Moving to Florida - Need Advice on ICW Trip to Keys - The Hull Truth

bkdoggy · 04-12-2006, 11:30 PM

My wife and I are moving to Melbourne in May and are taking a few months off between jobs to plan on cruising down the ICW to the Keys. I know little about the area, but we've bought charts, guidebooks, and a Navionics chip for the GPS. We own a 2020WA Key West with hardtop and a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke. I've done a lot of coastal boating here in NC, and been out a few times in the ocean, but am relatively inexperienced. Going from Melbourne to Key West looks like a fairly long trip with a bit of open water involved, and we don't have a lot of big water experience, so I'm a bit concerned that we might be in for more than we bargined for. I know once you get past Miami you can take the Hawks channel option or go down the Gulf route, and understand we need to guage the wind direction and the corresponding water conditions to pick the best route, but I do have a few questions for folks more familiar with small boat travel in this area:

Have most people found the Hawks Channel route to be the best option considering the time of year we are travelling?

How hard is it to find dockage and a place to stay once you get past Miami?

Where are the best places (reasonably priced) to stay once you are in the Keys?

If you stay at a place a few miles away from Key West, how hard is it to find dockage while visiting Key West by boat?

Finally, if anyone has taken a similar trip in a small vessel, I'd love to hear (and learn) from your experience.

Thanks, and sorry for all the questions, but any tips would be appreciated greatly...

TAKIN' ME DEEP · 04-13-2006, 05:13 PM

I used to live in Ft. Lauderdale by May that ocean will be like a big lake(flat) 90% of the time, I've been all up and down through the keys in a 19' north american cc no problem. Keep in mind there's two kind of captians in the keys the ones that run aground and the ones that lie about it!!
Pay attention you'll be fine the Keys are fantastic. If you get to marathon there's a place called Faro Blanco 1st class marina, cottages,pool,bar, dining it used to be a nice place bay side. have fun
Don

evernic · 04-13-2006, 05:25 PM

Quote:

TAKIN' ME DEEP - 4/13/2006 4:13 PM

I used to live in Ft. Lauderdale by May that ocean will be like a big lake(flat) 90% of the time, I've been all up and down through the keys in a

19' north american cc
***

no problem. Keep in mind there's two kind of captians in the keys the ones that run aground and the ones that lie about it!!
Pay attention you'll be fine the Keys are fantastic. If you get to marathon there's a place called Faro Blanco 1st class marina, cottages,pool,bar, dining it used to be a nice place bay side. have fun
Don

*** I used to run a North American C-22....in Ftl.. 1980-1983..loved that boat

CayoHueso · 04-13-2006, 05:51 PM

It is nearly impossible to find temporary dockage in Key West. None of the places along the waterfront have any, it's mostly used by tourist boats. You might be able to call the Galleon, A&B, Key West Bight Marina or Conch harbor and they may have something you could pay for for a few hours. You should have no problem in Hawks Channel. You can also run in the back without too much difficulity to Bahia Honda. After that, it can be a little intimidating for the uninitiated.
This site has some useful information http://www.bootkeyharbor.com/

04-14-2006, 08:33 AM

I've made the trip between Vero Beach and the keys on a number of occasions both on the ICW and on the outside. The wind will dictate inside or out. The ICW can get very tedious with all the no wake and idle zones - and you can only take in so many yachts and multi-mill houses. I've ridden the outside when the ocean was as flat as a desk top and (last week) returned from Marathon, went outside at Miami and got rocked and rolled the whole way to Lake Worth Inlet in my Grady 30'.
The trip is beautiful and, if you like to fish, there are many fertile grounds on the way. There's also a lot to see; jumping fish, turtles, whales, etc.
Some good places to stay and keep your boat are Mangrove Marina in Tavernier (No rooms but across US 1 is Ocean Pointe Suites that is very nice), Blackfin Resort and Marina in Marathon, and Captain Pips in Marathon. There is also rentals at the State Park at Bahia Honda Key.
Key West is a chore by boat and the waterway can be treacherous both from a traffic and current perspective. Better to visit one of the upper keys and rent a car for that visit.
Welcome to Florida. I retired and moved fro Atlanta and love ever minute.

bkdoggy · 04-14-2006, 09:02 AM

Thanks for the information and tips, I think we'll avoid going to Key West by boat and stay somewhere in the lower Keys. Luckily we don't have a time crunch for the trip, so if the weather gets bad, we'll stay off the water until we get a good day.

Afishinado · 04-16-2006, 11:13 AM

Quote:

gsniffen - 4/14/2006 8:33 AM

I've made the trip between Vero Beach and the keys on a number of occasions both on the ICW and on the outside. The wind will dictate inside or out. The ICW can get very tedious with all the no wake and idle zones - and you can only take in so many yachts and multi-mill houses.

I don't know, so I'm not recommending anything. But couldn't he take the ICW to the St Lucie, cut across to Ft Myers, then run from there or Naples, then on to Marathon or even Key West? Weather permitting of course.

crparmelee · 04-18-2006, 06:57 PM

If the wind is from offshore and more than 10 knots, Hawks Channel will be bumpy compared to the ICW. But you have a good chance of calm seas in May. There are some nice coral reefs along Hawks Channel and some good snorkeling and diving spots. But be careful ... in many areas there are large coral heads just outside the marked channel and they may sit in 10 feet of water with the top of the head awash at low tide. You do not want to hit one of these. The Hawks Channel run would be easier if the wind is calm. The ICW route can be tricky south of Miami where there are several large banks with marked dredged passages, but with a GPS and good visibility there should be no problem. We usually rent a house down there, but in many areas there is a one month minimum rental.

RonF · 04-18-2006, 11:05 PM

bkdoggy,

Get the Southern Waterway Guide. It has info about the ICW, marinas, facilities, landmarks, etc, with phone numbers and web sites. It's a must for trip planning.

TeamTeke · 04-19-2006, 05:48 PM

Quote:

TAKIN' ME DEEP - 4/13/2006 4:13 PM

If you get to marathon there's a place called Faro Blanco 1st class marina, cottages,pool,bar, dining it used to be a nice place bay side. have fun
Don

I live in Marathon. Faro Blanco is closed from Wilma and a future rebuild. May can be a calmer month than winter and early spring, but beware that the wind can kick up in May pretty good also. A 20' boat would not be happy on the front side even in Hawk Channel. I would get the cruising guides and plan ahead, get reservations, dockage planned, etc. Keys lodging is expensive.

MadDoc · 04-19-2006, 06:30 PM

Faro Blanco is closed! NOOOO! They had killer margaritas! Welcome to Melbourne, I spend weekends in Indiaatlantic, next town north. Nice place, good inshore and offshore fishing, jsut be real careful running sebastian Inlet.

TAKIN' ME DEEP · 04-21-2006, 12:58 PM

Faro Blanco closed, someone is losing a lot of cash, the misses and I got married there on the dock on a memorial day weekend fishing trip. Caught a boat load of dolphin in the morning and she caught me that evening had a bash around the pool most of the night. We spent about 8 or 9 weekends a year there for about 10 years the place had everything you needed, damn shame it's closed.
Don

evernic · 04-21-2006, 01:15 PM

I used to enjoy the "houseboat" rooms they had on the east side of the hwy...sadly, they let them run down and we stopped going there..

TopCat · 04-25-2006, 01:57 PM

If you are going to Key West it is actually shorter (and I think more fun) to go through the Okeechobee Waterway to Ft. Meyers and then straight south to Key west (if you are up for a 120 mile open water leg). Less urban jungle no wake zone aggravation. Maybe go back the other way for some variety

slowtroll · 04-25-2006, 05:56 PM

You said you were moving to MLB in May. If you are planning your trip down south in June or later you need to be cautious about the weather. When you plan your trip, you should look at the long range forecast out to Western Africa, the Eastern Atlantic, and the Gulf. You do not want to be caught in the middle of your trip with a surprise Atlantic or Gulf storm, particularly if you have no way to haul out your boat. Florida is the lightning capital of the world. Our summer thunderstorms can be pretty dangerous with intense rain, lightning, high winds, and waterspouts.

One other concern is our inlets. Sebastian, St. Lucie, Jupiter, and others are very dangerous under the right conditions. Every year folks lose their lives trying to run these inlets thinking it doesn't look that bad. If you don't have first hand knowledge of these inlets you should never attempt to run them in marginal conditions. Since last years storms many buoys and markers have been destroyed or moved and have not been replaced or reset. You may see them on a chart but they may not be where they are supposed to be. Many of the lighted markers on the ICW have not been repaired and are dark. There have several incidents of boats running into them at night.

Do some careful planning and make sure your boat is well equipped with safety gear, accurate charts, and reliable communications and you should do fine.

Welcome to paradise.