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‘Story of adventure:’ Buoy from Florida Keys ends up in France

Buoy went missing from Dry Tortugas National Park

A buoy from the Florida Keys washed up on the shores of Perros-Guirec, France (left) and was soon after installed in the town's miniature harbor (right). (Roman Di Tommaso/Dry Tortugas National Park)

KEY WEST, Fla. – A buoy recently went missing from the Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida and was discovered all the way across the ocean, washed up in a small, seaside community in Brittany, France.

About 70 miles off the coast of Key West lies the Dry Tortugas, a subtropical national park in the Gulf, where a wanderlust-filled buoy broke loose from its moorings and embarked on its transatlantic trip of over 4,000 miles, national park officials said this week.

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It ended up on the rocky shore of Perros-Guirec, where it was found a few weeks ago near a sandy beach among the coast’s pinkish, granite rocks. Upon their discovery, the locals who found the lost buoy called the phone number on its identification tag, which read “Dry Tortugas National Park,” to report it to U.S. staff.

After discussions of what to do with the adventurous buoy, residents of Perros-Guirec decided to adopt it as their own, according to the National Park Service. They installed it in the town’s miniature harbor, Port Miniature Perros Guirec, a tourist attraction for children and families.

It now displays both the American and Breton flags, representing both its origins and its new home, where it gets to watch both locals and visitors enjoy the coastal life and beautiful waterways of France.

“We are happy to see that our buoy is back in action with its own story of adventure. We see a children’s book in the making!” Dry Tortugas National Park wrote on Facebook.


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