"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Janet O'Leary" wrote in news:a0u2l.2578
:

Where is the cut through point?


Ask Skip and Lydia about cutting through the Keys.

I believe you'll be told to put it out of your mind and go around Key West
in the deep water.

Go to http://maps.google.com/

Tell it to find Marathon Florida.

Once it does, click on SATELLITE view in the upper right corner so you can
see the bottom from the mainland to Cuba. The satellite pictures are
stunning, not to mention horrifying, of the shifting bars and hazards
around the Florida Keys in such clear water.

Very treacherous waters, indeed.

When you zoom in close, the pictures become even more revealing. You can
actually see the sandbars MOVING when the satellite snapped the photo!
This has got to be the WORST place to sail on the planet.


Sorry, Larry, but your ignorance, reliance on book learning and jumping to
false conclusions are showing again. You try to sound like a expert on
everything and it's pretty darned obvious from many of your idiotic
statements that you lack real knowledge in many areas.

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

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.

Route 1: Navigational depths: reported at 8.62 feet.

Route 2 (the Rim Canal) is closed with navigational depths of 6.02
feet. Route 2 has been closed since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Debris
has not been removed.

This is up 2.46 feet from the last report we gave two weeks ago. All
locks are now open. A Notice to Navigational Interests from the USACE
Jacksonville advises that normal navigation through the OWW could
change on short notice due to direct and indirect effects from
hurricanes and storm systems.

The lowest fixed bridge is 53 feet clearance

Fair Winds

Cap'n Dave

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:35:14 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

The lowest fixed bridge is 53 feet clearance

Actually not. The lowest is 49.38 ft, the railroad bridge just
east of Lake Okeechobee. There is a local service that will assist
with heeling taller masts over, up to about 55 feet or so. The
bridges at Cape Coral and Ft Myers are currently at about 54 ft
depending on the tide level.

Water levels are now good on the main route across the lake:

http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/reports/r-nav.txt

Wayne,

You are correct. In my haste I forgot about the RR bridge.

I deliver boats all around the state and make the cut about 10 times a
year when water levels allow
The bridge is actually 49'4" on the north side and 49'8" on the south
side. There is no tide but the water height varies a few inches.

You can stop at the Indiantown marina, east of the bridge, and have
your mast measured. Mine measured 48'9". If your mast and or bridge
won't make it, they will heal your boat until it will pass.

They secure 2*55 gal barrels on your deck and pump water into them to
heal your boat until you will clear, then tow you through the bridge
and remove the barrels. I believe the cost is $150.

They are set up do this without fuss and are efficient. It's also a
good place to stop for fuel, etc. You can radio them and they will
tell you the height of the water.

They can also remove a mast if required. I don't know whether they can
step it or not.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:38:33 -0700, slide
wrote:

Never did it but those who were about to said the height limit was 45
feet and depth 4 feet. There are many references published on this route.

No, that is incorrect, more like 7 ft draft and 49+ mast height.