I hope you can find the windows to get places. You'll have to be
careful not to get stuck places with no access. It's not uncommon to
catch a month or so of gales without a break. In Nassau 2 winters ago I
spent 3 or so weeks getting to know the place while it blew from 25 to
35 knots every day. I finally just left and made my way down to Staniel
Cay when it dropped a little but then it came up again for a month
(remember that 25-35 is quite a bit of wind when the water is at best,
15 feet deep). By then I was trying to make my way back to Miami so I
left on a day when it was only blowing about 20 and the seas were down
to about 7-9 feet. I made my way back to Chub and the next day started
really calm so I started toward Gun Cay. Half way across we got slammed
with 35 knots only I was in about 10-12 feet of water and the swells
were so big our keel hit bottom often.

The point being, schedules and sailing don't mix well and you might
want to stay in the states if you need to be back at work at any given
time. You can catch flights out of S. Bimini, Freeport, Nassau, Staniel
and a few other places but you need to actually be able to get there.
In the keys, life is simple because you can go inside just about
everywhere if you need to, especially with a 4 foot draft. Not only
that, it is still a really nice place to go and stay for long periods
of time. The loser-cruiser isn't welcomed much but a normal, nice
looking boat with someone that can afford to do laundry won't get a
second look.

If you are in NW FL, you'll probably cut across on a passage to Ft
myers or something. You can anchor there still but you need to make
your way all the way back behind the mooring balls (its about 7 miles
back). The local police take pride in breaking federal laws there so
keep it in mind when you're there.

From the keys to Miami life is easy to live/cruise aboard. If you plan
on staying in marinas you should be sure to get a Boat US membership
because some of the best places except it for a discount.

I'll make a point to try and cross paths with you somewhere. If you
want the local run down on anchorages there, I lived there for many
years and know most of them.

Danny Taddei