Kiper....
I'm sitting in KW right now, albeit at a slip in Garrison Bight Marina. There are a LOT of options for staying here. If you want the best of both worlds, try a City owned
mooring... about $10/day on a monthly
contract, but you get
pump out, and a dedicated
dinghy dock with
laundry and showers. Alternately,
anchoring is still free, but the
dinghy landing will still cost you $85 for the month.
As to the ride down, WATCH YOUR WEATHER! The cold fronts bring a north
wind that will hurry you down, but things can get rough fast between here and there because the
water is so shallow. If you time it right you can ride the south winds home on the
head of a warm front.... in the middle it is sort of easterly. All in all, the trip is an easy one as long as you keep a
weather eye.
If you do get stuck going when it is blowing stink out of the north, hug the coast and aim for Marathon, cross to Hawk Channel at Channel 5 bridge (65') and come down on the "ocean" side... remember "down" is really west in the lower keys!
New Year's in KW is a party only second to Times Square... I don't much go for that sort of thing anymore (last one downtown for me was the millennium!).
If you have any questions, I'll be glad to give you whatever "local knowledge" I can.