Boot Key Harbor mooring field full strategies

[svseachange]

We are overnighting at Rodriguez Key enroute Miami to Marathon and wifey, who has been reading one of her favorite women-sailing-blogs, announces "The Boot Key Harbor mooring field is full today."

We have a 4, 13 and 15 year olds on our 34' boat and eveyone had been looking forward to taking a good break at Boot Key Harbor. The 13 and 15 year olds only spend a month each summer and holidays with us so I had been hoping to show them a good time in Marathon.

How long should we expect to wait for a ball? Are the anchorages next to the mooring field viable (5' draft)? Any other suggestions for a good kid friendly place in Marathon? Or any good kid friendly places further down the Keys we should think about running to?

[FlightPlan]

It's been over a year that I anchored with my 5.5 draft West of the bridge and power line. I can't get under the power line with 82 ft mast so that is the place I usually drop. I have read that you can anchor in the canals East of the channel entrance of Sister Creek, but I have never tried that in my boat.

[Dulcesuenos]

Weve anchored just sw of boot key when we were passing by. Inside it never seemed like alot of room to anchor across from the field with the 5 or 6 that are always anchored there. Why not check at the marinas there? Might be pricey. Bahia honda is fun not sure what they charge for a week/month. Tied up. Get a good weather window and shoot over to bimini sands!! Very cheap! And fun.

[svseachange]

Bahia Honda sounds fun, but the entrance depth is a little low for us. Bimini is out of the question because my teens do not have their passports in them.

Keep the ideas coming, my teens are asking where we are going!

[Dulcesuenos]

Only a little ways to hens and chickens head their go snorkeling, rekax and sail today is beautiful, pull under snake creek bridge spend the night at smugglers cove marina, eat their its decent, or come back a couple miles to Tavernier key anchor up there, then head southW. With 5' draft i think high tide is doable at bahia honda. It is almost as pricey as a full svc. Marina though . Key west is a blast but a little pricey unless your.on the mooring field there. Post card inn, the old holiday isles, has a few docks for sailboats, they have pools and beach etc plus you can dinghy around and fish lobster/ the bridges

[djmarchand]

Check in with the marina and get on their waiting list for a mooring. Then find a spot to anchor, either outside of BKH, just east of the bridge or far east. Check back with the marina by vhf or cell.

Shouldn't take more than a few days. Tends to clear out in waves when the weather opens up for the Gulf Stream crossing.

David

[Sid at SailAway]

Looking at the weather I believe some folks will be leaving to cross over on Sunday and Monday. Possibly as early as Saturday. Yeah, I know there's a north wind on Monday, but at 4-5 knots shouldn't be a factor. Good luck, Marathon is pretty cool...

[Boatguy30]

You can anchor in the creek/ channel out to sombrero beach. There is some serious AM radio radiation thru there and an electrical engineer told me it would be unsafe to anchor their long term for health reasons, try to stay to the west part and there are also some creeks you can tuck back into if you have good bug screens.

There is also a deep channel around mile 86 ocean side you can take toward US one and anchor near the highway. No one will be there, we had FWC stop by us there and didn't know what to make of a deep draft 43' ketch tucked in there. You can dinghy into the highway right of way and then is about a 2 mile walk I believe to any stores.

Again not sure of mile, might be more like 78 or 80 US1 miles.

[svseachange]

Thanks for the tips guys. Enough boats moved on yesterday to make room for us.

Was a nice run down from Rodriguez in 10 kts building to 15-20 kts dead down wind. The troops are happy.