"Janet O'Leary" wrote in message
...
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 ..
The Okeechobee is for motor heads and sissies who freak if they aren't in
constant contact with land. It's a poor choice IMO. Just the wakes alone
from inconsiderate motor boat cretins will make you want to shoot somebody.
Sailing down the west coast of Florida from Tampa Bay is a piece of cake
provided you keep an eye on the weather. Working the back side of cold
fronts is the thing to do. One can plan it so one can stop every night to
anchor.
There is no need to do the Moser Channel thing. Anchoring in the Little
Shark River mouth allows you easy access to the Yacht Channel through the
Sprigger and Arsenic Banks into the Intracoastal Waterway well north of
Marathon. There is enough depth, plenty enough at high tide. Last time
though the Yacht Channel (Hurricane Wilma) there was close to eight feet
there. Using the Yacht Channel makes for an easy and safe run to Channel #5
bridge which has 65 feet clearance MLW. Once into Hawk Channel working up to
Lauderdale is a piece of cake. One can anchor every night. Or the
alternative is just to stay in the Intracoastal where the Yacht Channel
meets it. This requires lots of motoring, however. But it is comfy and
sheltered and there is some opportunity to sail the various bays and sounds
between the creeks. They've even built a new high rise bridge at Jewfish
Creek to replace the old bascule bridge.
The Intracoastal option allows you to hit some of the more famous Islamorada
and Key Largo bars such as the Lorelie, Caribbean Club, Gilberts
Then she must be sailed all the way to Key West? And then around, and up?
Is that correct? How far is that?
Incorrect as stated above.
Are there harbors along the way?
Yes.
Is it better to go outside, then down to Key West?
Don't have any charts as yet.
I prefer the route(s) mentioned above. It can be done in a series of short
hops anchored every night. Sailing in and around the Keys or in the shallows
along the west coast of Florida is not prudent at night. One learns to read
water depth by eye and you can't see squat at night.
You'll need charts for sure. One of these chart kit books will do just fine.
Chart kit BBA, Florida WEST coast and the Keys
Region 8 by Better Boating Association
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL12174601M
It would be a good idea to ship an experienced skipper who knows this route
and has traveled it a few times. Inexperienced skippers might fall prey to
traps such as the entrance to the Yacht Channel from the north seeming to
have the Red and Green lights switched. Going throught there at night using
red right returning will run you hard aground. (they are actually correct
but from the north, due to the dogleg of the channel they appear switched.)
Wilbur Hubbard.