Power Boat Cruising

[tcamperman]

Hello to everyone!
My wife and I recently took delivery of a 36 Sabreline Sedan. The boat is twin diesel with gen. It carries 300 Fuel and 100 water. My question relates to a Round Robin trip to the Keys.

I would like to know whether anyone has gone from the Dry Tortugas north to Boca Grande or Everglades City, etc. and what sort of conditions we might expect. Heck, just getting to the D/T's gets me all puckered up, but I would really like to go there and then leave to the North and catch the TransFlorida/Lake Okeechobee route headed back home.

Any thoughts??????

Tom

[Harriet]

Most, if not all, of us on this board are sailors. Thus we are not in the best position to answer your questions about cruising in a power boat. You should know, however, that there are absolutely no facilities in the Dry Tortugas. That means no marina, fuel, water, etc. Also, most of us have not crossed Florida through the Okeechobee Waterway because our masts will not clear the railroad bridge. (Having said that, my husband and I did a Florida "circumnavigation" in our former sailboat with a 48' mast). I don't mean to be discouraging, just honest.

[exposure]

Trawler World has a very active list that can probably provide better answers than you'll find here. Not that I don't welcome power boaters, it's just as Harriet said that we are not as likely to have the experience needed to give good answers. Check their list out at...

http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/lis...ler-world-list

Having said that, I don't think that the trip to the dry tortugas is that difficult with good weather. The question becomes, how good do you feel with the predicitions of a weather window and your abilities to deal with what happens when the prediction is wrong. That is shallow open water and can get nasty in a blow. There are a couple of protected places to hide in if you have a shallow draft.

Regards, Mike