From St Augustine to the Keys, traveling outside is the way to go. Unfortunately, anchorages are non-existent until you get to the Keys. You have to duck inside to find any viable anchorages.
- - With a short time frame you can run the coastline from St. Augustine to Fort Pierce in an over-nighter 155nm or about 26 hours at 6kts. Fort Pierce is an all-weather entrance port and there is a good overnight anchorage just halfway down the entrance channel on the south side abeam the C.G. station. There is another good anchorage off the
ICW on the south side of Causeway Island for longer stays.
- - Ft Pierce to
Lake Worth only 48 nm or about 8 hours at 6kts. An easy run and at
Lake Worth you hang a left and go south along the west side of the outer barrier island to a huge anchorage area just past the red"6" marker. There are a lot of people who stage here for a run to the Abacos.
- - Ft Pierce to
Miami (Biscayne Bay) is another over-nighter of 120nm or 20 hours at 6 kts. You leave in early afternoon and get to Miami mid-morning - a pleasant time to arrive at
Government Cut and then
work you way down to Biscayne Bay. There are numerous anchorages on the east and west side of Biscayne Bay, although there is a new "city moorings" field at the Dinner Key/Coconut Grove old anchorage.
- - So in 3 legs you are in Miami and ready to do your Keys runs. Along the Hawk Channel there are numerous anchorages so that the longest run you need to do is Miami to
Key Largo - I always
anchor in the lee of Rodriquez Key. Just be sure to get the latest
Florida Keys Park
Regulations and rules about
anchoring - where you can and cannot
anchor for "environmental" reasons. There can be devastating fines if you drop the hook in the wrong place. I have made it in 3 easy days from Miami to
Key West or you can putt along much slower and do some snorkeling/diving at the hundreds of sites along the
route.
- - Although I would suggest hop, skip and jumping it down to
Key West and then on to the
Dry Tortugas or the
Marquesas Keys and then leisurely
work you way back north planning your stays/stops based on
weather and how much time you have left.
- - I have taken the
ICW all the way to Ft. Lauderdale - if you can meet the
draft requirements which is basically 5 ft or less to avoid having to worry about tides, etc. But you are talking about a whole week of motoring not counting any stops along the way. The Waterway Guide flip book has all of the
route and anchorages marked and there are plenty until you get to Lantana. Then they virtually disappear and also your nm made per day drops to a fraction due to endless stops for bridge openings every half hour or less. In Ft Lauderdale area it took me 5 hours to go 10 miles. So I always run outside from Lake Worth to Miami.
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