Trip to the Keys

Odyssey said:
Hi Alex - it's awesome that you can come down and spend the winter here. I think Arl is right on with his recommendations. I have always wanted to do a Totugas trip but it is really, really far from my house in Delray Beach. There are spots in the Northern keys that should be done. Boca Chita comes to mind and of course, the Bahamas. Your trip plan sounds great. I'll be looking to join you on a shorter trip as I just can't get away for long periods of time due to my business.

Keep us updated and let me know if you want to do something local in the next couple weeks
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Randy,

It's good to hear from you. It would be great if we could get together, closer ports is no problem. I'll contact you for to discuss the details.

Gofirstclass said:
... We'll be in FL from 12/30 to 1/19 and will be in Key West from 1/4 to 1/7...
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It looks like we just going to miss you by couple of days. But, if you make it to KW earlier let me know.
 
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Is anyone familiar with "Pennekamp State Park Largo Sound - Moorings" in Key Largo?
 
Alex,
As I mentioned, we would be in as well but probably wouldn't head to the keys until 12/28. For us coming from Naples on the west coast, key west really isn't any further than the rest of the keys, so weather permitting we would probably go straight there. Once you put an itinerary together, then I can see where you'll be by the time we head down. I'm thinking we would maybe stay on the boat the 1st week of January as well so maybe if I'm late to the party, we would head up the key from key west making stops along the way.

BTW, I ran from FTL to Hawks Key via Hawks Channel and remember I had plenty of water.

Looking forward to it!
 
cod said:
Alex,
As I mentioned, we would be in as well but probably wouldn't head to the keys until 12/28. For us coming from Naples on the west coast, key west really isn't any further than the rest of the keys, so weather permitting we would probably go straight there. Once you put an itinerary together, then I can see where you'll be by the time we head down. I'm thinking we would maybe stay on the boat the 1st week of January as well so maybe if I'm late to the party, we would head up the key from key west making stops along the way.

BTW, I ran from FTL to Hawks Key via Hawks Channel and remember I had plenty of water.

Looking forward to it!
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That would be great if you could make it, Steve. We're looking forward to see you and Kris.

I'm still doing my research, but basic idea is to start my cruise from FTL and do the "island hopping" until we get to Key West. I may do the first stop some place in Miami area and then continue to the keys via Stiltsville. I'll post my itinerary draft as soon as I get better idea, hopefully next week.
 
This thread is great! It's terrific to see folks that have always wanted to boat in South Florida finally be able to do that. I've got a question..... for those people out of the area (like Alex, Arl and Gofirstclass), what are your schedules? Will you only be here certain times over the winter or here for the entire winter? For us locals, we can go pretty much at any time (work schedule and weather permitting of course). It would be good to get a schedule for everyone trying to get together.

Regarding destinations, much has been written about the Keys so I thought I would offer destinations North of the Keys for everyone’s consideration (starting from North to South starting in Delray Beach). -

Delray Municipal Marina - a small, quaint city marina just 4 blocks south of Atlantic Ave (a destination unto itself) with electric and water (fuel close by). A quiet small place to enjoy and overnight or week

Lake Boca - a great day trip or overnight on the hook. Close to an inlet, no dockage, allot of other boats, not much to do there except raft up with friends and enjoy the time (which is awesome)

Bahia Mar Marina, Fort Lauderdale - there are several marinas in Lauderdale but BM is one of my favorites. Lots of slips and close to the Beach and restaurants. Terrific amenities and it is cool to walk around and gape at the mega yachts that always stay there. A great place to meet with other boaters and chill out

Lake Sylvia - just south of Bahia Mar and very similar to Lake Boca

Beer Can Island – there are a couple of islands just inside of Haulover Inlet in North Miami where boats congregate and party

Miami Beach Marina – A large secure marina with all the amenities just inside the Port of Miami. Walk to Joes Stone Crab or a short cab ride to South Beach. The current is strong here, be ready for a challenging dock in middle tides

Miamarina (at Bayside) – right at the Bayside shopping center. Entertainment, live music, restaurants, etc. A lot going on at this location. Can be noisy at night (not exactly my favorite but I’m there if needed)

No Name Harbor – located on Key Biscayne within the Bill Bags State Park. The park has beaches and other amenities. This harbor is well protected and sheltered. The park allows you to tie up to the seawall during the day but at night, you must untie and anchor off. There is a restaurant right at the harbor serving 3 per day. Parts of the bottom of the harbor are soft and result in poor holding in windy conditions

Boca Chita Key – Similar to No Name but less crowded and completely alone (except on the weekends) great memories from great trips http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/14301-Memorial-Day-trip-to-Port-Lucaya?highlight=boca+chita Need water tanks full, Black water tanks empty and plenty of food/drink, there is nothing on this Key but fun. One of my favorite places. Get there on Friday if you want to get a spot on the seawall!

Side note – between No Name and Boca Chita is a place called Stiltsville. Stiltsville is a Florida historical classic and should not be missed. I would highly suggest the non-local folks to google Stiltsville and look at this unique and fascinating subject

South of Boca Chita are the northern Florida Keys which have been previously discussed.

Oh and by the way, 48 miles from Miami, 55 miles from Port Everglades and 63 miles from Boca Inlet is a place called Bimini. You guys with fast boats can get there in a flash, it takes me 3 hours from Boca Inlet. We should talk about a get together there too.

This is not a complete listing of marinas and destinations, it is just a few that I personally like. I would lobe to hear from others about their recommendations

Can’t wait!
 
Also..... here is the schedule for the South Florida boat parades........

Fort Lauderdale - Saturday 12/6
Boynton/Delray - Saturday 12/13
Pompano - Sunday 12/14
 
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Odyssey said:
This thread is great! It's terrific to see folks that have always wanted to boat in South Florida finally be able to do that. I've got a question..... for those people out of the area (like Alex, Arl and Gofirstclass), what are your schedules? Will you only be here certain times over the winter or here for the entire winter? For us locals, we can go pretty much at any time (work schedule and weather permitting of course). It would be good to get a schedule for everyone trying to get together.

Regarding destinations, much has been written about the Keys so I thought I would offer destinations North of the Keys for everyone’s consideration (starting from North to South starting in Delray Beach). -

Delray Municipal Marina - a small, quaint city marina just 4 blocks south of Atlantic Ave (a destination unto itself) with electric and water (fuel close by). A quiet small place to enjoy and overnight or week

Lake Boca - a great day trip or overnight on the hook. Close to an inlet, no dockage, allot of other boats, not much to do there except raft up with friends and enjoy the time (which is awesome)

Bahia Mar Marina, Fort Lauderdale - there are several marinas in Lauderdale but BM is one of my favorites. Lots of slips and close to the Beach and restaurants. Terrific amenities and it is cool to walk around and gape at the mega yachts that always stay there. A great place to meet with other boaters and chill out

Lake Sylvia - just south of Bahia Mar and very similar to Lake Boca

Beer Can Island – there are a couple of islands just inside of Haulover Inlet in North Miami where boats congregate and party

Miami Beach Marina – A large secure marina with all the amenities just inside the Port of Miami. Walk to Joes Stone Crab or a short cab ride to South Beach. The current is strong here, be ready for a challenging dock in middle tides

Miamarina (at Bayside) – right at the Bayside shopping center. Entertainment, live music, restaurants, etc. A lot going on at this location. Can be noisy at night (not exactly my favorite but I’m there if needed)

No Name Harbor – located on Key Biscayne within the Bill Bags State Park. The park has beaches and other amenities. This harbor is well protected and sheltered. The park allows you to tie up to the seawall during the day but at night, you must untie and anchor off. There is a restaurant right at the harbor serving 3 per day. Parts of the bottom of the harbor are soft and result in poor holding in windy conditions

Boca Chita Key – Similar to No Name but less crowded and completely alone (except on the weekends) great memories from great trips http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/14301-Memorial-Day-trip-to-Port-Lucaya?highlight=boca+chita Need water tanks full, Black water tanks empty and plenty of food/drink, there is nothing on this Key but fun. One of my favorite places. Get there on Friday if you want to get a spot on the seawall!

Side note – between No Name and Boca Chita is a place called Stiltsville. Stiltsville is a Florida historical classic and should not be missed. I would highly suggest the non-local folks to google Stiltsville and look at this unique and fascinating subject

South of Boca Chita are the northern Florida Keys which have been previously discussed.

Oh and by the way, 48 miles from Miami, 55 miles from Port Everglades and 63 miles from Boca Inlet is a place called Bimini. You guys with fast boats can get there in a flash, it takes me 3 hours from Boca Inlet. We should talk about a get together there too.

This is not a complete listing of marinas and destinations, it is just a few that I personally like. I would lobe to hear from others about their recommendations

Can’t wait!
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Great post, Randy. I'll look in to more details and see if we can make some of the places you've suggested.

To answer your question on our visits, as majoority we have to go by kids school calendar. So, we'll be in FL on major holidays and school breaks, including some ocasional weekends here and there. One of them is during Miami boat show.

As usual, I'll be periodically updating the first page with most important info, which we're collecting throughout the thread. As of this time we have 4 possible participating boats for the trip. Here's what's I've added to the first page.

List of Participants:
[CSR name]: [crew names], [boat info], [Traveling From], [Dates (nights) Staying in Key West]
1. "Alex F": Alex and Jelena, Michelle(17), Daniel(9), "Inspiration" 420DB, Ft Lauderdale, 12/30-01/02 (3 nights)
2. "FootballFan": Mark and Deborah, crew TBD, "Devocean" 470DB, Adventura, TBD
3. "Arl798": Andrew and crew TBD, "TBD" 400DB, TBD, TBD
4. "COD": Steve and Kris, kids TBD, "Retreat" 500DB, Naples, TBD

There are few things we need to discuss:

1. It looks like Key West will be the primary rendezvous point. Thus, it would be a good idea for us to try staying in the same marina. So, let's discuss everyone's planned dates for Key West and see if we can choose a marina that will work for majority. It's important to book the marina in advance, considering that it'll be packed in there during the holiday season. At this time I'm looking to stay in KW for 3 nights (12/30-01/02). As you can see I've included the column to help us see an overall picture.

Based on the info I've gathered, we've discussed the following KW marinas:

Marina candidates in Key West:
- Galleon Resort marina
- A and B marina
- Stock Island at Florida marinas club "Key West Harbour"

KW_Marinas.jpg

If you guys have other marinas in mind, let's hear them.

2. While on the subject of KW, if some of us will be there during New Years, would you guys like to get together for the NY party? If yes, do you have any place in mind?

Here's the info I have so far:
Fireworks all around but the main ones are off of the White Street Pier over Key West Harbor. No Times Square but a 6' shoe filled with a drag queen drops from the Bourbon Street Pub, a Conch Shell drops at Sloppy Joe's and a Wench drops from the mast of a schooner at the Historic Seaport. Also Cannon blasts at that location. The Schooner Wharf Bar is a happening place and at Ocean Key resort a key lime wedge drops into a huge margarita.

3. I would assume that you guys plan to do some stops along the way, before reaching KW. If you have some ports in mind and wish to meet in them, post what you have on your float plans.

4. Dry Tortugas, this is the most distant and remote stop. Whether we can make it there or not will mostly depend on the weather. For those who would be interested in going there, let's see what dates might work for you? Based on how our schedule is unfolding, if we can make this leg, then most likely it'll be before we land in Key West. So, I'm guessing around 12/27-12/29.

Let's hear your thoughts and more details on your preliminary plans.
 
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I have made the trip through the Keys many times, and you guys are spot on with where to go. In Key West, my favorite marina has always been The Galleon. Sure it is a little more expensive, but you step off onto floating docks and you are minutes from all of the action.
 
2. "FootballFan": Mark and Deborah, crew TBD, "Devocean" 470DB, Adventura, TBD

Filling in some information.

We are flying to FL on the 27th, will provision and plan to leave for the Keys on the morning of the 28th - weather permitting.

If my quick observation is close I am thinking 130-140 NM to Key West. Not sure if we would try to make it all the way there in 1 day, or stop along the way. We are planning on being in the Keys until probably the 4th of Jan. We are ok with going straight down - then Island hopping on the way back.

It is definitely on our list to make the trip to Tortagus at some point - but if it doesn't work out due to timing on this trip - that's ok. Would not ask the group to change plans - you have to grab the weather window when it is available.

Our preference would be either of Galleon or A and B marina due to their location near downtown.

We are planning 1 or 2 nights at Hawks Cay - either going down or coming back - or both.
 
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Quick update:

Steve and I made few calls and it seems like all marinas in KW downtown are booked. People don't kid around when they say you have to book early. I guess, 1.5 months in advance is not early enough for place like KW.

So, this leaves us with only couple of options:

1. If we want to stay closer to the downtown, then there's a Garrison Bight mooring field. It's protected by Felmming Key and Sigsbee Park. See green #16 on the pic.
2. There are few anchorages near downtown (mid and upper left on the pic, green #57, 58, 12, 10).
3. Go to more distant marinas (Stock Island was discussed earlier). I haven't called any marinas in that area.

Any other ideas/preferences on where to stay?

KW_Anchorage_and_Mooring.jpg


My wife and I were looking at the dates and how they fit the itinerary and due to limited time, we most likely convinced that Key West will be our furthest destination. Since we're starting our trip earlier in the week, we'll be doing our "islands hopping" on the way to KW. On the way back, we'll most likely make only one midway stop.
 
I would vote for mooring field over anchoring. Or other marinas.
 
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For those who are not furmilliar with the Mooring field it is about a 3rd of the way to Stock Island. It is walkable to Duval street but a bit further than most people like to walk. If your not into walking, by the time you take your dinghy to the dinghy dock hail a cab you prob woulda been better off taking a cab from the marina in stock island. Also to get to the Dinghy dock can be a little hairy at night if the wind is howling. Also you gotta go slow for most of the rip in because of matinees.


Just an FYI
 
Mark,
Being new to the area and reading not very optimistic reviews, I too would vote for mooring vs. anchoring. I would be up to having a raft, but from what I see, most of the anchorages are exposed and might not be comfortable if it's windy. By all means, anchoring will always be an option if we feel it would be a good idea when we get there and find a calm spot.

Andrew,
I don't mind being in a nice marina 3-4 miles away from downtown, as long as there's good transportation. If we stay late hours for the New Year's party in downtown, I just want to make sure we'll have a way to get back to marina. I have no idea what to expect in regards to transportation at that time. I just assume that a cab line would be long.

If most of the dinghy ride has to be slow, it's a bummer for day rides, no big deal for the after dark hours though. I have no doubts that dinghy docks will be packed. But, I'm sure people manage somehow.

Let's get more ideas flowing and see if we can find an option that makes sense for most of us. I'm sure that being closer together it'll be more fun.
 
Quick update:

I just received another tip and confirmation that Stock Island Marina is much better choice vs. being on the mooring field. Before getting too excited, I called them for availability and guess what?....they have room for few 45' and 50'ers. Their rate is $2.50 p/f + electric, which of course is a bargain compare to downtown marinas (as Andrew pointed much earlier). Transportation doesn't sound like a big of a deal. They offer a complementary shuttle, which runs just about every 4hrs....noon, 4pm, 8pm...

If we go to the town for New Years party, the shuttle can take us there, but we'll need a cab to get back. However, a guy I spoke to at SIM said that there are tons of cabs and we shouldn't have much of a hassle to get back.

So, this all sounds like very positive news and I'm thinking that staying at SIM might be a good idea. BTW, the marina looks huge.

http://stockislandmarina.com/

Any thoughts, guys?

Lastly, IMO, if we all on the same page and think that this is a good spot (not to mention that all 4 of us will be together), we shouldn't procrastinate too much as I'm sure they'll fill up very shortly.
 
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