The function of this blog-post is to supply our readers with an overview of the most reasonable practices for travelling the Florida Keys in a sailboat and it is particularly intended to suggest the different options readily available to bareboaters for the best vacation experience in paradise. Apologies to Jimmy Buffett and yes, they fix some pretty good margaritas and hamburgers down here. Keys Disease!
Driving Overseas Hwy to Key West is tedious and sluggish with great deals of traffic and an overdose of industrial billboards for dining establishments, billboards for resorts, motels, diving experiences, outing to the reef. Never ever ending. That said, cruising in the Keys is absolutely various and supplies the un-rushed, and laid-back character of the chain of islands with its beautiful waters and marine wildlife.
Cruising the Keys is a fantastic option to prevent the weather-dependent Gulf Stream crossing to the Bahamas. You can cruise the Keys in practically any weather condition due to the fact that you have three standard route choices.
Outside the reef in the Gulf Stream with deep water however with a South to North current of about 2 to 3 Knots.
Inside the reef utilizing Hawk Channel with minimal current impact.
The Intra-coastal waterway, which is slow going due to the zig-zag channel and its irregular markers.
The back-drop to travelling the Keys is always the DISTANCE and the SHALLOW waters.
First-time charterers are always astonished at the distances associated with cruising these waters. We get numerous requests for boats to cruise from Miami to Key West and back, for example. Yes, it’s about 135 Nautical Miles, while this does not appear a lot, if you break it down in to bite-sized portions, things start to make good sense.
If you approximate approximately 5 Knots taking a trip South along the Hawk Channel, it would take you 27 hours of cruising non-stop to reach Key West.
Given that you can only travel during daylight due to the shallow water and reefs, that offers you 8 or 9 hours of cruising a day that equates to generally, a three-day trip without stopping off anywhere. i.e. a week of tough sailing– no sight-seeing.
PLUS three days back to Miami, so that is an overall of 6 days of sailing non-stop. Not quite what you registered for I imagine.
There are options however, that depend on your dispositions. Here are some of my own choices.
1. Cruise the Upper Keys for a week.This includes beginning your charter in Miami or Fort Lauderdale and heading South down Hawk channel inside the reef. The goal is to reach Key Largo on Day 2 of your charter. Continue down to Islamorada, Duck Key and perhaps even Marathon and back to the base. You can return outside the reef and get some traction from the Gulf Stream current on the way back. OR, If the weather condition turns sour, you can always come back on the intracoastal waterway by ducking under the Channel 5 bridge(65′)or the Snake Creek bridge( opens on demand) to get the ICW. 2. Start your charter in Key West and go to the Dry Tortugas which are about 68 miles from KW.Very intriguing journey to see Fort Jefferson which was constructed in 1849 shortly after The US purchased
the State of Florida from Spain. At the time it was considered a strategic area for the defense of the Gulf of Mexico against foreign powers (sic ). Fort Jefferson is the biggest brick and masonry building in the Americas and was utilized as a prison during the Civil War. 3. Do a one-way cruise from Miami to Key West, or vice versa, visiting (anchoring or tying-up)along the way in different locations such as No-Name Harbor on the southern tip of Key Biscayne. Rodriguez Key, the Channel 5 Bridge,
Duck Key, Marathon, and lots of others. For a really total list of get across to the Bahamas pretty-much unscathed, but when time comes for the return crossing, you find that the weather conditions have altered and that you can’t return! Disappointment. These are not things you can change. This is what the insurer call”acts of God”. The bareboat company will probably be unsympathetic and possibly your boss will too … 44 ′ Wind’s Will Sun Odyssey 439 37’6 ″ Kitty Cat Leopard 39 discover an excellent boat, please do not hesitate to call us at +1 -305 -758 -2500 or visit our bareboat charter page.
Fill out our contact form for free guidance on locations and boats and totally free proposals on any boat we can use. We are waiting to speak with you. The Ocean Reef Club, located in North Key Largo, offers a private marina and high-end amenities ideal for luxury yacht owners. Close to beautiful fishing grounds and wildlife, many sportfish luxury yachts use Ocean Reef as a jumping off point to catch different reef fish. The post A Quick Guide to Bareboating in the Florida Keys appeared first on Boat Miami.
anchorages both on the inside and the outdoors, click here to receive a free guide. The Florida Keys are a fantastic option for bareboaters especially in the undecided cold weather when the threat of cold fronts stumbling upon from the West are most prevalent. These fronts produce uncertain weather condition that would make a Gulf Stream crossing rather uncomfortable. The other problem with the Bahamas in Winter is the timing element. Sometimes you can If you want to learn more about bareboat charters.
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