I am taking delivery of my new Hunter 41 in Miami Beach in early October. I will then be delivering it to Key West where it will be placed into limited charter. I need advice for the trip, such as anchorages, marinas, weather and navigation tips, anything that might be helpful. I plan on sailing during daylight hours only and stopping every evening, hopefully where shore facilities are available. Weather permitting, I assume that 30-40 mile days will be the norm, so it should take us about a week or less. I will greatly welcome specific and/or "generic" advice on a delivery like this. Thanks in advance.
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B
Bill
Miami Beach to Key West
We normally hang on the hook and eat on the boat. For that we normally would stop at Pumpkin Key, go out Anglefish Creek and stop at Rodriguez Key. Go to Marathon the next day or if you have a lot of time stop at Long Key Bight then go on to Marathon. Next stop at Newfound Harbor (Little Palm Island). Next day Key West. If you want to stop at marinas every night go to the web site http://www.cruiseguides.com/triptic/Input.asp and put in that you want to go from Miami to Key West and make x miles per day. It will give you a guide with several marina choices for each night. Good luck. It's a great trip. If you have a few days to kill, go on from Key West to the Dry Tortugas for a couple of days on the hook. Great place to visit. A good guide for this trip is Cruising the Florida Keys by Capn Frank Pappy. Bill s/v Bella, H420
We normally hang on the hook and eat on the boat. For that we normally would stop at Pumpkin Key, go out Anglefish Creek and stop at Rodriguez Key. Go to Marathon the next day or if you have a lot of time stop at Long Key Bight then go on to Marathon. Next stop at Newfound Harbor (Little Palm Island). Next day Key West. If you want to stop at marinas every night go to the web site http://www.cruiseguides.com/triptic/Input.asp and put in that you want to go from Miami to Key West and make x miles per day. It will give you a guide with several marina choices for each night. Good luck. It's a great trip. If you have a few days to kill, go on from Key West to the Dry Tortugas for a couple of days on the hook. Great place to visit. A good guide for this trip is Cruising the Florida Keys by Capn Frank Pappy. Bill s/v Bella, H420
D
Debra B
Maimi to Keys
This itinerary takes you half way anyway. But ask at Florida Yacht - they used to have an itinerary that took you from Miami to Key West (or back), but I guess they dropped that. Still, since I think they are the Hunter dealer in the area, they should be able to help.
This itinerary takes you half way anyway. But ask at Florida Yacht - they used to have an itinerary that took you from Miami to Key West (or back), but I guess they dropped that. Still, since I think they are the Hunter dealer in the area, they should be able to help.
G
Gord May
MIA to KW
From Tom Dove's ICW guide: http://www.toad.net/~tdove/icw.html MILE 1089, FL - BISCAYNE BAY (MIAMI), WATSON PARK Just south of the Venetian Causeway Bridge, turn east and travel through 7-foot water, skirting Watson Park, to anchor near Palm Island, between Miami and Miami Beach. This location has a good view from every azimuth, and is very entertaining. Cruise ships (Love Boat type) are 400 yards away, separated from the anchorage only by a low, narrow causeway. Seaplanes land in Government Cut, CG helicopters check on incoming vessels; we can see only the tops of tugs and serious fishing boats coming and going. By dinghy, or by moving your major vessel closer into a more exposed anchorage, there is access to a huge Publix 3.5 miles away, through a public park NW of Belle Isle. South Beach is only a dinghy ride and a short hike away. (Luv It) MILE 1089, FL - BISCAYNE BAY (MIAMI) The dinghy landing at the launching ramp/police dock east of Belle Isle is no longer available, thanks to abuses by liveaboards or cruisers. South of the fixed bridge there is a bulkhead at the end of Lincoln Rd where dinghies are fastened to rings on the outside of the concrete. If you tie up to the guard rail above it, you will interfere with city mowers and they may cast you off! (Nina) MILE 1091, FL - MIAMI MARINE STADIUM Channel on north side of Rickenbacker bridge leads to anchorage. Go past marina on right and then go right into Marine Stadium waters. Anchor between small island and stadium. May be crowded on weekends. One cruiser reports that the PWCs stop running around at dark, and the "No Trespassing" signs are not enforced. Nothing of any consequence here and several miles to stores. Buses may be available out on the causeway. (Windchime, Luv It, Rosalieann) MILE 1096, FL - HURRICANE HARBOR Use Hurricane Harbor if you'd like to be well protected (from 350 degrees) and surrounded by gorgeous homes. Don't come if you need groceries, fuel, or trips ashore. After avoiding the huge shoaled area to the west of the entrance, enter near the red "2" (25.41.339N, 080.10.610W) where there is 8 feet of water, and you'll find 12 feet inside the anchorage. The bottom is gray sticky gumbo mud, so let your anchor settle a bit before you tug.(Luv It) Mile 1096, FL - KEY BISCAYNE, NO NAME HARBOR During weekends this harbor fills up to the point where there is little or no room to anchor and there is now a anchoring fee. The alternative is to go north 1 mile, rounding Southwest Point and just past Hurricane Harbor and anchor in 8 to 12 ft of water. (Epic VI) The following places are south of the ICW's official end at Miami Mile 1130 - BARNES SOUND (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) Northeastern Shore of Barnes Sound (Key Largo) gives protection from easterly winds with soft mud/sand bottom. (Summer Wind) Mile 1135 - BLACKWATER SOUND (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) Key Largo. Good protection but is especially good in the Sexton Cove area for northeast winds and the Dusenberry Creek area for southwest winds. (Summer Wind) MILE 1140, FL - TARPON BASIN (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) One of my favorites in a blow. Anchor north of #48A. Not deep and a grassy bottom but good holding once anchor is set. Have ridden out several winter fronts there. Large marina nearby. "We went past R48A and then turned NW and anchored. Good all round protection. No problem with dragging." (Crescendo, Windchime, Aquila) About MILE 1140, FL - PENNEKAMP STATE PARK (OCEAN SIDE) We draw 4 1/2 feet so were able to get into Largo Sound, John Pennekamp State Park. There is a long channel in, and at G 19 you turn down a channel to port to get to park headquarters (look for the grey building, there is no direction sign.) There is gas and a free pump out. Slips are $25 per night, mooring balls in the Sound are $15. It is a very nice place with visitor center, aquarium, and beach. Within the beach/swim area a reconstructed 16-17th century wreck with anchor, cannons, etc. A great place to snorkel, especially for the novice. Also lots of fish around the wreck. There are full- and half-day commercial dive boats, sight seeing boats, etc. from park headquarters. (Aquila) MILE 1146, FL - BUTTERNUT KEY (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) This is a fine spot for birdwatching while at anchor. Choose either side of the key, according to wind direction. Some cruisers report baby sharks here, and we have seen many dolphins in the area. (Crescendo) MILE 1145, FL - RODRIGUEZ KEY (OCEAN SIDE) A good spot to spend the night as long as the seas are down or are coming from a favorable direction. May be hard to set an anchor on the rocky bottom. Anchor N or S of island while waiting for weather to cross to Bahamas and ride with the Stream from here. (Teelok, Windchime, Rosalieann) MILE 1160, FL - ISLAMORADA We went past R84 and turned SE toward the town. We were able to get in relatively close. We were told that Lorelei's Restaurant will let you use their dock if you have a meal, coffee, etc. We had NE winds and were nice and comfortable. (Aquila) MILE 1164, FL - LIGNUMVITAE KEY Anchor near NW shore of key. Anchoring in the grass beds is forbidden. Moorings are provided. Visit the park for a good nature tour. (Windchime, Nina) MILE 1166-67, FL - MATECUMBE BIGHT Very similar to Islamorada in holding, wind protection, etc. After going through Bowles Cut we cut south then SE to miss Peterson Key Bank. We were able to get in nice and close to shore. (Aquila) MILE 1167 FL - LONG KEY BIGHT (OCEAN SIDE) This is a well documented anchorage (SW of Channel 5 bridge) which we found untenable due to the proliferation of lobster pots. (Jule III) MILE 1170, FL - CHANNEL FIVE Anchor SW of bridge close to shore for protection from north wind. (Windchime) MILE 1195 FL - BOOT KEY/MARATHON It's crowded, but a good spot to spend some time. The only other drawback seems to be the amount of "unusual things" that appear on the bottom of the boat; you may want to scrape the bottom before leaving. There is a proposal to install moorings and possibly eliminate anchoring or leave a much reduced area for anchoring. The town and county are battling for jurisdiction and there is some local opposition. A mobile pumpout boat is there but not operating full time, if at all. When the harbor is full or you don't want to deal with the crowd, anchorages South of Fl G "1" are OK for prevailing Easterly (N-SE) and holding appears to be good(Teelok, Mielle, Jule III) MILE 1195 FL - BOOT KEY HARBOR In January 2002, they still had not implemented collection of fees, but some moorings are there for the taking. You still pay to land at the marina, which is now called City of Marathon Marina, once Pat and Kelly's. There is still room to anchor. The free dinghy landing on a vacant lot near the Publix supermarket is no longer available, as the lot has been built on. The pumpout boat is as yet unreliable. (Nina) MILE 1215 FL RAMROD KEY (OCEAN SIDE) A quick anchorage can be found South of Summerland and Ramrod Keys SE of R "6". It is adequate for moderate conditions except for Southerly winds. Better protection can be found in Newfound Harbor but shoaling can limit access for vessels with drafts much above 5 feet. (Jule III) MILE --- FL - KEY WEST Many municipal moorings have been installed on the Florida Bay side north of Garrison Bight, east of Fleming Key. There is less current there than Key West Harbour, but it is exposed to the north. (Mielle) KEY WEST MOORING FIELD: There are NO facilities in Garrison Bight - only about 2 showers, no pump out, no parking, and no dinghy dock. Also there is an overhead power line, so we can't get the big boat in there. A slip is $1200/month for long term if you could get in there. The mooring field is not protected from the north, but there isn't any good place to anchor that IS protected from the north. There is no charge for the mooring because it is administered out of Garrison Bight and they have nobody to collect. To get into town, you have to go through the cut into Key West Bight. This can take up to 1/2 hour if you have a little dinghy, depending on the current through the cut. The dinghy dock is by the old turtle kraals - $4/day, $20/week and $60/month. People anchor all over the place in Key West. A lot are west of Fleming Key and around the old Tank Island (now called Sunset Key because it is no longer Navy and that sounds better than Tank Island). There is a water taxi. (Rosalieann) 2002 STATUS: The mooring field east of Fleming Key is in business, at $12/ night, if you call them and if they come out to collect. You can anchor just north of the moorings for free, with the same long dinghy ride to town. (Nina) 20 MILES WEST OF KEY WEST - MARQUESAS KEY Convenient anchorage on the way to the Dry Tortugas. As everywhere in the reefs, lobster pots discourage an overnight passage to the Dry Tortugas. The Western side of the Marquesas provides shelter from the prevailing Easterlies but it is quite shallow in places. Read the water! The charts are not accurate relative to the shoaling. Beach is OK. Current is 2+ knots with a North/South set. (Jule III) 70 MILES WEST OF KEY WEST - GARDEN KEY, DRY TORTUGAS Garden Key is the official anchorage for the Dry Tortugas National Park. Anchorage is on the SW side of Fort Jefferson. The NE channel has filled in so there is no current in the anchorage, which can be quite crowded. Adequate depth for any draft. Certainly worth the trip! You can trade beer and cola for lobster from the commercial watermen. Good show by the rangers at the fort. Be warned that there are no provisions (including fresh water) in the Dry Tortugas. No trash cans either. Satellite phone is $16 per minute. Cellular phones do not work. SSB and/or satellite is a plus. (Jule III)
From Tom Dove's ICW guide: http://www.toad.net/~tdove/icw.html MILE 1089, FL - BISCAYNE BAY (MIAMI), WATSON PARK Just south of the Venetian Causeway Bridge, turn east and travel through 7-foot water, skirting Watson Park, to anchor near Palm Island, between Miami and Miami Beach. This location has a good view from every azimuth, and is very entertaining. Cruise ships (Love Boat type) are 400 yards away, separated from the anchorage only by a low, narrow causeway. Seaplanes land in Government Cut, CG helicopters check on incoming vessels; we can see only the tops of tugs and serious fishing boats coming and going. By dinghy, or by moving your major vessel closer into a more exposed anchorage, there is access to a huge Publix 3.5 miles away, through a public park NW of Belle Isle. South Beach is only a dinghy ride and a short hike away. (Luv It) MILE 1089, FL - BISCAYNE BAY (MIAMI) The dinghy landing at the launching ramp/police dock east of Belle Isle is no longer available, thanks to abuses by liveaboards or cruisers. South of the fixed bridge there is a bulkhead at the end of Lincoln Rd where dinghies are fastened to rings on the outside of the concrete. If you tie up to the guard rail above it, you will interfere with city mowers and they may cast you off! (Nina) MILE 1091, FL - MIAMI MARINE STADIUM Channel on north side of Rickenbacker bridge leads to anchorage. Go past marina on right and then go right into Marine Stadium waters. Anchor between small island and stadium. May be crowded on weekends. One cruiser reports that the PWCs stop running around at dark, and the "No Trespassing" signs are not enforced. Nothing of any consequence here and several miles to stores. Buses may be available out on the causeway. (Windchime, Luv It, Rosalieann) MILE 1096, FL - HURRICANE HARBOR Use Hurricane Harbor if you'd like to be well protected (from 350 degrees) and surrounded by gorgeous homes. Don't come if you need groceries, fuel, or trips ashore. After avoiding the huge shoaled area to the west of the entrance, enter near the red "2" (25.41.339N, 080.10.610W) where there is 8 feet of water, and you'll find 12 feet inside the anchorage. The bottom is gray sticky gumbo mud, so let your anchor settle a bit before you tug.(Luv It) Mile 1096, FL - KEY BISCAYNE, NO NAME HARBOR During weekends this harbor fills up to the point where there is little or no room to anchor and there is now a anchoring fee. The alternative is to go north 1 mile, rounding Southwest Point and just past Hurricane Harbor and anchor in 8 to 12 ft of water. (Epic VI) The following places are south of the ICW's official end at Miami Mile 1130 - BARNES SOUND (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) Northeastern Shore of Barnes Sound (Key Largo) gives protection from easterly winds with soft mud/sand bottom. (Summer Wind) Mile 1135 - BLACKWATER SOUND (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) Key Largo. Good protection but is especially good in the Sexton Cove area for northeast winds and the Dusenberry Creek area for southwest winds. (Summer Wind) MILE 1140, FL - TARPON BASIN (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) One of my favorites in a blow. Anchor north of #48A. Not deep and a grassy bottom but good holding once anchor is set. Have ridden out several winter fronts there. Large marina nearby. "We went past R48A and then turned NW and anchored. Good all round protection. No problem with dragging." (Crescendo, Windchime, Aquila) About MILE 1140, FL - PENNEKAMP STATE PARK (OCEAN SIDE) We draw 4 1/2 feet so were able to get into Largo Sound, John Pennekamp State Park. There is a long channel in, and at G 19 you turn down a channel to port to get to park headquarters (look for the grey building, there is no direction sign.) There is gas and a free pump out. Slips are $25 per night, mooring balls in the Sound are $15. It is a very nice place with visitor center, aquarium, and beach. Within the beach/swim area a reconstructed 16-17th century wreck with anchor, cannons, etc. A great place to snorkel, especially for the novice. Also lots of fish around the wreck. There are full- and half-day commercial dive boats, sight seeing boats, etc. from park headquarters. (Aquila) MILE 1146, FL - BUTTERNUT KEY (FLORIDA BAY SIDE) This is a fine spot for birdwatching while at anchor. Choose either side of the key, according to wind direction. Some cruisers report baby sharks here, and we have seen many dolphins in the area. (Crescendo) MILE 1145, FL - RODRIGUEZ KEY (OCEAN SIDE) A good spot to spend the night as long as the seas are down or are coming from a favorable direction. May be hard to set an anchor on the rocky bottom. Anchor N or S of island while waiting for weather to cross to Bahamas and ride with the Stream from here. (Teelok, Windchime, Rosalieann) MILE 1160, FL - ISLAMORADA We went past R84 and turned SE toward the town. We were able to get in relatively close. We were told that Lorelei's Restaurant will let you use their dock if you have a meal, coffee, etc. We had NE winds and were nice and comfortable. (Aquila) MILE 1164, FL - LIGNUMVITAE KEY Anchor near NW shore of key. Anchoring in the grass beds is forbidden. Moorings are provided. Visit the park for a good nature tour. (Windchime, Nina) MILE 1166-67, FL - MATECUMBE BIGHT Very similar to Islamorada in holding, wind protection, etc. After going through Bowles Cut we cut south then SE to miss Peterson Key Bank. We were able to get in nice and close to shore. (Aquila) MILE 1167 FL - LONG KEY BIGHT (OCEAN SIDE) This is a well documented anchorage (SW of Channel 5 bridge) which we found untenable due to the proliferation of lobster pots. (Jule III) MILE 1170, FL - CHANNEL FIVE Anchor SW of bridge close to shore for protection from north wind. (Windchime) MILE 1195 FL - BOOT KEY/MARATHON It's crowded, but a good spot to spend some time. The only other drawback seems to be the amount of "unusual things" that appear on the bottom of the boat; you may want to scrape the bottom before leaving. There is a proposal to install moorings and possibly eliminate anchoring or leave a much reduced area for anchoring. The town and county are battling for jurisdiction and there is some local opposition. A mobile pumpout boat is there but not operating full time, if at all. When the harbor is full or you don't want to deal with the crowd, anchorages South of Fl G "1" are OK for prevailing Easterly (N-SE) and holding appears to be good(Teelok, Mielle, Jule III) MILE 1195 FL - BOOT KEY HARBOR In January 2002, they still had not implemented collection of fees, but some moorings are there for the taking. You still pay to land at the marina, which is now called City of Marathon Marina, once Pat and Kelly's. There is still room to anchor. The free dinghy landing on a vacant lot near the Publix supermarket is no longer available, as the lot has been built on. The pumpout boat is as yet unreliable. (Nina) MILE 1215 FL RAMROD KEY (OCEAN SIDE) A quick anchorage can be found South of Summerland and Ramrod Keys SE of R "6". It is adequate for moderate conditions except for Southerly winds. Better protection can be found in Newfound Harbor but shoaling can limit access for vessels with drafts much above 5 feet. (Jule III) MILE --- FL - KEY WEST Many municipal moorings have been installed on the Florida Bay side north of Garrison Bight, east of Fleming Key. There is less current there than Key West Harbour, but it is exposed to the north. (Mielle) KEY WEST MOORING FIELD: There are NO facilities in Garrison Bight - only about 2 showers, no pump out, no parking, and no dinghy dock. Also there is an overhead power line, so we can't get the big boat in there. A slip is $1200/month for long term if you could get in there. The mooring field is not protected from the north, but there isn't any good place to anchor that IS protected from the north. There is no charge for the mooring because it is administered out of Garrison Bight and they have nobody to collect. To get into town, you have to go through the cut into Key West Bight. This can take up to 1/2 hour if you have a little dinghy, depending on the current through the cut. The dinghy dock is by the old turtle kraals - $4/day, $20/week and $60/month. People anchor all over the place in Key West. A lot are west of Fleming Key and around the old Tank Island (now called Sunset Key because it is no longer Navy and that sounds better than Tank Island). There is a water taxi. (Rosalieann) 2002 STATUS: The mooring field east of Fleming Key is in business, at $12/ night, if you call them and if they come out to collect. You can anchor just north of the moorings for free, with the same long dinghy ride to town. (Nina) 20 MILES WEST OF KEY WEST - MARQUESAS KEY Convenient anchorage on the way to the Dry Tortugas. As everywhere in the reefs, lobster pots discourage an overnight passage to the Dry Tortugas. The Western side of the Marquesas provides shelter from the prevailing Easterlies but it is quite shallow in places. Read the water! The charts are not accurate relative to the shoaling. Beach is OK. Current is 2+ knots with a North/South set. (Jule III) 70 MILES WEST OF KEY WEST - GARDEN KEY, DRY TORTUGAS Garden Key is the official anchorage for the Dry Tortugas National Park. Anchorage is on the SW side of Fort Jefferson. The NE channel has filled in so there is no current in the anchorage, which can be quite crowded. Adequate depth for any draft. Certainly worth the trip! You can trade beer and cola for lobster from the commercial watermen. Good show by the rangers at the fort. Be warned that there are no provisions (including fresh water) in the Dry Tortugas. No trash cans either. Satellite phone is $16 per minute. Cellular phones do not work. SSB and/or satellite is a plus. (Jule III)
M
MaySail
Hawk Channel
We've gone outside and through the Hawk Channel many times. Hawk is well marked, but beware of nighttime cruising/sailing as there are many unlit daymarkers along that route. We draw 5'1" and usually anchor at Rodriquez Key, Bahia Honda State Park, and then Key West. Easy run.
We've gone outside and through the Hawk Channel many times. Hawk is well marked, but beware of nighttime cruising/sailing as there are many unlit daymarkers along that route. We draw 5'1" and usually anchor at Rodriquez Key, Bahia Honda State Park, and then Key West. Easy run.
B
Bob La Salle
You guys are the best!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all my unknown friends who have responded to my post and will continue to reply. Your participation is invaluable. I just love this site! (P.S.: keep the replies coming!)
Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all my unknown friends who have responded to my post and will continue to reply. Your participation is invaluable. I just love this site! (P.S.: keep the replies coming!)
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