A Favorite spot for boaters for years,
it was not until recently, Cape Florida had a restaurant here at No Name
Harbor. Sailors will meet here when getting ready to cross the Gulf
Stream of the Atlantic Ocean to the Bahama Islands. Bimini, Bahamas
is approximately 50 miles due east of No Name Harbor. When sailing
over, a group of boats will congregate here in the afternoon and provision
the vessels with anything forgotten on the mainland or to purchase more
Ice. Many sailors will call a taxi and go to the local supermarket
and then have the cab bring them back here. An afternoon nap and
a lazy evening will soon come to a point where the boats are all ready
to depart for the Bahamas. Usually around 11 P.M.. The reason
for the late evening departure is simply that since the Gulf Stream moves
South to North at around 7 - 8 miles per hour and can push a sailboat that
is not traveling at high speed way off course missing the desired Bahamian
Island altogether, and when the sailboats leave, they can see Fowey Light
which is about 6 miles off of the Key Biscayne coast (about 12 miles off
the mainland coast) and they will head for that. They know this is
East of their starting point. Now if they keep their course, due
east, until they cannot see Fowey
Light behind them (about 20 miles offshore), they will only have to
travel by compass for another 10 miles where they are totally in the dark
with the exception of their compass (back in the olden days) and now they
can see one of the lights from the towers of the Bahama Islands, still
being another 20 miles offshore. Today with the proliferation of
GPS on every larger vessel, sailors still use this tried, true, and tested
technique of crossing. As experienced boaters know, technology is
great as long as it works.
No Name Harbor Restaurant is a great place
to grab a burger, conch fritters, a cold beverage, and just sit and relax
watching the people who are sitting around doing the same thing as you.
A great view, good food, and a very fantastic and unusual location to spend
some time.
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