Florida Keys????????

[malyea]

Maybe going to sail the Keys for a few days in Feb.....

I've fished the area way back but never sailed it with 6' draft (Hunter 41 from 360yachting, Key Largo).....

I may be spoiled by BVI sailing (plenty of anchorages with double digit depth) so can someone confirm my suspicions about sailing the Keys...

From a little preliminary chart study, it looks like most of the anchorages are on the Gulf side - which means I am constrained by passing under bridges daily - and many/most anchorages are 4 to 6 feet deep.?.?

I'd like to sail 4 to 5 hours each day and head "offshore" - is the current from the stream too much of an issue to make that type of daysail enjoyable - and will I find that the best idea is just to sail down Hawks Channel and parallel the islands.?.?

Bottom line - I understand the Keys is "skinny water", but is it so skinny that I'll hardly be able to relax/enjoy sailing a Hunter 41 (6' draft) and will I be able to find good anchorages or be "forced" into a marina slip most nights?.?.

[Yorksailor]

I have sailed the Keys often with 6ft draft but I mostly stay outside in Hawke's Channel or just outside the lighthouses where the Stream is weak.

You can find a few anchorages on the outside but the holding is poor inside and outside.

I have spent many nights on the diving balls on the outside. Nice breeze and no mosquitoes.

I was once asked what I was doing by the 'reef police' and I told them I was planning a night dive.

[travlineasy]

There is an awful lot of skinny water with some deep cuts, guts and channels winding through the shallows. Most of the larger keys have deepwater channels that will lead to locations where anchorage is not a problem. Keep in mind, though, that the locations are often marginal for that 6-foot draft.

You'll find lots of deep water in Boot Key Harbor (Marathon Key area) and from what a friend that lives there just told me there are lots of unused mooring floats this year. Key West Harbor is plenty deep, and the pocket southwest of Boca Grande Key is protected from wind in any direction and is 12 to 25 feet deep. Out at the Dry Tortugas the anchorage is a bit more open, but still fairly well protected from most winds and no problem for that 6' draft.

Most of the Gulf Side anchorages I've encountered would not be deep enough for boats with a draft of more than 4 to 5 feet. There are a few locations, but access to them can be a bit tricky, and the Gulf side of the keys itself is pretty darned shallow, even when you're 5 to 8 miles offshore. There was a neat place about 12 miles north of Marathon with no land in sight, where I fished for cobia that was only 6 feet deep at high tide. At low tide, my 18-inch draft powerboat was churning bottom just a few inches beneath the prop.

I wish I could be of more help, but my charts are all on my boat, which is buried beneath a layer of snow 90 miles from home.

Good luck, enjoy the beautiful weather, and sip a Margaretta for me while you're soaking up the rays.

Gary

[svHyLyte]

You might find ActiveCaptain.com very helpful. I have found it a very worth while site.

FWIW...

[malyea]

Thanks to all.

I think I see the trip going this way - plz correct me if I'm wrong...

Leave Key Largo to sail down for 2 days and then sail back for 2 - 2 1/2 days all while having preplanned 4 nights on the hook at very specifc pre-planned anchorages....because you can't wait till the last 2 hours of daylight and just drop the hook any old place....because good anchorages are a bit few and "far" between on the reef side - and too shallow on the Gulf side...that about right?

When we refer to "the outside" are we refering to the Atlantic side vs the Gulf side?

Thanks again -

OBTW - What's the best lure to troll with in Feb for maybe a Mahi dinner?

[bjung]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

You might find ActiveCaptain.com very helpful. I have found it a very worth while site.

FWIW...

I can second Active Captain, great site, also this has great anchorage suggestions: Cruiser's Net » All Florida Keys Anchorages
I would not suggest the inside route (gulfside) over 4 1/2 ft draft. We saw as little as 4 ft in a few spots inside the channel. The Hawk channel offers 9+ feet.

[travlineasy]

If you're on the outside, particularly near Sombrero Reef Light, try dragging a 6-inch, chartreuse, Sassy Shad near the edge of the Sargasso weed and as close as possible to the buoys. Most of the dolphin in this area weigh 2 to 6 pounds, but there have been some real monsters taken this time of year, some topping 40 pounds.

Another hotspot is just southeast of Cosgrove Light near the Marquesses Keys. Some monster dolphin, and big king mackerel there if the water temperature is fairly warm. The kings seem to want large, swimming plugs, something in the 8 to 10-inch category that maintains its action while cruising along at 4 to 5 knots just beneath the surface.

If you have access to a smoker, both mahi and kings are fantastic when smoked using hickory chips.

If you can't find the mahi or kings, flannel-mouth and French grunt fillets dipped in beer batter and deep fried are tough to beat. You can catch them along the channel edges using nothing more than a small piece of bright, red rag attached to a 1/0 wide-gap hook and jigged close to the bottom. Most are found in depths of 12 to 25 feet in relatively large schools. Most of the grunts measure just 8 to 10 inches, but there are times when you find a school of monsters that measure up to 15 inches and tip the scales at more than a pound. Snow-white meat, very sweet and flaky--how I miss those sumptuous fried grunts washed down with an ice-cold beer.

Now, for that two-day sailing agenda--take your time. There's lots of neat things to see on your way to Key West, some incredible snorkeling and fishing, and this time of year, lots of dockside parties at the Tiki Bars. I'm hoping to land a few jobs next year (2012) in the lower keys performing at the dockside bars, and with luck do some horse-trading with the marina/bar owners bartering musical entertainment for dockage.

Good luck,

Gary

[DulceSuerna]

Typically to sailors "Outside" in keys refers to the Atlantic , to Powerboaters it is Atlantic beyond the reefs edge. The mooring buoys York sailor was talking about can be great fun depending on the wind/ waves. Great snorkeling around them but most are protected or a "no take" zone, so dont fish unless you are outside them if they are colored yellow. Gulf side in the keys is very very shallow.

[malyea]

Thanks to all (Gary, I particularly like your style).

I've got 4 1/2 days under sail, start and stop in Key Largo - since good anchorages aren't a dime a dozen - I may need to cover a decent distance each day....

Soooo, I'm now thinking - tentatively - sail south primarily following Hawk Channel for 2 1/2 - 3 days and then an over night run offshore back to the north riding the stream... making a daylight landfall back vicinity of Key Largo.

Thoughts on that plan?

[travlineasy]

That'll work. This time of year the wind can be a bit fickle, but if you get lucky and hit the right conditions it would be fairly easy to make 50 to 60 miles in 10 to 12 hours of sailing. If your SOG is 7 knots, it's just a 9 hour haul to Marathon from Key Large. Leave early enough and you could be having dinner at one of the restaurants in Boot Key. From Marathon to Key West is just 40 miles, which translates to just over a half-day's sail and you'll tiltin' a long-neck bottle at Sloppy Joe's or wolfing down a big bowl of conch chowder at Lands End Raw Bar. If the weather cooperates you're going to have a lot of fun.

Good Luck, and think about this old man shivering in the Chesapeake's upper reaches.

Gary