David&Joan wrote:
....

So, it can be done, but it is a lot of work. I suspect most club cruises are
like the Maine one: most people want to stay on moorings and not on the
hook. But they don't want to stay at marinas either.

Last summer when we were in Booth Bay the New York Yacht Club showed up
on their annual cruise. All available moorings were of course taken so
we were lucky to have gotten there a few days before. They were headed
to Linekin so we went in the opposite direction, to Robinhood.

Here's a picture from the cruise in 1999, when they stopped in Hadley's
opposite Wood's Hole. We were tucked in a cove, double anchored in the
only spot that had more than 2 feet, so we had relative peace:

http://www.sv-loki.com/Along_the_Way/Hadley.jpg

All of these boats are transients; on a normal weekend there are 5 or 6
boats here in the outer harbor.

wrote in message
ups.com...
My sailing club is planning a Christmas 2008 cruise to the Keys but
the more I think about it the more I wonder if this sort of thing can
work well. How do you decide whether to anchor out most of the time
or to use marinas half the time. What marinas do you use when people
have radically diff budgets (yes, I am cheap)?
I'll admit, having another boat to comisserate with on long boring
passages or for company on scary ones would be nice but a whole pack
of boats can cause problems. Many anchorages are just too small for
more than a couple of boats. Marinas are not likely to have slip space
for more than a couple of transients too.
How do you deal with these issues?

Frogwatch


Hi Frogwatch.

Long boring passages...scary ones...what part of the world are you coming
from to the Keys?

Not sure of traveling with a group of boats, I've never done it. Cruising
certainly doesn't need to be a solitary activity. I meet and make friends
with cruisers (and others) everywhere we go.

There are a zillion places to anchor in the Keys. It would probably be a
challenge to be traveling together & have some wanting to anchor & others
wanting to be in a marina at the same time. Might be a good idea to go at
the same general time & arrange to meet a couple three places in the Key &
keep in touch via a vhf net or cell-phones.

The Keys can be done with a gold-plated marina tour (I've heard) or on the
cheap, anchoring 100% and dinging ashore in strategic places with free/cheap
docks etc (our way). Enjoy the Keys...great place.

Glenn.
s/v Seawing.

wrote:

My sailing club is planning a Christmas 2008 cruise to the Keys but
the more I think about it the more I wonder if this sort of thing can
work well. How do you decide whether to anchor out most of the time
or to use marinas half the time. What marinas do you use when people
have radically diff budgets (yes, I am cheap)?
I'll admit, having another boat to comisserate with on long boring
passages or for company on scary ones would be nice but a whole pack
of boats can cause problems. Many anchorages are just too small for
more than a couple of boats. Marinas are not likely to have slip space
for more than a couple of transients too.
How do you deal with these issues?

Frogwatch

Depends on how many boats and also what kind of boats. We've never
cruised in a group, except occasionally when we've been in the ICW and
have paralleled someone else traveling at the same speed.

But I've seen people who have cruised in the Chesapeake in groups and
they often make reservations at the marinas for the group, and the
people who don't want to go into the marina will anchor out I guess.
For instance groups will come to our marina, and there's space
opposite for people to anchor out if they want to.

In January, you will find that there are races in Key West and every
available slip will be taken and I've seen race boats just sitting in
the fairway between the slips, not really tied down at all.

As far as the rest of the Keys, it will depend a bit on the draft of
the boats whether they go down Hawk Channel or on the bay side.