Fort Jefferson is the largest brick fort ever built in the United States and stands on Garden Island 70 miles west of Key West in Florida within Dry Tortugas State Park - a 100 square mile open water park with seven small islands.

Construction started in 1846 and continued for thirty years but was never finished because the development of rifled cannons made this type of fort obsolete.

When it was being constructed, seven slave workers at the fort attempted to commandeer schooners to escape. It was also used as a prison during the American Civil War and had some notable inmates, including Lincoln assassination conspirators.

You can get there by yacht, seaplane, Key West seaplane charters, and Yankee Freedom II ferry service.

Learn more about the history of Fort Jefferson at:

Explore Southern History                                  The Underground Railroad at Fort Jefferson

Dry Tortugas .com                                            National Park Service

We had good luck with the weather and currents and made a smooth overnight passage to Fort Jefferson from Key West. It’s a dramatic landscape to sail into, with the fort prominently on Garden Island. The snorkeling is excellent, with lots of fish to look at, including giant Groupers that swim around mooring structures, docks, and boats.

They have very good composting outhouses, and you can buy lunch or use the shower on the ferry while it’s docked at the island.

It’s a beautiful and fun place to explore. Small islands protect anchoring in the bay behind the fort on three sides. Be sure to follow the instructions of the park rangers and anchor well away from the seaplane and ferry routes. These come and go regularly, almost every day.

We met some friendly visitors, campers, and fellow seafarers while we were there. One of the best things about cruising is meeting other travelers and sailors and sharing food, beverages, and stories.

Before heading out on our passage to Marina Hemingway, we motor sailed across to Loggerhead Key to scuba a shipwreck. Later, we took the dinghy to the island to take photos of the lighthouse and look around. It's a stunning place, quiet and a little ghostly. We were the only people on the island at the time. When things are calm and relatively untouched, you feel an instant connection to nature and life's long history on Earth. You can feel the origins and imagine the lives of those who lived there over the centuries. I stopped momentarily and tried to imagine what it might have been like to build a lighthouse at such a place. We explored the area for a few hours and headed back to Ventenar and off to Cuba.