If one looked at the Key West Harbor 50 years ago, the character would have appeared vastly different than it does today. In place of the private yachts and charter
Just as they have for the last 40 years (with the exception of 2021) the Conch Republic Navy will send its vessel into the waters of Key West to recreate
1922: Excerpt from the Logbook of the U.S. Schooner Shark LCDR M.C. Perry commanding. Remarks, Sunday, April 7 Moderate breezes and pleasant. Land in Sight. At 10 p.m. discovered a
KEY WEST â The Schooner Western Union, the flagship of the state of Florida and city of Key West, is far from its glory days of being the tall ship that once repaired the signal cable from Key West to Cuba and placed undersea telegraph cables throughout the Caribbean.
One of the last historic tall ships, the Western Union is iconic not only in the Keys but across the state, and the schooner is revered as a true part of the maritime history of the Keys and Florida.
However, the historic sailing vessel currently sits in dry dock at the end of Robbieâs Marina on Stock Island, being eaten away by the elements. Funding has all but dried up, like the ship itself, and no work is currently being done on her. No tarps cover her deck for protection. Rainwater is rotting the planks and the sun bakes her topside.