On Knight's Key

Jim checked in today, Tuesday, January 17,  at 2:14 pm EST at Knight's Key.  This Key was an important supply port during construction of Henry Flagler's East Coast Railroad.  It is about midway down the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West and gave Flagler's crews deep-water access to ships laden with building materials.  The area suffered severe devastation from a hurricane on October 3, 1906, with many lives lost.  Today, one can make a 2+ mile trip from Knight's Key out to Pigeon Key Terminus on foot, by bicycle or by tram.  The group Jim is paddling with will spend a day of rest at this point before pushing off to cover the 7-mile open water stretch south to the Lower Keys.  Bahia Honda Key will be their next stop.  Whoops - after talking to Jim on the phone at 7:30 CST, I have to revise this.  The group will be pushing off tomorrow for Bahia Honda where they'll take a one day rest before proceeding southwards.  Jim says he expects they'll have to drag the vessels a bit in the morning due to low water.  Two of the participants suffered falls on the limestone rocks getting ashore at Knight's Key today, and one of the other participants has chosen to be trucked south to Bahia Honda instead of taking part in the 7 mile open-water paddle tomorrow.  The group will stop for lunch  and a breather about half-way across.  Someone visiting the group this evening said the paddling looked like good exercise.  Jim said he commented that it had long passed the definition of exercise and could easily be classified as an endurance run.  The entire group will be ready for a day of rest after tomorrow's paddle.  Fortunately there is little wind being forecast for that area tomorrow, so hopefully their trip might be a bit easier for that.  Don't know if I'd exchange the 15 degrees forecast for our area tonight for that paddle though!  Best wishes to everyone.  Go safely out there!