Flamingo Fl.

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steven f.

Okay, here I go again. I've been trying to get into Flamingo Fl. for two years but each time something gets in the way. I know not many boats, especially sailboats, go down to the Everglades during the early summer, the park rangers warned me the entrance channel is very shallow and shoaled in, charted depths change monthly. They say a 5' draft might make it in but only during a high tide. Has anybody with a 4-5' draft been in there recently? This part of the Everglades is too far away to make a run in a sailboat only to be turned away at the last minute with no safe anchorages for 20 miles (shark river being the closest one). I'm leaving for the ten thousand islands in a few days and would love to hear from anyone on this topic before I fall off the world.
 
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Al

Flamingo???

what is the big attraction there that would make anyone with a sailboat that draws more than 4 foot want to attempt it
 
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steven f.

fishing

We spend a lot of time in the Everglades and if you've never been than you are missing out on one of the last frontiers in country. The fishing in the glades is second to none, you can drop a bent sewing needle in the water with a piece of yarn tied to it and pull up a meal for four. We are towing our 13' Boston Whaler with us this trip to really hit the back country. Yeah, the bugs get heavy but the beauty can't be beat. Besides all that, I need a break from man kind and there are few people down there to irritate me (or termed differently, for me to irritate). One of our favorite things to do is true gunk-holing where sailors rarely go. We could write a book about anchorages never before written about but that would ruin them. We have several down in the Everglades that are miles off the coast deep inside the mangroves, if we had a shallow(er) draft boat we could damm near make it to Dade County by sailboat. Those are a few of the reasons we go there.
 
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bill walton

Indian Key / Everglades City

Try looking at the Indian Key area. There is plenty of water for sheltered anchorages and you can dinghy up the channel to Everglades City if you want. Lots of bugs in the Summer but it sounds like you're headed that way. It's about 25-48N, 81-27W.
 
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Nick dolce

Flamingo

Hey Buddy I ve been there several times on my way sailing down to the keys I m sailin a 25 foot sailboat that only drafts about 10 inches it s called a Tarapin it s a sharpie. Flamingo is a great place. They have slips there that are cheap in the marina also a c-store that carries a lot of supplies, and propane if you use it they sell ice and cold drinks there is also a resturant and lounge.The motel there is normally full but this time of year I dont know I stayed on my boat at the marina. While I was there I meet some folks that were sailin a 47 footer that drafted 5 and half foot that had to anchor out, they used there dingy to get back and forth there.The no see ems were very bad when in the shade or out of the breeze, and the skits were also bad. I have been in the 10,000 islands too with our boat we ve gottin into some really remote places I don t have my GPS in front of me or my chart kit, which I mark all of our anchor spots on. We ve made the trip about 6 times over the last 10 or 12 years the rest of the time we would trailer down way. I was just surfin when I came across your letter. If you mail me back I could get my stuff together and let ya know exactly where I ve been down there. Most of our sailin is done in the winter months, when the weather is alot cooler. But yes if your sailin a deeper draft boat high tide is a must. A friend showed me his GPS with the chart kit and it shows your position on the chart. He has a speed boat and at 55 mph it showed us passing channel markers at that precise moment, which would be a big plus in navigating.I thought that if I got a bigger boat that drafts more that would be the way I would go. Shallow draft kind of spoils you, down that way. I can be mailed at dolcesails@aol.com My name is Nick
 
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