpots. The little energetic bird was a flycatcher that I am sure ate more than his body weight worth of flies every
day. We spent many an amazing hour watching the relentless snap, snap, snap as our newfound passenger did his
ships duty.
When the wind shifted the black flies from Key West quit coming and our little flycatcher friend departed. With that
our anchor came up along with the sails and we were underway.
Oh, by the way!
I have seen Key West do a remarkable transformation over the years. My first visit to this isolated little spot that is
literally the “end of the road” was back in the mid 1940s. I have written of my experience then in my autobiography.
At that time tourists seldom visited Key West and only the huge military presence supported the local economy.
In 1949 all that changed, when Salvador Tringali discovered the enormous shrimp fishing grounds there and sleepy
little Key West overnight underwent a transformation akin to a gold rush atmosphere and I had been there to see it
happening.
The 1960s and 1970s saw another transformation when the flower children took up residence and evolved into the
peaceniks and free-lovers of the pill generation.
The 1980s and 1990s saw the arrival of the gay community that did a remarkable clean-up job and restoration that
upgraded the rundown and dilapidated hanging out places and priced the hippies out of town.
CHAPTER 17 JANE’S LETTERS FROM THE KEYS
Letters that Jane wrote to her parents, Edwin R. Pearson and Eunice Pearson of Maple, Wisconsin.
1974 January 27 (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her parents;
We made it to Marathon yesterday. We left Miami on the 23rd and sailed down. We only sailed during the day
so we anchored inside the ocean reefs at night. The last night and day we ran into some rough weather and
had to anchor in the ocean-it was impossible to sleep so it was nice to get inside a snug harbor and get some
sleep. We had one really bad squall on the first day down with 50 MPH winds and lots of rain. We really
heeled over but I managed to get the jib down. Always excitement-a top blew right out of my bottles of
“home brew” and I haven’t found it yet. Luckily it was corked instead of capped.
We plan to stay here in Marathon for a while so you can forward our mail here until I let you know otherwise.
Mail it to us: General Delivery, Marathon, Florida 33050.
This is really a nice place. We have the Atlantic on one side of the island and the Gulf of Mexico on the
other. The island is 6 miles long and 2 miles wide and the climate is real tropical 75-85 degrees all the time.
We are going to put our bicycles ashore and do some exploring tomorrow. It will be good to get the bikes out
again- we haven’t used them since November. In Miami there was no safe place to leave them.
I hope everyone is doing well-wish I could send you some of this sunshine.
We really love it. Love, Jane and Bing
Dinghy up and Dursmirg riding at anchor in Biscayne Bay 1974.
Anchor up and Dursmirg is silently sailing away as our little home strikes off to the distant horizon in
search of another adventure and a new place to call home until the spirit moves us again.
1974 February 9th (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her parents;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
Thank you for forwarding the mail. Keep sending it until I let you know otherwise. We haven’t received the
magazine yet and we are anxious to read the article. We met a doctor in Miami who said he had read an
article about us. That must have been the one.
I sure hope that Dad finds a doctor that can help his eyes. Bing and I know Doctor Nisswandt. He had been to
our house in Superior and also aboard the boat at Drill’s Marina in Duluth. Tell him hello for us. He is
building a 55-foot sailboat. He bought the hull a few years ago and is finishing it himself. Also he is supposed
to be one of the top neurosurgeons in the United States... We sure hope that he can help. Can Dad see okay
other than reading?
We sure have been enjoying Marathon. It’s been real warm and we swim every day. I’m getting better at my
swimming and can swim long distances now. Today we didn’t get any swimming done though-a north wind
started blowing bringing down Arctic air-its 65 degrees and that feels cool with all the humidity. With the
wind blowing and the gray sky it looks like it could snow, it brought back memories of Wisconsin.
We have met a lot of nice people here on boats. Mostly refugees from the snow. It’s really amazing how many
people live on boats. We are repainting the black paint on the hull of our boat again and also painting the
deck. We also have to scrape barnacles off the bottom again so there is no end of things to do. It seems like
we are always busy with not enough time in the day. In another five years we might have this boat done.
I sure hope that everything goes okay for Dad. Please keep me informed.
Bing and I are both doing okay, getting skinnier (Bing is 150 lbs. and I’m 122). It must be all of the exercise
because we sure eat plenty. I’m going to the dentist on Monday to get my teeth checked. It sure is hard to
find a dentist that will take a new patient. My legs are doing great. I haven’t taken any medicine for almost 4
months now and no more pain or swelling.
Gas prices here are just as bad as Wisconsin. Maybe worse now. In the Keys its 50 cents a gallon with a 6
gallon limit at most stations. Last weekend there was no gas at all available in the Keys. (From Miami to Key
West). Bing and I took our bikes on the highway because there was so little traffic. We can get all the diesel
fuel we want here in Marathon for 25 cents per gallon. Cheaper than Miami, but since we have been sailing
and not using the engine, we don’t have to buy much, only the little we use for cooking... My diesel strove
really works good and it will run 15 hours on one gallon of fuel.
Love Jane and Bing
1974 February 13 (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her parents;
We are still in Marathon so keep sending the mail here. If we leave here for a while the post office will hold
our mail for us.
We went to a big party aboard a lobster boat. Everyone brought a dish for a potluck supper. All the anchored
sail boaters were invited and it was a lot of fun and a lot of good food.
We got the magazine in the mail. That was a real good article. Bing and I sure were fat when those pictures
were taken. You should see us now. I’ll write to Sharon and thank her. Thank you for getting us the copy,
Hope everyone’s okay.
Love, Jane and Bing
1974 March 6 (Florida Keys-Newfound Harbor-Key West)
A letter that Jane wrote to her parents;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
We are at a place called Newfound Harbor in the Florida Keys. We have been anchored here for about a
week. We are waiting for favorable winds to go on to Key West. It’s only 25 miles. We plan to stay in Key West
only two or three days and then head back to Marathon to pick up our mail and get more supplies.
Could you send the mail you have and then stop sending it? Would you also enclose a letter letting us know
that it’s the last mail so we don’t wait for more? As soon as we get the last mail we will head for Miami again,
(or near Miami to a place called Elliot Key). We were there in January and liked it so well that we are going
back for a few weeks. We won’t be able to get mail for a while once we leave Marathon.
The temperature had been nice here but it’s been too windy for comfortable sailing. I hope it improves. We
haven’t been doing much here at Newfound Harbor except exploring by dinghy (when the wind dies down)
and a little swimming. This is a wilderness area with no towns close by. We had some friends anchored here
with us all week but they left this morning to head back to Marathon. We plan to meet them again at Elliot
Key. Later on.
I’ve tried fishing but haven’t had any luck. We’ve seen a lot of sharks and stingrays but haven’t been able to
catch them either. One more good reason to return to Elliot Key. There I caught fresh fish for supper every
day and we do love fish.
We sure enjoyed Marathon too! A nice town and a lot of nice people with good protected anchorage. We also
had our bicycles ashore, so we got a lot of exercise.
Since we haven’t been too active this week I can’t think of too much to write about. I hope that it quits
snowing up there soon. I’d sure like to come home for a visit but it will have to be when it’s warm as I don’t
think I could handle the real cold weather.
Hello and love to everyone. Jane and Bing
1974 March 11 (Florida Keys-Marathon)
A letter Jane wrote to her brother Jim and his wife Penny;
Dear Jim and Penny,
Thank you so much for your letter. I’m glad you are enjoying your winter. If you have to spend a winter in the
north, Carl’s place is an ideal place to spent it, only it sounds like you two get a little too cozy some cold
winter nights, so I see the Pearson name is going to be carried on for another generation.
When does Jim go back to work at his business? Keep us posted on your new address when you move.
We are still in Marathon (again) still enjoying the fine weather. It was in the 80s yesterday so we spent the
afternoon swimming from our boat. Bing and another fellow went fishing yesterday morning and caught
enough fish for lunch. We tried in the evening but they just weren’t biting.
We left Marathon a couple of weeks ago and went to Key West. It’s a nice town but too many hippies and it
wasn’t safe to leave our dinghy anywhere so we came back to Marathon. As soon as we get our last mail
from Mom and the wind from the right direction we are heading towards Miami and after restocking supplies
to a place called Elliot Key. No one but a few park rangers live on the island, the water is so clear you can
see bottom everywhere and swimming and fishing are good. We were there in January and liked it. We felt it
was the nicest place in the Keys. Marathon is nice, protected anchorage, but it is civilized, with all kinds of
places to spend money. We have enjoyed our stay here however. But it’s getting time to head north again.
We are only going as far north as Daufuskie Island again this year. We really like it there. We sure wish you
two plus (?) could come and visit us. We’d love to have you anytime. Just let us know ahead of time so we
can be somewhere where we could meet you.
We are still making wine. I’ve got 15 gallons kicking now and I’ve got to get more beer going soon as the last
5 gallons is gone already. My home-brew is really potent.
Well it is almost 11 AM and time to head for shore and bike up to the post office and supermarket. It’s a 6
mile round trip.
I suppose you will be getting your bikes out soon. Are you still going to bike to Canada? Sure would be a
great trip.
We enjoy hearing from you so keep on writing.
Love, Jane and Bing
1975 December 17th
Florida Keys, Marathon
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom Dad and Joel,
It is hard to believe that it is almost Christmas already.
As I write this letter, we are anchored next to Rodriguez Key about 50 miles north of Marathon. We should be
in Marathon by tomorrow night. We will be staying there a couple of months, so would you please forward
our mail there.
We have some friends sailing with us, Jim Muller and Leigh from Savannah, Georgia. We picked them up in
West Palm Beach on December 9th. We spent a few days in Biscayne Bay south of Miami, but yesterday
started for Marathon, because the wind finally started blowing from the right direction. Jim and Leigh will
leave us on the 19th at Marathon. We hate to see them go, as they are real fine people and crew.
I hope that you have a nice Christmas. It is so beautifully warm down here, I wish that I could be there or you
here.
I have a package to send, but I won’t have it ready by Christmas, but when I do send it, I’ll put it in John’s
suitcase and send by Greyhound bus to Maple. Does the Maple Co-op except packages from Greyhound or
would it go to the Iron River or Superior?
I’ll try to call at Christmas but I can’t be sure if I can get through as the phone exchanges get so busy.
Merry Christmas
Love, Jane and Bing
Our good friends Jim and Leigh from Savannah on our sailing adventure into the Florida Keys.
1976 January, 20th
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel;
We have been busy as usual. Bing has completely rebuilt the chart table since the 1st. He divided the three
big drawers into 9 smaller ones. We have been out to a reef near here a couple of times snorkeling and
gathering conch, (a big snail-we eat the meat).
We have friends on five other sailboats here so we have had a lot of fish fries and conch fritters.
A few days ago I came down with a cold and been in bed constantly ever since. This morning I had a dentist
appointment which I went to. He took x-rays between coughs. I think that I will have my remaining teeth
capped. I may change my mind when he gives me the estimates next week.
Hope you all had a nice Christmas. Please write and tell me about it.
Love Jane and Bing
When are you coming to Florida?
1976 February, 8th
Florida Keys
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
Our last letters must have crossed in the mail. In case you didn’t receive it I got the Christmas package and
thank you very much. The shirts all fitted fine and are something that we really needed. Thank you for Joel’s
picture. It is real nice. I still can’t believe that Joel is so old already.
We have company again; A Friend from New Hampshire came yesterday. I’m not sure how long he will stay. It
was too cool here to do much today. Last week was nice and warm. We went out sailing in the Gulf of Mexico
on a friend’s boat from New York last Friday. We had a beautiful sail; I got a little sunburn however.
I went to my dentist here on Thursday. I need three cavities filled. I also asked him to give me an estimate on
capping my teeth and some bridgework. His estimate was $5600.00. I still can’t believe a figure that high! Of
course I’m not having the work done by him. I maybe eligible to have it done by the Merchant Marine as I’m
checking with them and also a dental school in South Carolina.
Bing and I sewed a big awning to use as a rain catcher. It took us a couple of days to sew it. We have put a
hand crank on our sewing machine. It hasn’t rained since we put it up. Water is expensive down here and
scarce. An average home has a water bill of $35.00 a month. No one has a cistern here, which is foolish as it
rains a lot for nine months then dry for three.
I’ve got some more wine going. I’m making some with Welch’s grape juice and also some coconut wine.
I wish that the coconut would be ready when Keith and Ann come, but I doubt it. I’ll let them try some of my
new prickly pear. We are looking forward to their visit. Hope it is warm so that we can take them out on the
ocean.
It has been cool down here this winter compared to the last couple of years but it still is very enjoyable. We
complain when it drops into the 60s but that sure is warm compared to zero.
Love, Jane and Bing.
1976 February, 27th
Florida Keys
A letter Jane wrote her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel;
I meant to write sooner but I’ve been so busy with company. We had friends from Melbourne, Florida staying
with us this past week.
Keith and Ann were here on the 16th. We really enjoyed seeing them. Ann fell aboard our boat into the
engine and cut her head. She had to have four stitches in it. I hope it healed okay. We really feel bad about
it. Sounds like they will spend their whole vacation here next year.
The weather turned cool again. It is in the 60s but that is cool for here. We had some hard rain this week but
unfortunately we didn’t have our rain catcher up, so we are still short of water. We have to try to buy some,
but no one wants to sell it. The marinas want you to pay $150.00 a month dockage, then they will give you
water. Next time we come here we are going to make sure our 750-gallon tank is full.
I think that we will be in Marathon at least one more month.
Time to fix supper. I’m going to make tortillas (a Mexican dish). It’s one of Bing's favorites.
Love, Jane and Bing
PS I found my last contact lens. Also if you can locate anymore one-gallon plastic jars I would love to have
more.
1976 March 21st
Florida Keys, Marathon
A letter that Jane wrote to her folks;
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
When we leave here we will sail to Biscayne Bay and spend six weeks at Elliot Key. After that we will sail to
Melbourne, Florida, which will be the next place that we pick up mail. After that, we will go to St. Augustine.
I’ll try to write from Elliot Key, the park rangers may mail them for me. As far as I know now, there will be no
way to pickup mail at Elliot Key.
We had more company from Duluth, some people we met when we were members of the Duluth Power
Squadron. They just spent the day with us. The week before a friend of Bing’s from Grand View, Wisconsin
stopped to see us.
I’ve been busy this past week putting groceries aboard and getting the boat ready to travel. Bing’s been
busy doing salvage work on wrecks, collecting a lot of fittings.
I also made Bing a macramé watchband of white nylon. I also bottled 72 fifths of wine, so it has been a busy
week.
I hope that you received the suitcase okay. I plan to write to Judy and hope to get a reply when I pick up my
mail at Malabar. I want to know if they plan to come to Florida this summer and when, so I can meet them.
I really hate to leave Marathon but Bing is anxious to get moving again, so we go.
Love Jane and Bing
March 23rd;
We are still in Marathon so I thought I’d add another note.
We had planned to leave here yesterday, but Bing’s father’s cousin, Fred Grimsrud and his wife Julie from
Superior came on Sunday. We had no idea that they were coming except from your letter. They wrote to us
but got it back marked, “unclaimed”. The U. S. post office sure can mess up the mail. We drove to Key West
yesterday with Fred and had a good time sightseeing but it was hot, even for us. They are staying in a motel
nearby so we all spent a lot of time swimming in the motel pool. They are leaving today sometime.
I suppose we will leave in a couple of days, when and if the wind is blowing the right way.
We are going to the post office now.
Love, Jane and Bing
On the deck of Dursmirg at Boot Key, Marathon is Bing, Jane and Julie Grimsrud (wife of Fred Grimsrud).
The Boot Key lift bridge is in the background.
1976 April, 9th
Florida Keys
Dear Mom, Dad and Joel,
We finally left Marathon on Monday, April 5th. We had good weather that day and sailed 80 miles before we
anchored for the day only 23 miles from Miami. Tuesday the weather was terrible, on the way to Miami
entrance we got hit by a nasty thunderstorm, all we could do was hang on and wait for it to pass, which it did
in an hour. We are now anchored at Sand Key in Biscayne Bay about 18 miles south of Coconut Grove area
of Miami. Because we have a draft of 6 ½ feet we have to sail 103 miles north from Marathon then south 18
miles to get here. We will be in the general area between Sand Key, Elliot Key and Adams Key, (All Biscayne
National Monument Park), for at least a month. I like it here. It is all wilderness and undeveloped and no
bridges to these Keys.
It sure has been windy since we got here and has turned cooler too. 65 degrees that is cold for April in
Miami, especially with a 25-knot north wind blowing. We had rain two nights ago and caught 20 gallons of
rainwater. It sure tastes good. Bing has been busy with projects. He made some blocks for the line on our jib
boom. He made the boom in Marathon.
We’ve sailed our dinghy to the beach every day but today, too much wind for an eight foot boat.
Love, Jane and Bing
I hope you have all your seashells cleaned or at least odor free by now.
I’m not sure how long we will be in Marathon but I’ll write when we arrive. I’ll mail this from Key Biscayne.
Love, Jane and Bing
Florida Keys – Marathon
April 18, 1977 Postcard
Dear Mom and Dad,
We arrived in Marathon on Sat. the 16th. Norm and Allene arrived then too. Jon and Dale are still with us.
We are in Key West now seeing the sights. We rented a car and drove down. Please send all first class mail
to Gen. De. Marathon until I call and say we are leaving. Weather is beautiful and we wish you could see the
Keys. I’ll write a letter in a few days. Love, Jane
Florida Keys – Dry Tortugas, 1977, May 19
Birthday card that Jane sent her Mom
Happy Birthday Mom,
Bing and I are now anchored about ½ mile from the town of Key West. This afternoon we are going to take
the dinghy to town to mail letters and buy some diesel fuel.
We had a wonderful trip to Dry Tortugas which is about 65 miles due west of here. We left Marathon on the
seventh and got to Dry Tortugas on the eighth. We sure liked the place. I’ve never seen so many big fish
before. Bing got a 5-foot barracuda. I got one 38” weight 10 pounds on 8-pound test line. What a fight! We
were in the dinghy and Bing sailed the dinghy to shore, I got out and landed the barracuda on the beach.
Bing’s biggest thrill was a 4 ½-foot amberjack fish that he hooked from the dock at Dry Tortugas. He fought
it a long time. A Coast Guard cutter was at the dock and the chief had 2 of the crew launch their small boat
and take Bing out off the dock to fight the fish. After 40 minutes, they lost the fish because they were
unable to gaff him and haul him in the boat. We had plenty of fish to eat however. Dry Tortugas was also
full of birds. The sooty, the black and the brown noddy terns were nesting on an island near where we
anchored. There were thousands of them. These birds are open sea birds and are only seen on land where
they nest and the only place in North American where they nest is at Dry Tortugas on Bush Key at Dry
Tortugas.
We met a lot of the people there. We didn’t expect to see so many boats there(eleven). We met a lot of
people from Naples. One fellow, Charles Moore owned a 70’ power yacht called Diamond Star. He owns the
Diamond Salt Co. Another fellows boat was Black Diamond and he owned coal mines. His sister is married
to one of the Schlitz Co. Uhliens. Lots of money in Naples. All the men from Naples were at Dry Tortugas to
fish and they had a profession fish guide with them and they really caught a lot of fish. They gave us a lot of
fish. They were really nice people. They all came to our boat, took pictures of us and had some homemade
wine. We went to all their boats several times and had a lot of fun. A lot of the rich are usually of the snob
variety but these people sure weren’t. They all went back to Naples on the 12th.
We left Dry Tortugas on the 16th because the weather forecast looked good for sailing to Key West, but the
weather turned bad and we had a real wild ride back to Key West. We got here at 3AM on the 17th. The
wind is still blowing strong out of the east but we are anchored behind a small island so we are in protected
water (no big waves). Our next stop is Marathon but we have to wait until the wind comes from the
southeast or the south to sail there as Marathon is almost due East of here. I’m not sure how long we will be
in Marathon before we head to Miami and then St. Augustine.
Remember when you were on our boat at Dinner Key? There was a boat called Arête there from St. Paul,
Minn. Well, when I was home almost 2 years ago, Gramma gave me an article from one of the Twin Cities
papers about that boat and I didn’t make the connection until last week at Dry Tortugas when we met
another fellow from Minneapolis who asked us if we’d seen the Arête anywhere. The fellow on the Arête
wrote the book, Zen, Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I remember Gramma saying after reading the article
that she did not think they knew what they were doing and from what we heard from the crew of the
Minneapolis boat, they still do not know what they are doing! We are supposed to give them a message from
the Minneapolis boat when we get to Dinner Key so we will probably finally meet the people and find out if
they are any crazier than we are!
I got a few more shells at Dry Tortugas. We were only allowed to take dead shells from the beach as all
marine life there is protected except fish that can be caught on hook and line.
There are a lot of flies that came aboard when we anchored here near Key West but they are no problem
any longer to us as yesterday a little bird came aboard and started catching and eating them. We think he is
an Acadian flycatcher. He left last night and this morning was back. He can get flies better than we can.
Bing’s lying on the couch reading and he will come and sit on Bing’s head, leg or book.
I hope all our pictures have arrived by now. We will send some more slides of the Dry Tortugas soon for
developing and have them mailed to you first. It will be quite awhile before we pick up mail again.
Say hello to everyone. I suppose you and Dad are real busy in the garden every day now.
I’ll write again when we get back to Marathon. We will only be there a few days then on to Miami. I hope we
can see Carl while in Miami this time. We won’t be in Miami long either as we have to get North before
hurricane season is too far along. Love, Jane & Bing
Florida Keys – Marathon, 1977, May 25
Postcard Jane wrote to her parents
Dear Mom & Dad,
We are back in Marathon. We got here yesterday afternoon. We are only staying until the wind is right for
sailing to Miami, which maybe a day or 2 or more. I will write when we get to Miami. Love, Jane and Bing
next chapter
Sure enough, there were thousands of sooty terns
noisily performing their annual nesting tradition on
the adjacent island. They had flown in on their
instinctive migration to hatch their young.
Jane and I watched these distinctive seafaring birds
with fascination and amazement and then with
horror when the National Park Service helicopter
came in directly over this colony of nesting birds
hatching their young chicks and literally blew them
away. There that nerd at the controls sat sending a
blizzard of birds, feathers, nests and chicks off to
their demise in that violent helicopter prop wash.
noisily performing their annual nesting tradition on
the adjacent island. They had flown in on their
instinctive migration to hatch their young.
Jane and I watched these distinctive seafaring birds
with fascination and amazement and then with
horror when the National Park Service helicopter
came in directly over this colony of nesting birds
hatching their young chicks and literally blew them
away. There that nerd at the controls sat sending a
blizzard of birds, feathers, nests and chicks off to
their demise in that violent helicopter prop wash.
Jane with a ten-pound 38-inch barracuda
she hooked in the waters of the Dry
Tortugas and landed and later cooked
May 15, 1977.
The anchorage at the Dry Tortugas didn’t
beckon the sailor to linger because when you
ran out of anything you just had to do without
and if any type of breakdown occurred you just
had to fend for yourself.
You could just as well have been all alone in
the middle of the ocean as being here as far
as assistance was concerned. We felt
fortunate to be very resourceful and self-
sufficient but here above all else you were
completely at the mercy of the weather…not at
all the place to ride out the hurricane season.
she hooked in the waters of the Dry
Tortugas and landed and later cooked
May 15, 1977.
The anchorage at the Dry Tortugas didn’t
beckon the sailor to linger because when you
ran out of anything you just had to do without
and if any type of breakdown occurred you just
had to fend for yourself.
You could just as well have been all alone in
the middle of the ocean as being here as far
as assistance was concerned. We felt
fortunate to be very resourceful and self-
sufficient but here above all else you were
completely at the mercy of the weather…not at
all the place to ride out the hurricane season.
