The Commodore's Story

by Ralph Middleton Munroe

To anyone who has spent much time in southern Florida, or on the blue waters of Biscayne Bay stretching southward from Miami inside the keys which fringe the low-lying coast, Ralph M. Munroe, endearingly known as 'The Commodore,' needs no introduction. A pioneer, who first felt the charm of that palm and pine-fringed coast over 50 years ago, when the end of the peninsula was as inaccessible as the western plateau in the days of the covered wagon, he soon succumbed to the lure of the country and became one of its early settlers, building a home in what was then practically a wilderness, and is now within the boundaries of a large city.In the development of the lower east coast of Florida he played a quiet but important part. to those who knew him it is easy to believe that his personality, his friendliness, and his good will were in a measure as responsible for attracting those who early followed his lead in settling the coast near the mouth of the Miami River, as were the climate and other features which have made the shores of Biscayne Bay irresistible to many.Ralph Munroe was a seaman before he went to Biscayne Bay, but the waters and life there gave him an opportunity to develop his love of boats, and to turn his talents to the designing a sailing craft that was peculiarly suited to shoal water, and was also so seaworthy as to be able to make the long runs up and down the coast outside, and to stand up in the rough waters of the Gulf Stream.These reminiscences of a long, useful and interesting life have grown from a simple note-book which Munroe started originally for the benefit of his children, in order that the pioneer days of the country he loved and which he did so much to develop should not be forgotten.

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of ‘The Commodores Story’ is by the noted author Munroe with cleanup by Vincent Gilpin. That part is OK but a bit much at times. It's the second part that sells this as an outstanding description of the Dade County coast and it's transformation from a natural setting to a humanized mess.

The first part gets into an enormous amount of description of boats and boat bulding. If that is of interest to the reader then it’s probably a very educational study of boat building in the 1800s and early 1900s. Beyond that Munroe notes his travels from the northeast to Dade County with a lot of name dropping. That’s interesting, but a further look into those lives and why they are included would have been more interesting. There is scant information throughout both parts about Munroe’s personal life. Gilpin notes more of Munroe in the second part than Munroe does in the first. With the exception of Gilpin’s writings, I’m still not sure who Munroe is.

Gilpin writes the second part and it truly is a terrific description of life above and below sea level of the unspoiled Florida coast. He continues with some of the best writing I’ve read of the coast being overturned by developer/promoters. I’ve read an enormous amount about this and I came away from his writing realizing I’d read a practical, non-emotional, non-scientific description. I highly recommend the second part of the book.

[Jim Poling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this book from the gift shop of the Barnacle State Park after visiting and touring Mr. Munroe’s home. After learning about Mr. Munro and hearing his story from tour guides, I was very interested to learn all I could about him, especially from the Miami history aspect of his story. He was a very important figure in the origins of Miami and coconut grove.

Overall, the book was just OK to me. The historical aspects of South Florida that I was looking for really captured my interest. However, large chunks of the book are about sailing, sail boats, and very specific aspects of a life of sailing. He uses a lot of very specific sailing words and terminologies that admittedly go over my head as someone who is unfamiliar with the world of sailing. I would love to pick up the hobby one day, however, not having any experience in this world I was unfamiliar with the terminologies that he used, which in turn, lost my interest for large portions of the book.

Mr. Munroe was a fascinating man and I’m i’m glad he authored a book and such detail about his life and experiences. It truly is a historical gold mine for a specific time in Miami and Coconut Grove history as someone who is interested in this history I appreciate the importance of this piece of literature. However, you have to truly want to know about this individual to enjoy this book. It is not a story or not written in a way that will reach out and grab a reader who is just semi-interested in the topic.

[Rudy Seifert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many decades ago, my boatbuilding mentor introduced me to Wirth Munroe, and many splendid days were spent in the backwaters of Biscayne Bay. The Barnacle was available to visit, and this little known genius's legacy was still fresh.

[William Laing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written biography of an amazing man and the early days on Biscayne Bay. After you finish reading the book, I recommend visiting The Barnacle House in Coconut Grove to see where a lot of the story took place.