Headed south to grab the third or so good wind weekend since the wind
traditionally shuts off. Here's to it! Had a close look at Henry Flagler's bridge to Spanish Harbor Key. The Florida East Coast Railway was used to transport passengers and freight between Miami to Key West from 1912-1935
It was constructed in 1912 and was subsequently converted to automobile use in 1938. The railroad was destroyed by the devastating hurricane of 1935.
They cut a notch in the bridge to accommodate boat traffic making for the harbor on the other side. Flagler's bridge was replaced in 1972 by the structure just to the west.
You don't want to be anywhere near this thing on an incoming tide or any other bridge for that matter. There was a near drowning of a kiter a bit north of here in Islamorada years back. His kite swept under the bridge in a ripping tidal current. His lines were caught by oysters on a bridge piling beneath the water. The kite ripped down current and the lines "pulleyed" by the oysters dragged him underwater down to the piling and held him there submerged until a fisherman jumped in the water with a fillet knife and cut him free. No fisherman, no more kiter, a really lucky break.
A look at the flip side of the structure on Bahia Honda.
The lightwind board takes a break in the tidal flats, wind waiting.
Photos by Rick Iossi