of Florida, then known as the Bahama canal, until they 

 caught the westerly winds which would assist them back 

 to Europe. 



Early sailing route from Europe and return. 



Unfortunately the narrow Straits of Florida, while 

 providing both the helpful currents of the Gulf Stream 

 and a normally prevailing southeast wind, also carried the 

 hazards of a line of offshore reefs several miles from the 

 almost invisible shore line of the Florida keys. For cen- 

 turies, hundreds of ships were destroyed along these reefs. 



It took only a brief glimpse at a chart of this area for 

 us to understand why the waters in the vicinity of Mara- 

 thon and the adjacent keys would be particularly rich in 

 wrecks, for it is here that the line of keys swings from an 

 almost north and south direction to east and west, the coral 

 reefs following the same line several miles at sea. A ship 

 feeling its way northward through the narrow straits, if it 



18 



Sea Diver 



