Anchored in Key West

[motion30]

I am in marathon and thinking of moving to key west Would like to hear from any body anchored or moored in key west or stock island What are the conditions? How crowed is the moorage and anchorage?

[TexSail]

It's been a few years but when I regularly sailed to KW, I anchored near Christmas Island. Get there early. It is crowded. Much of KW is not friendly to dingies (there was a dingy dock where you could pay). Again, it's been a few years, but used to be your best bet going ashore was to call the water taxi on VHF16.

[lorenzo b]

Garrison Bight has lots of open mooring and a dinghy dock, the anchorages on the west side by Key West Bight and more crowded, dinghy dock at City Marina. Lots of room out at Man of War. It's been windy this last month and it keeps shifting around, so it can get a bit rough. Lots of marinas have space.

[jimking100]

I am currently in the Key West City mooring filed off Garrison Bight. You can expect to pay in the $300 a month range but that includes the dingly dock and shower facitlities. We have had a fair breeze for about a month now.
The anchorage west of Flemming Key is exposed to N and NW winds which have been pretty steady lately. My favorite activity is listening to Ch. 16 during heavy winds and monitoring the dragging boats. Personally, I would take the mooring field and sleep better at night. Good luck. The water taxi is no longer running ( at least I haven't it)

[CSY Man]

My favorite activity is listening to Ch. 16 during heavy winds and monitoring the dragging boats. Personally, I would take the mooring field and sleep better at night.

Or get a better anchor...

I would not sleep good hooked up to a mooring..Who knows what is on the bottom?
Ya get a written guarantee the mooring owner will buy ya a new boat if the rusty chain or shacle fails during the o'dark thirty squall blowing 50?

Did not think so.

[lorenzo b]

I have found the bottom here in Key West to be less than perfect, it feels like some sand over rock. When the wind picks up to around 25 knts I've had to pick up and move away from other boats, and thats with a 300 lb anchor and 100 ft of 1/2 inch chain in 10 ft of water. My boat is big and boxy and catches the wind pretty good. I am presently tied to a 200 ft barge at a boatyard and that has it's own set of problems.
If I had a reasonable boat I would opt for a marina given all the stuff to do here in Key West.

[motion30]

I arrived yesterday and took a morring at fleming key Only problem is that it is a wet long ride in the dinghy to the marina, no big deal as the weather is supposed to warm to 80* this week

[jimking100]

You are probably right CSY man. I guess one has to pick their poison and hope for the best.

[forsailbyowner]

I stayed for most of december and will be heading back after the 13th. I was behind wisteria island near the floating live bait shop. Dinghy dock at bight is $26 a week includes trash ,water and there's bike racks to lock up bikes. We stayed during some ferocious gales. There were plenty of boats that broke loose from moorings. One drifted into us at 4 am with gale winds and no moon. After taking out 2 stanchions and causing mayhem it ended up on tank island now renamed sunset cay or something. There were plenty of boats but still lots of room. Anybody know what the white bubble looking things are to the north?

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by forsailbyowner

I stayed for most of december and will be heading back after the 13th. I was behind wisteria island near the floating live bait shop. Dinghy dock at bight is $26 a week includes trash ,water and there's bike racks to lock up bikes. We stayed during some ferocious gales. There were plenty of boats that broke loose from moorings. One drifted into us at 4 am with gale winds and no moon. After taking out 2 stanchions and causing mayhem it ended up on tank island now renamed sunset cay or something. There were plenty of boats but still lots of room. Anybody know what the white bubble looking things are to the north?

One of the local tour operators set them up... they are inflatable water slides and such

[Don1500]

I may be going down to the Keys soon. I have only one question, where is the dinghy dock? I have heard "in the City marina, under the Fleming Key Bridge(at the fuel dock). I just don't want to motor all over the place for a couple of hours looking.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Don1500

I just don't want to motor all over the place for a couple of hours looking.

Hey Don,

I can't answer the question, but I often use Google Earth to find the dinghy dock. Zoomed in it often becomes obvious with a little gaggle of greyish blobs

Hope it helps


Mark

[ReMetau]

The dinghy dock for the anchorage is in Key West Bight right in front of Turtle Krawls. The other dock for the moorings is in Garrison Bight.

EDIT: Don't forget to visit the dockmaster at the fuel dock to pay for the dock.

If you still don't know, the entrance to Key West Bight is to the right of the Coast Guard station if you are facing south.

[capngeo]

Don, there are two: One in Garrison Bight for the mooring field and one in Key West Bight for everyone else.

The City's moorings are as mentioned a bit pricey at $298/month, but as said above they do include dingy dock/pumpout/trash/and showers. The dingy ride in can get wet in a Norther, but otherwise are fairly benign. Opt for one further North and East if you are prone to rocking, as the charter fleet can throw quite a wash when they go by. The Garrison Bight dock is about a mile from Duval St, but many other businesses are closer.

If you opt to anchor, the best (IMHO) is just North of the sandbar North of Crhistmas (Wisteria) Island, and use the KW Bight Dingy Dock. Many bars restaurants and chandleries are right near the dock

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by capngeo

If you opt to anchor, the best (IMHO) is just North of the sandbar North of Crhistmas (Wisteria) Island, and use the KW Bight Dingy Dock. Many bars restaurants and chandleries are right near the dock

Thanks for that piccy, George

I've saved that for when I go there.

Key West looks bigger than when I went there about 20 years ago. I wonder is it grown? Or is my memory / perception wrong? It looks huge.