The Florida Keys are my home sailing grounds. There is very little
shifting of sandbars. I don't know what drugs you are on but you certainly
can't see them shifting in satellite photos. As a matter of fact sand is
in relatively short supply in the Keys. There is more rock and mud than
sand.

On the Florida Bay side it's mostly all mud. There resides the
Intracoastal Waterway and the Yacht Channel up to the Gulf of Mexico. Five
or six feet depth all the way. In and along Hawk Channel on the ocean
side it's mostly coral rock with only a few sandy beaches. The rest of it
is bare, water worn coral rock. Hawk Channel is a very safe place to sail.
The barrier reef knocks out the seas from the Straits. The Island chain
provides a barrier to the north. There are a few areas with charted coral
heads and patch reefs that need to be given a wide berth but it's no
problem to do so either visually or using GPS.

Anybody who can't sail safely through the Keys on either side of the
island chain is incompetent or inept or stupid and poor Skippy was all
three when he came through here running aground at every opportunity and
making an ass out of himself, not to mention giving sailors a bad name. I
have been sailing the Keys for over 25 years and have YET to run aground.
There's no excuse for it.

Wilbur Hubbard

Hubbard ,, this boat has a draft of 5'10" .. pretty deep, she was not
designed to
be a cruising boat, but is a cruising boat .. go figure.

Anyhow,, since you are the expert.. ...

The boat would be coming from Tampa. Heading toward Ft Lauderdale..
So, if she can't get through the canal [ not enough depth ] or the mast is
too high ..

Then she must be sailed all the way to Key West? And then around, and up?
Is that correct? How far is that?

Are there harbors along the way?

Is it better to go outside, then down to Key West?

Don't have any charts as yet.