Anyone have recent experience using the ICW between Marathon and Biscayne Bay with a boat that draws five feet?
Florida Keys
- Thread starter agaliha
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I think a five foot draft is touchy in that part of the Florida Bay. I draw a little over four feet and might have done it but we were warned about the crab pots. One of our best sails of the entire trip was the Hawk Channel to Marathon. We were already offshore so didn't have to figure out how to get out there from the ICW.
We had a nice sail up the ICW from Marathon in June, 2010. We draw 4'4" and had no problems. A 5' draft would be touchy at times, depending on tides. We have sailed the Hawk Channel, but on this occassion, it was very rough. If you can do the Hawk Channel, it is probably faster, and you don't have to worry about depth.
Advise to use the Bay side of the Keys at high tide is correct. We were based out of Marathon for ten years. There are several areas that 5 feet will ground at less than high tide. A hard grounding in the Keys is in violation of Sanctuary regulations and if you ground in the wrong spot, including grassy areas, the cost can be in the thousands of dollars. You will be fined for the cost of damaged grass or coral, the cost of replacement and the cost to monitor the health of the area for a period of time. Most folks don't realize this. With a deeper draft it is best to use Hawks Channel. Why go through the frustration of the shallower route when it has no benefits. Chuck
I left Marathon last spring in my Hunter380 (5 ft draft) and posted almost this same question at that time. Was given the same exact advice you're being given and just for fun decided to heed it. Took the Hawks Channel at sunup and was anchored behind Rodriguez Key by early afternoon. Left early the next morning with the intention of ducking into Biscayne Bay but was having such a wonderful sail went straight on to Ft Lauderdale. Was slipped up by 5pm. Had an absolutely beautiful sail the whole way, was single handed but spent most of the time laying in the cockpit watching the autopilot steer. Looking back having tried the ICW would have been a whole different experience. It's a long twisty channel up from Marathon and lots of skinny water to deal with. Have fun whichever way you choose! My only regret by the way is leaving in the first place, sure would love to be back in the keys as winter takes hold up here in Virginia!
Everything that has been said is really on the money. The channel in spot is twisty and narrow and with two way traffic can get dicey at times. It is also very easy to leave the channel and run aground, all it takes is a lapse in concentration. What Chucbear explains about the contingent liabilities of running aground in the Keys are real and can be very costly. It would be kind of hard to plea misfortune in a case if you take a boat with a 5' draft in the ICW channel. We have done it with a 4'4" draft and only had one soft grounding. Years before we had taken a trailerable with a center board and picked up the line of a crab trap. There is a bascule bridge at Blackwater Sound that can get a little tricky as you may need to be able to hold the boat in place against current to wait till it opens with not much room to manuever. Sure there are some pretty sights and nice anchorages but I do not think they would be worth the trouble. Highly recommend the Hawcks Channel route even though It may be more expose to the weather.
Thanks for these excellent replies. You have confirmed what I thought. The temptation to use the ICW has come from the relentless rough conditions in the keys this year. I have sailed from Key West to Marathon and back -- and then back to Marathon in Hawks Channel and agree it is preferred. Looks like there is a break in the conditions next week so I will likely go "outside" and stay overnight at Rodriguez Key.
Happy Holidays and fair winds,
Agaliha (Beneteau 361)
Happy Holidays and fair winds,
Agaliha (Beneteau 361)
We prefer the ICW, but we draw 4'. We were surprised to see that the bridge at Blackwater Sound is now a 65' fixed bridge when we went through there earlier this year. We like the anchorages in the sounds of upper keys. For more information regarding the keys bridges, go to
http://cruisersnet.net/category/bridges-florida-keys/
Here is ....
.... the new bridge at Blackwater sound.
Likewise, we really liked the...
... anchorages also from Shell Key north. Lots more options for protection and the water was nice. We went north from Marathon to South Dade Marina with the Mac and it draws less than 2 feet with the board up, but most of the time it was probably down far enough we were drawing 4 feet and it never hit. I think we will be tempted to go back with the Endeavour and it draws 4' 6".
I think it has been a long time since the channel was worked on in that area, but I wonder that if you run aground in the channel would you still be open to the fines. I would think there shouldn't be much grass there.
Also I was confused about the grass and anchoring as I saw people anchored in what I thought was grass at different places. If we were anchored where I saw what I thought was grass I'd look for a ...
...sandy place in the grass and put the anchor there. Still then the rode was in it. My question is, are there different types of grass?
In the picture above taken on the Gulf side of Long Key you can see what I was calling grass mixed with non-grass areas.
We liked the keys and will go back, but with so many different agencies patrolling and some confusing laws it can also be somewhat stressful in that regard,
Sum
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I made it to Biscayne Bay from Marathon this week, using Hawks Channel as recommended in this thread. I took advantage of a change in the weather which provided northerly winds on day 1, anchored south of Rodriquez Key, and then had NNW winds on day two. It was a great trip of about 48 miles per day. My Beneteau 361 draws 5 feet and I'm glad I didn't have to risk going "inside" in the ICW.
Happy New Year and thanks for the advice,
Agaliha
Happy New Year and thanks for the advice,
Agaliha
We are also planning to sail the Keys in April this year. Plan on leaving Nokomis, Fl the second week of April to sail down south. Have been planning on this for over 5 years. Friends retired last year in Nokomis. We sailed on the Mississippi River here in Missouri for 15 years. Good luck, and thanks for the advice from those who have done this.
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