Four of us will be sailing a 43 foot Morgan from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Galveston, Tx during the first half of May. Plans include a stop in the Dry Tortugas. We'll be coming from Key West, via the southerly route. I would love to hear of other's experiences, navigation tips, anything relevant to the Dry Tortugas.
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Dry Tortugas and Civil War
We stopped in Dry Tortugas in May on return trip from Mexico. Its a unique spot. don,t arrive after dark as we did as finding your way through channel to anchorage can be tough. Make sure you are well anchored as squalls can blast through anchorage. Out of 30 anchored boats,18 dragged anchor and 2 boats dragged into beach. Ft.Jefferson is a must see,much history,prison housed President Lincolns assassin's doctor. Our trip North to Ft.Meyers was uneventful.
We stopped in Dry Tortugas in May on return trip from Mexico. Its a unique spot. don,t arrive after dark as we did as finding your way through channel to anchorage can be tough. Make sure you are well anchored as squalls can blast through anchorage. Out of 30 anchored boats,18 dragged anchor and 2 boats dragged into beach. Ft.Jefferson is a must see,much history,prison housed President Lincolns assassin's doctor. Our trip North to Ft.Meyers was uneventful.
check the park web site
the park has some unusual rules. one is if you bring it in you take it out. another is that they are not provisioners, they dont sell or give away anything so go prepared with everything you need. It is a great stop but anchor with a couple hooks! The park service program is great! No overboard discharge! You must have a dingy to get to shore, no docking for private boats. If you really have to have something from the store the you can fly back to key west on a tour plane or ride back on the tour boats. They have been know to bring you things you need, for a price. If there are fishermen or shrimpers in the area usually a case of beer will get you tons of shrimp or fish! Have fun, watch your charts!
the park has some unusual rules. one is if you bring it in you take it out. another is that they are not provisioners, they dont sell or give away anything so go prepared with everything you need. It is a great stop but anchor with a couple hooks! The park service program is great! No overboard discharge! You must have a dingy to get to shore, no docking for private boats. If you really have to have something from the store the you can fly back to key west on a tour plane or ride back on the tour boats. They have been know to bring you things you need, for a price. If there are fishermen or shrimpers in the area usually a case of beer will get you tons of shrimp or fish! Have fun, watch your charts!
Tried But, Could Not Stay Out Of This One
Diego, down here (there as well) it was the War Of Northern Aggression.
Sorry, just had to get that off of my chest. It is really a cool place and well worth the trip. The only thing I could add is to make an extra effort to show your appreciation for the Park Rangers there. It can be a lonely job and they often go for days dealing almost only with folks who border on being obnoxious.
Diego, down here (there as well) it was the War Of Northern Aggression.
Sorry, just had to get that off of my chest. It is really a cool place and well worth the trip. The only thing I could add is to make an extra effort to show your appreciation for the Park Rangers there. It can be a lonely job and they often go for days dealing almost only with folks who border on being obnoxious.careful with the beer and fisherman
The dry tortugas are a great stop over but as mentioned, there are NO PROVISIONS of any type. There is also no discharge of any type, the park rangers will board you, sometimes band your Y valve and check it before you clear out, sometimes.... You can fish within one NM of the light on Garden Key, the rest of the area is a marine sanctuary, no fishing of any type. Holding is not great, had better results with CQR and Bruce type anchors over the years. The fisherman often arrive late in the evening and often leave early in the AM when the weather is good. During bad weather they will hang out for a bit. It is against the law for them to even have alcohol onboard their vessels. Some stick to that, other don't. In the old day's we would trade a 12 pack of beer for a laundry basket full of shrimp. Like most places, it can be crowded but not usually. When the winds pick up the anchorage is a free for all, boats every where. If you drag your anchor over a reef you will be charged by the DEP for your damages. Don't enter or leave at night unless you have to, it can be tricky in getting in and out until you know your way around. Have fun, it is a way kewl place to explore for a couple of days. By the way, there are usually no mosquitoes there so enjoy that little break as well. Not many places in Florida that can say that. Oh yeah, Perry, I agree with you. I'm a born and bred Florida Cracker who just wants to be left alone, just like my relatives did back in the 1860's.
The dry tortugas are a great stop over but as mentioned, there are NO PROVISIONS of any type. There is also no discharge of any type, the park rangers will board you, sometimes band your Y valve and check it before you clear out, sometimes.... You can fish within one NM of the light on Garden Key, the rest of the area is a marine sanctuary, no fishing of any type. Holding is not great, had better results with CQR and Bruce type anchors over the years. The fisherman often arrive late in the evening and often leave early in the AM when the weather is good. During bad weather they will hang out for a bit. It is against the law for them to even have alcohol onboard their vessels. Some stick to that, other don't. In the old day's we would trade a 12 pack of beer for a laundry basket full of shrimp. Like most places, it can be crowded but not usually. When the winds pick up the anchorage is a free for all, boats every where. If you drag your anchor over a reef you will be charged by the DEP for your damages. Don't enter or leave at night unless you have to, it can be tricky in getting in and out until you know your way around. Have fun, it is a way kewl place to explore for a couple of days. By the way, there are usually no mosquitoes there so enjoy that little break as well. Not many places in Florida that can say that. Oh yeah, Perry, I agree with you. I'm a born and bred Florida Cracker who just wants to be left alone, just like my relatives did back in the 1860's.
My CQR would not hold. Finaly used a fortress and had to dive and stick it in a crack in the coral in the anchorage. There appears to be a thin layer of sand over the coral. Also the charts are not acurate. Do not enter at night, lay over at the Marquesis and then make your run to the Dry Tortugas. Also with reference to the war of Northern Agression did you ever notice up Nawth all of the monuments to Confederate marksmanship?
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