Fort Lauderdale / Tampa

[LIsailer]

Hi Guys,
I'll be looking at a Catalina 34 in ft L. If I buy it I will need to sail it to Palmetto.
new to the area looking for local knowledge and wisdom.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, LIsailer.
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

[J Clark H356]

I don’t know the details of,your boat, but the bridge clearance is 52 feet going across the cut via Lake Ocachobee, and I just looked at my charts on the west side of Lake Okachobee and if it were me in my Hunter 356 with 5 feet of draft and I could get through the bridge issues, I would still go to Marathon and around south of the Everglades or to Key West and then up. The Marathon Route Once west of the Everglades you can go up the west coast to Tampa Bay or go in to the GICW at Ft Myers and up that way. If you have time, you could go to Key West and go up north from there. It’s a 24 hour sail from Key West to Boca Grande Pass/Charlotte Harbor or you could split it up and go to Indian Key, then Boca Grande, then Venice, then Tampa Bay Pass to Palmetto. Lots of options, just depends on how much time you have. Key West is pricey, but nice marinas and restaurants. Cabbage Key has a nice restaurant and limited slips, the Crows Nest Marina and Restaurant at Venice is a nice stop