Anyone Cruising the Keys this Winter ?

[edbulmer]

I just bought a trawler and want to sail it from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West in December. Is anyone going that way. I've never done this before. If not does anyone know the best source for charts, maps, and info?

[bchaps]

Hi Ed and welcome to the Cruisers Forum. My wife and I wintered in the Keys last year, going out side on the Atlantic whenever the weather was decent. Depending on your draft and mast height, you could possibly stay on the ICW the entire distance. We passed Miami about 3-4 miles outside and over-nighted at Noname Harbor. The next day took us to Rodriquez key where we snuggled up on the eastern side for the night, and then the third day to a mooring ball at City Marina in Marathon.

Charts...We use Kettlewell for the ICW and Maptech for inlets and coastal cruising. Both are excellent investments for anyone planning to cruise. If you're planning to use marina's, get Skipper Bob's Marina Guide. He also publishes a great guide for ICW anchorages. Source?...Most Marine suppliers sell these guides and many other sources can be found with an internet search.

If your draft is 5 feet or more, you may want to consider going outside on
Hawks channel. There are a number of very shallow spots on the ICW and it's a safe bet, given the current budget situation, that little or no money is available for dredging.

[Intentional Drifter]

Hi, Ed, and welcome to CF!

With a trawler, I'm guessing you probably draw at least 4.5 to 5 feet, so I agree with Bchaps and recommend Hawks Channel. In Ft. Lauderdale, Bluewater Books can get you set up with charts and cruising guides. They are very good folks there and very helpful, even with newbies. If you have a chartplotter on the boat, then you will want to make a note of the brand and model if you're interested in electronic charts.

Noname is a very nice stopping off place for your first day south. It is also a popular jumping off point for crossing over to the Bahamas. I would also recommend Key Largo for your second night, and maybe even longer. There are several marinas, though they aren't inexpensive. However, the big draw for Key Largo is for snorkling or scuba diving at the Pennekamp State Park. A truly excellent reef system with very good shallow water diving. You can tie up to the mooring balls (but they are not for overnights) for diving off your boat.

You don't say how experienced you are, so if you are a total newbie, you might want to consider getting some instruction, first. Either by taking a class and/or hiring a training skipper to go along with you for a bit. There really are a lot of skills that you want to have down pat before taking off on even what seems like a short trip. Even things like maneuvering in tight spots, VHF, navigation, etc. will seem quite overwhelming at first and mistakes can make your first trip miserable and you don't want that! By the way, I'd also suggest joining BoatUS and specifically getting the unlimited towing insurance! Even one time of having to call them will more than pay for the premium.

Have fun!

ID

[edbulmer]

Very good advice. I am surly going to sign up for the towing service, by God I'll probably need it. I'm totally new. Never been on a power boat. I've sailed for twelve years on the Great Lakes but going down the Keys is a new thing. I'll be leaving Ft. Lauderdale in late November and going to Key West for the winter. Do you think I'll need a wet suit in case of the props getting fouled in fishing lines etc? And if so a full body suit or just a vest? I don't think the electronics are up to date on the boat so i was thinking of getting an Iphone with the charts and gps apps they are amazing.

[Intentional Drifter]

Originally Posted by edbulmer

Do you think I'll need a wet suit in case of the props getting fouled in fishing lines etc? And if so a full body suit or just a vest? I don't think the electronics are up to date on the boat so i was thinking of getting an Iphone with the charts and gps apps they are amazing.

Personally, I found a shorty to be just right, for up to an hour or so in the water.

iPhones are very nice, but for a cheap chartplotter it is really hard to beat an iPad (with the 3G/GPS chip). There are several very good apps, even Navionics is doing them with the same charts they use for the plotters. I would still take paper charts, though. As bchaps said, the Maptech ones are very good for the Keys.

ID

[motion30]

I did that trip last year in my trawler icw to marathon great place by the way then outside to hawks channel to kew west it was an easy run takes two day in my marine trader

[edbulmer]

Great, what do I need to do it. What guides, books, etc. Is it a straight run down the coast, and how far should we do the intercoastal, (I don't know how far it runs.)

[capngeo]

The Keys are great cruising ground! Look me up when you get near the end!

[fla.sailor]

"I am surly going to sign up for the towing service, by God I'll probably need it."


Tow insurance is a good idea, but if you run aground and over sea grass in the keys, it will be an expensive grounding. Watch your depth!

CHeeRS!
-dennis

[Amapola]

Claiborne Young's Cruising Guides cover the area thoroughly and are great resources. His cruisers net .com website aka Salty Southeast Sailors gives up to date information and changes to the guides. We've done the inside route numerous times with no trouble. Our trawler draws 4.5'. We're headed to Key West in November from Southwest Florida so maybe we'll see you there. What's the name of your boat?

[Therapy]

Active captain is a pretty good source of info too.

[Ortolan]

ActiveCaptain is excellent-an interactive cruising guide that interfaces with Navimatics Charts & Tides to create our most-used iPhone app when cruising. Last year was our first year cruising south from CT to the Keys and we used it all the time to find good, and often not obvious, anchorages and get very current info on marinas, stuff to do and all sorts of info you can not find in any guide.
Used Kettlewell for ICW- easy, concise and make notes in the margin to help you for next time. Official AICW ends at SM1095, but does continue down to Key West for the most part. Marathon to KW was best done outside, but we went in as well as out for trips between Dinner Key Marina (lots of moorings) and Marathon.
Best of Luck!
Lori

[edbulmer]

Cool. We will be cruising down to Key West at the end of November also.
See you there. We opted out of the Marine Trader. It had been let go and there were too many repairs needed. We are now in the midst of purchasing a Viking 44.
Now we're looking for anyone who will be cruising back up the coast from Key West in the beginning of April

[Noname]

Waterwayguide.com has lots of good info.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by edbulmer

--- Is it a straight run down the coast, and how far should we do the intercoastal, (I don't know how far it runs.)

The ICW ends (for all practical purposes) at Marathon. From there you will need to go through the 7 Mile Bridge and run down Hawk Channel.

Off topic - What's the dumbest tourist question in the Keys? "How long is the 7 Mile Bridge?"