Intel needed on Miami area permanent dockage

Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Hey all, Jodi and are planning on keeping a boat in the Miami area while will are still based out of the Twin Cities. My company is now based in Miami, Jodi has family there, and her fondness for bikinis has me totally in favor of the idea. We're looking a for a 35-40 footer, doing OK on that quest, but need help on the Miami dockage situation. Marinas, YC, private docks, whats the general availability like, and what kind of prices? Does not have to be right downtown, willing to go up and down the coast a bit it it helps more than hurts.
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
5,072
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I think you'd do a lot better up Lauderdale way. There are lots of private docks behind moderately expensive homes up there that you might be able to rent, but most of the private docks around Miami are on really big bucks estates. Las Olas Isles area is one place to look. Hendrick's Isle used to have quite a few small hotels that rented docks on the canal. It is a bit of a run to the inlet, but the savings could be worth it.
 
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jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,338
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
the miami yacht club on watson island has served sailboat friends very nicely. totally different flavor than a private dock wood be as i know you will understand.
 
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B

Benny17441

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May 24, 2004
7,213
CC 30 South Florida
Lauderdale is a good option but be prepared to motor for an hour before getting out to sailing waters in the open Atlantic Ocean. Biscayne Bay is a great sailing venue with protected waters but most marinas have waiting lists. Try Homestead if you are OK with working around the tides to get in and out. Waters around Florida are shallow best suited for boats with under 5' draft. The way to do it is secure a dock anywhere and then place your name on the waiting list of couple of marinas of your choice.
 
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Apex

Apex

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Jun 19, 2013
1,222
C&C 30 Elk Rapids
Start with the racing scene JD!
Top google search for Miami area sailboat racing was Biscayne Bay: Home of Miami Race Week. Looks like a Melges fleet and Flying Tiger 7.5M and some cat racing.

Next up was coconut grove: Their website promotes their youth sailing section for optimist dinghies.

Disclosure: I did not look at YC locations, nor understand the sailing scene there, but that would be my starting point for research. I found GTYC by attending the safety at sea seminar in prep for the Chicago Mac race.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Thanks for all the tips guys! Will for sure create a list of places and check on wait lists. CG is well known to me, my friend and club PRO acts as a race officer at CG during the winter.

The boat(s) we are looking at could race but are on the cruzy side, AC with a gererator, etc. Part of the trade off is clearly the keel and draft. Good windward performance means large parts of the bays are off limits.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Do you know anyone at the Biscayne Bay YC who can skip you up on the waiting list? Pull on a blazer and schmooze! Great location away from the Mobos and bridges. That puts you down in the day sail/weekend sailing locale. Also positions you for exploring the keys and the Bahamas. This is shoal draft country. Go to Lauderdale if you want deep draft .
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Gunni said:
Do you know anyone at the Biscayne Bay YC who can skip you up on the waiting list? Pull on a blazer and schmooze! Great location away from the Mobos and bridges. That puts you down in the day sail/weekend sailing locale. Also positions you for exploring the keys and the Bahamas. This is shoal draft country. Go to Lauderdale if you want deep draft .
Click to expand
That's great info. When you are saying 'shoal draft country', I assume you mean Biscayne Bay. The primary boat we are looking at is a First 36s7, shoal draft at 5'2". Trying to balance performance with the ability to go places.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Yeah, Biscayne Bay, lovely and mostly natural. Easy exit from Key Biscayne to the Hawk Channel, a protected shallow sea between the outer reefs and the keys. 5.5’ is fine as long as you mind your navigation, there are some well marked coral heads. This is also a good place to make the jump over to the Bahamas, where you will really want shoal draft. Make sure your ground tackle game is good.
 
J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Jackdaw said:
CG is well known to me, my friend and club PRO acts as a race officer at CG during the winter.
Click to expand
Blake?

If so, he should be able to point you in the right direction.

I've been involved in Skud races on Biscayne Bay. They draw close to 6 feet. They were a marginal fit in that bay at low tide. I know of a few boats with 7' draft that are kept in that area. They do OK if they stick to the correct channels. Some channels will handle them, others will not. I raced on a Hobie 33 there for a couple of years. It drew 5.5'. We didn't have any groundings.

In the Coconut Grove area, you need to be careful to stay away from "middleground". It's marked on the charts. There are also big shallow flats once you get past the bridge & head closer to Government Cut.
 
J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Gunni said:
Yeah, Biscayne Bay, ... ... Make sure your ground tackle game is good.
Click to expand
Be prepared for a soft bottom & a sand bottom, depending on where you are in that area. Be careful to avoid anchoring on the reefs. The fines are stiff.
 
J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Apex said:
Top google search for Miami area sailboat racing was Biscayne Bay: Home of Miami Race Week. Looks like a Melges fleet and Flying Tiger 7.5M and some cat racing.
Click to expand
Racing on Biscayne Bay includes Opti, Lasers, 420, Open Bic, PHRF, Etchls, Star, Marstrom, various J-boats, a few different Melgis, C&C, Skud, 2.4M, Sonar, Flying Scot, 29’ers 49’ers, Nacra & others. Miami Race Week (Formerly Bacardi Race Week) is one of the 3 big events. The other two are the ISAF World Cup (now World Sailing) & the Orange Bowl Regatta. There are also quite a few big boat races that take place outside the bay as well. Local class racing takes place there all the time. A lot of foreign competitors can be found there in the winter. It's not unusual to have more than 10 different countries represented in a single race there.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
JimInPB said:
Blake?

If so, he should be able to point you in the right direction.

I've been involved in Skud races on Biscayne Bay. They draw close to 6 feet. They were a marginal fit in that bay at low tide. I know of a few boats with 7' draft that are kept in that area. They do OK if they stick to the correct channels. Some channels will handle them, others will not. I raced on a Hobie 33 there for a couple of years. It drew 5.5'. We didn't have any groundings.

In the Coconut Grove area, you need to be careful to stay away from "middleground". It's marked on the charts. There are also big shallow flats once you get past the bridge & head closer to Government Cut.
Click to expand
Yep Blake. he just got back to MN a week or so ago. I've reached out to him.

Thanks for the local knowledge!
 
Kermit

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,722
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Just be sure Jodi is in her most fabulous bikini. You’ll move right up in line.
 
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