On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:14:30 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

We expect to sail it straight through; the main portion of the trip is
pretty straightforward, but getting through the shoals around the west side
are enough to make us wonder if it can really be done.

I assume you are talking about the west side of Marathon south of the
bridge? The bridge at Moser Channel has 65 ft at high tide so you
should be OK there.

From the bridge go south about .75 nm to R2 before turning ENE towards
FL G '1' at the Marathon channel entrance. That will take you south of
Pigeon Key Banks and north of the 6 ft spot. We have no problem with
5 1/2 feet, lots of water. The real challenge is finding a place to
anchor or moor in Boot Key Harbor. You might be better off to just
get a dock for the night.

If you don't want to do the run non-stop, Venice is a good stop over,
as is Ft Myers Beach or Marco Island.

If you really want to give FL the slip, run non-stop to the Bahamas.
Once you leave the marina in St Pete there will be no record of you
anywhere unless you transit a drawbridge at some point. Your entry
documents in the Bahamas will document your timing if it should ever
become an issue, which is unlikely in my opinion. Once you are over 3
miles offshore I believe you are technically out of state.