Florida Keys

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mar 16, 2011
48
Sirius 21 Bronte
Anyone sailed the Florida Keys? I am thinking about trailiering my boat from Canada in February and spending 3 weeks there. If anyone can suggest sources for information on this venture I would appreciate it.

Cheers

david
 

kito

.
Sep 13, 2012
2,011
1979 Hunter Cherubini 30 Clemmons
I have been thinking of doing the same. You might try getting the Cruising Guide to the Florida Keys by Frank Papy (12th edition is the latest). I just received my copy last week. Haven't had time to check it out to closely but it looks like a nice book to have on your Keys cruise. Lots of local knowledge in there and arial charts too.
 

MrUnix

.
Mar 24, 2010
626
Hunter 23 Gainesville, FL
What part of the Keys? IMHO, the upper keys offer more activities, services and scenery than the lower keys until you hit Key West. Also, I'd think about putting in on the mainland, perhaps Black Point or Matheson Hammock marinas which are large facilities and offer plenty of extended parking and security, and sailing south from there. From there you also have the choice of going inland via the ICW or outside the islands on the oceanside, with plenty of points where you can cross back over if desired. Nice sailing area.. I grew up down there and miss it dearly.

Cheers,
Brad
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country


We have done the Florida's West Coast (10,000 Islands/Everglades) and over to the Keys and from Marathon north. I look forward to doing Marathon south on the gulf side.

Our trips are at the following link with detailed maps and anchorages and pictures....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor-trips-1/macgregor-trips-1-index.html

Great place to go and we look forward to returning. March/April are great months with the water warming,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
 
Oct 6, 2011
678
CM 32 USA
Three weeks, from Canada? How large a sailboat? Count on taking ten days getting there, and back. That leaves you 11 days. A day or two getting from trailer to slip, and being ready to sail, and another day, getting the boat safely tucked into the trailer for the return trip

That leaves you, in round numbers, about a week to actually sail. Not much time for going so far. This does not account for breakdowns or accidents.

For the time and money spent traveling, you might think about flying and renting a sailboat. Or getting a larger block of time for your vacation.

Have fun, take me with you!
 
May 24, 2004
7,174
CC 30 South Florida
"Anyone sailed the Florida Keys?" Is that a trick question? The Florida Keys is one of the premier sailing venues in the planet. Get a cruising guide, I would recommend The Florida Keys by Frank Pappy, and get it ahead of time so you can use it to plan the trip. In three weeks there are a lot of places to explore and consider doing a one way trip. You can always get ground transportation to go pick up your trailer and vehicle at most destinations.
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
I just got a copy of Claiborn Young's Cruising guide to western Florida. It is under $30

Here it is at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Guid...284112&sr=8-1&keywords=cruising+guide+florida
On the west coast and soutwest another great book if you are looking for anchorages is A Guide to Anchorages in Southwest Florida....

http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Anchorages-Southwest-Florida/dp/0967158001

.. We were lucky to find a used one for quite a bit less than those listed above, but 1-2 nights of not staying in a Marina would even pay for one of those. Also the whole book is available online....

http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/flsgp/flsgph99001/flsgph99001index.html

...and I also have that saved on our computers and would recommend the same to someone just in case it isn't available later.

as I mentioned in the other post I have all of our anchorages documented, but we are shallow draft and some of those might not be good if you are over 4 foot draft, but I think we could get the Endeavour (4'-6" draft) either into or close to all of the ones we used with the Mac.

It is a great area to be sitting on an anchorage alone or at least with no one nearby,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
 

chp

.
Sep 13, 2010
432
Hunter 280 hamilton
Three weeks, from Canada? How large a sailboat? Count on taking ten days getting there, and back. That leaves you 11 days. A day or two getting from trailer to slip, and being ready to sail, and another day, getting the boat safely tucked into the trailer for the return trip

That leaves you, in round numbers, about a week to actually sail. Not much time for going so far. This does not account for breakdowns or accidents.

For the time and money spent traveling, you might think about flying and renting a sailboat. Or getting a larger block of time for your vacation.

Have fun, take me with you!
He'll be leaving from Bronte, Ontario which is close to Toronto. Should not take anymore than 3 days each way. I have done the drive in 26hrs straight driving, but I wasn't pulling a boat. This is a trip I would love to do one day, but its too hard for me and the wife to get that much time off at the same time. Best we can do is a bareboat in the BVI's
 
Sep 16, 2011
346
Venture 17 Hollywood,FL
Check out South Dade Marina for a good launch spot. Low fees and sailboat friendly with good access to upper keys. Its near the north end of the bridge to Key Largo.
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Check out South Dade Marina for a good launch spot. Low fees and sailboat friendly with good access to upper keys. Its near the north end of the bridge to Key Largo.
That is where we took out and where I'd probably put in again if I wanted to do a trip to the upper Keys, which is the area we really liked. According to a post on another forum it looks like the place is up for sale and the rates for car/trailer storage have gone from $5.00/day to $10.00/day. If that is the case I'd still use that location as it is so hard to find ramps in the Keys were you can leave a vehicle and trailer.

I think the key to a trip down there is what are your objectives. Do you want to explore more and relax more or do you want to actually sail more. Do you plan on staying primarily in marinas or on anchor.

The upper keys on the gulf side are more restrictive with water depths and channels and less big open water (gulf side) vs. say from Long Key down or the Atlantic side. Still there is lots better protection for anchoring and still some places to day sail in and not be motoring. We found the area very pretty with all of the small islands and the cuts along the ICW and really liked that area a lot.



With South Dade Marina being just feet off the highway I'd put in there and work south to some location that had a ramp and at that place take the public bus back up to South Dade and get the vehicle/trailer and take them down to the boat.

On the trip down we are 2200 miles from the southwest coast and it takes us 3 1/2 to 4 days towing at 60-65 with the trailer usually from about 8 in the morning to 8 at night with gas stops and such. It looks like it is 2400 miles for the OP so I'd think 4 days down and a day to get in the water is pretty reasonable. We are late 60's and that is about what we can manage. I don't like to tow late into the night if I can help it. 3 days for 2400 miles over that route might be possible towing but for us it would just be too exhausting,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
 
Dec 14, 2008
92
Tartan 30 Bayfield, WI
We are trailering down to the keys from the Chicago area at the end of December. We are launching from Bahia Honda Key. It is a Florida State Park and has a small marina with a 3.5 foot limiting depth. It is located at the north end of the Lower Keys with easy access to great snorkeling/dive sites, also access to the Gulf side mangroves and wildlife.
It is a 24 hour drive that we are splitting over 2 days, 12 hrs a day... more with gas and food stops. We will have 7 days on the water, just the perfect amount of time before the 4 of us kill each other.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,584
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
We are trailering down to the keys from the Chicago area at the end of December. We are launching from Bahia Honda Key. It is a Florida State Park and has a small marina with a 3.5 foot limiting depth. It is located at the north end of the Lower Keys with easy access to great snorkeling/dive sites, also access to the Gulf side mangroves and wildlife.
It is a 24 hour drive that we are splitting over 2 days, 12 hrs a day... more with gas and food stops. We will have 7 days on the water, just the perfect amount of time before the 4 of us kill each other.

Please post a log when you are done. I'd love to learn about your trip. My wife, kids and I are hoping to do that same trip next year for the holidays. I'm thinking I'll drive about half way down the Western side of Florida, launch and sail to the keys.... get as far as I can in the time we have... or as far as we feel like going if we find the "perfect spot" we might not get that far:D ... then rent a car to go pick up the truck and trailer.

This holiday, we are actually driving TO Chicago.... but not for sailing.... so I have to live vicariously through the adventures of other :neutral:
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,832
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Weather

Don't forget about the weather when planning your trip to the Keys,can get very windy in the Keys that time of year giving less time out on the water than you plan on.
Have a great trip.
Nick
 

chp

.
Sep 13, 2010
432
Hunter 280 hamilton
Sumner;On the trip down we are 2200 miles from the southwest coast and it takes us 3 1/2 to 4 days towing at 60-65 with the trailer usually from about 8 in the morning to 8 at night with gas stops and such. It looks like it is 2400 miles for the OP so I'd think 4 days down and a day to get in the water is pretty reasonable. We are late 60's and that is about what we can manage. I don't like to tow late into the night if I can help it. 3 days for 2400 miles over that route might be possible towing but for us it would just be too exhausting said:
The distance from Bronte to south Miami is about 1300 miles or 2100 KM. The biggest problem to that drive is if taking I75 is the mountains. I think if I ever try this I would opt for I95 down the coast. Takes a little longer from here because it takes a while to hook up to it, but the hill climbing is a lot less.
 

chp

.
Sep 13, 2010
432
Hunter 280 hamilton
We are trailering down to the keys from the Chicago area at the end of December. We are launching from Bahia Honda Key. It is a Florida State Park and has a small marina with a 3.5 foot limiting depth. It is located at the north end of the Lower Keys with easy access to great snorkeling/dive sites, also access to the Gulf side mangroves and wildlife.
It is a 24 hour drive that we are splitting over 2 days, 12 hrs a day... more with gas and food stops. We will have 7 days on the water, just the perfect amount of time before the 4 of us kill each other.
I would also like to here how you trip goes. Keep a log. I've read Sumners adventure and made many mental notes to a future trip. The more info the better.
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
The distance from Bronte to south Miami is about 1300 miles or 2100 KM. The biggest problem to that drive is if taking I75 is the mountains. I think if I ever try this I would opt for I95 down the coast. Takes a little longer from here because it takes a while to hook up to it, but the hill climbing is a lot less.

Yes I screwed up and didn't see that Google was putting the distance in Kilometers :redface:. They showed 2400 kilometers (about 1500 miles from Bronte to Homestead (south of Miami) going down western PA on 79 to 77 and on to 95. 2 to 2 1/2 days is doable.

We went up 95 to Pennsylvania right before Christmas 2 years ago with just the Suburban and left the boat/trailer in Florida. I hated it from Richmond north and didn't want to go that way again. Going back down we stayed inland on 81 down to 77 and liked that a lot better.

From the Toronto area you are going to have to go across those mountains somewhere and I wouldn't go across further north myself and tow through all of that traffic north of Richmond if I could help it. It might of been worst when we went through a few days before Christmas. I guess it would depend a lot on the tow vehicle and the trailer. No easy solution.

If a person has some time to spend down there though it is worth it :),

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
 

Slade

.
Nov 24, 2010
70
Starwind 223 "Respite" Redwing, Mn
I did that trip from Indianapolis a half dozen times or so with a Starwind 19 and a Ranger pickup. Would leave at 0530h and get to the Florida state line around 1900h. Smokies (mountains, not Troopers) were no problem at all. Would leave early the next morning and I was usually in the water off Key Largo by dinner time that day. I haven't been there lately but Pennekamp State Park had a great ramp and secure parking.
Stayed on the ocean side with a day or two exception. Got all the way to Key West and then headed back into some pretty fun conditions. Covered alot of water but didn't make much headway. Pulled into Hawk Key (then it was Duck Key), stayed a day or two to wait out the wind. (On the nose at 15+kts) Grabbed a bus on 1 and rode back up to Largo. Picked up the truck and trailer and motored down to Hawk. Loaded up the boat that afternoon and headed back North.
Best advice...don't arrive on a weekend and don't head North on a Sunday.
Great sailing in Hawks Channel with fabulous diving along the way.
Definitely do it. First time sliding off the trailer and looking into that crystal water (saw a small shark swim under the boat first time) you'll never regret having your own vessel there.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.