Heading for the Keys

We went out the inlet at Sanibel and pointed a straight course for Marco Island. The 15-20mph winds and short period swell quickly made me change my course to get closer to shore. After we got within about one mile from shore things calmed and we had a decent cruise to Marco.
We anchored in Smokehouse bay and left at first light to try to beat the winds. That didn't work-- the 50 mile offshore run to Shark River was pretty uncomfortable. There is a low pressure system hanging around and the winds will not stop blowing. Maybe 4' swells on average but very short period.

We ducked into Shark River around 5pm and and anchored for the night. We had some time to dingy explore and have some sundowners before the biting flies started in on us. We closed up the boat, turned on the gen and AC, cooked dinner and had a family game of Monopoly.

Shark river anchorage


We all thought Shark River was pretty but kind of creepy. We were the only boat there. The tide was really ripping out when we anchored but the Rocna held fine-- we never budged.

Left at first light to head for Marathon. Winds still 15 gusting to 20. In shallow water 13-15 feet so really choppy and rolly.


I see there is a tropical depression coming in through the Yucatan peninsula so maybe that's causing all this wind?


If this storm decides to come our way where do I go to ride it out ? I have a slip at the Key West Bight Marina starting on the 15th.

Depends on a number of things. But I'd ride it out in the bight or run from it if you can.

"If this storm decides to come our way where do I go to ride it out ? I have a slip at the Key West Bight Marina starting on the 15th."

Go to Marathon. Boot Key Harbor is very protected and the moorings are rated to Cat 3.

Ok. Thanks.

As of this morning that Yucatan storm was forecast to head NW making landfall somewhere just west of Houston. That doesn't mean it can't shake things up over the rest of the Gulf, Keep safe.
Here is an 8PM tracking map 91L: Computer Model Hurricane Forecasts | Weather Underground

The run from Marathon to Key West down Hawks Channel should be an easy short hop under current conditions. Might mean some wheel work with the little rollers you'll get from your stern / aft quarter, but you should stay dry.

Keysdisease said:

The run from Marathon to Key West down Hawks Channel should be an easy short hop under current conditions. Might mean some wheel work with the little rollers you'll get from your stern / aft quarter, but you should stay dry.

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Waves on the stern would be a welcome thing. My wife has had enough beam conditions for awhile. She told me I needed to call a weather person next time we go out in open water. ?

If winds stay E or SE as they are forecasted today we should be OK in Hawks Channel? No rollers coming in from the side?

I don't want to risk another uncomfortable ride for her, especially since this is our maiden voyage.

Question:

Do I have to go all the way out to the red line marking Hawks channel or can I stay in closer to the keys?

Stay outside of the 15ft curve and you should be fine...all the reefs in deeper water than that are well marked. In about 10 ft or so you can have brain coral heads that are nearly awash at low tide. Also, stop at Looe Key and have a snorkel for a couple of hours if the weather permits. The reef there is nice.

The ride should be fine in the channel proper, your course is going to be almost due West. The channel is well marked and if you want to "cheat" there is depth to do it. Steer well clear of the rocks around 56 off Boca Chica, everything else is pretty soft.
You can always duck into Bahia Honda or Newfound Harbor if you feel its too bumpy, both have good anchorages. Bahia Honda is a State Park, they may have different mooring rules, but it does have one of the best beaches in the Keys.

I have a lot of hardware hanging off the bottom, so stay well in the marked channel. Coral reefs are very hard on hardware and fiberglass.

cardude01 said:

...She told me I needed to call a weather person next time we go out in open water...

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I know a lot of cruisers that use Chris Parker for their weather forecasts/routing. He has a phone in option. The admiral's happiness is also yours.

https://www.mwxc.com/marine_weather_services.php#phone

Yes. No more winging it.

Larry M said:

I know a lot of cruisers that use Chris Parker for their weather forecasts/routing. He has a phone in option. The admiral's happiness is also yours.

https://www.mwxc.com/marine_weather_services.php#phone

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Don, Larry

I am having a hard time finding the actual Hawk channel on my chart. There is a red dotted line closer to shore and then another red line farther off shore with some red and green markers.

I use and recommend: Commanders' Weather
For weather routing. But I also use weather apps and Passageweather a lot.

Also be very aware that if you run aground in the Keys you can be assessed very hefty fines for damage you do to bottom. And I don't mean a couple hundred dollars either. The fines can be in the tens of thousands of dollars and on up.

Hawk Channel is the waterway inshore of the barrier reef and the Key islands. It is not well defined as a manmade depth controlled channel would be. If you stay in water over 15 ft you won't have any surprises that are unmarked. You don't need to "run the markers" as you would on the ICW. Between KW and Marathon the channel will have some depths approaching 40ft but probably averages 25 feet in the center...which is a broad area. Don't sweat this one.

Ahhh. Got it. Thanks. I'm used to the well marked ICW routes, so the lack of markers was bothering me.

If you need any ideas on things to do between KW and Marathon send me a PM. My family had a home on Cudjoe Key. We had a 20 minute run from the dock to the reefs (Looe Key was a stones throw...with a good arm...from the dock). I enjoyed spearing grouper and cooking it for supper 30-40 minutes later. Kinda cool to sprinkle on seasoning and watch the meat fasciculate from the salt.

Ok. Thanks.

The discomfort from rolling is what could spoil it for my Admiral when we begin full time cruising. Paravanes are likely in my future if we hang out in the Islands. I really don't have the spare room or the proper hull shape for wings, and I'm not sure my boat's bones could handle the torque of a Gyro.

Larry,
Stabilizers probably work best on a narrow round bilge boat. Your Manatee would probably put extreme forces on your boat wherever the stabilizers were attached. Do you know anyone w a boat similar to yours that has stabilizers? They probably will have valuable input.

At least one KK Manatee was fitted with fin type stabilizers. The mounting angle, according to an official at Krogen, was difficult, and in operation the fins could sometimes be seen out of the water. The recently introduced model 500 Seakeeper Gyro would rest perfectly on the boxed frame that held my generator below the galley (gennie now moved to beneath the veranda), but the advertised roll resistant force sounds like more torque than I want to put on those old bones. The boat could take heavy loading at the rail, so paravanes seem to be the logical choice for this boat as it probably is for Cardude's PY Cruiser.

healhustler said:

At least one KK Manatee was fitted with fin type stabilizers. The mounting angle, according to an official at Krogen, was difficult, and in operation the fins could sometimes be seen out of the water. The recently introduced model 500 Seakeeper Gyro would rest perfectly on the boxed frame that held my generator below the galley (gennie now moved to beneath the veranda), but the advertised roll resistant force sounds like more torque than I want to put on those old bones. The boat could take heavy loading at the rail, so paravanes seem to be the logical choice for this boat as it probably is for Cardude's PY Cruiser.

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Check with SeaKeeper. But I'd say the boat could handle the loads from a gyro just fine.

If the loads with gyros were so great that they could tear boats apart, they wouldn't be selling many and no insurance company would insure a boat with one installed.

Stop by in marathon , we have dockage if you want it. Harbor Cay Club.com

Update on the Keys trip...

Seems like my initial trip idea to the Keys with the family on the "new to us" boat was a little too ambitious.

Mistakes made:

1. First time out with the wife I should not have tried to make longish open water crossings in an unfamiliar boat that I didn't understand the ride characteristics . Seems like a no brainer now that I write this, so I can't really explain why I did it. Irrational exuberance I guess. Conditions weren't unsafe but they were uncomfortable enough for her to take a rental car back from KW. She loved the ICW part of the cruise however.

2. Use a "weather expert" when making a longish open water crossing. Reading the weather is not my strong point, so I need help putting all the variables together. I used Chris Parker when I went solo after the family left from KW to Marco Island (around 90 miles) and he recommend waiting one more day for better conditions, and it was perfect.

3. It was too crowded and complicated with the entire family for the first cruise, and the kids didn't enjoy the long days.

4. I planned too many long days of 60 plus miles. Really dumb.

5. The KW Bight marina is a rolly SOAB. That got old.

6. And the biggest rookie mistake-- I got a schedule in my head and didn't ditch it. I had reservations at KW and was determined to make it. When we hit the rougher weather in the Gulf I should have just turned around and headed back to the ICW and everything would have been fine.

I have some work ahead of me now to convince her this is not the wrong boat. Sigh.

Some small achievements:

1. Made a long (for me) open water crossing. That 90 mile crossing from KW to Marco was interesting with no cell service most of the time. Took like 13 hours. Kind of boring actually!


2. Had to replace the alternator belt on that long crossing. Charge light came on about half way. Hated to turn engine off but did and found newly installed (by a "pro") alt belt was too long I guess and flopping around. Was tightened all it would go. Had a spare that was correct length and got it on pretty quickly-- luckily it was very calm.

3. Had good luck anchoring with the new Rocna. That thing is so easy to anchor with. I now like anchoring more than marinas, run the generator when I want, and don't care who I might be pissing off.

Glad you made it..... Hopefully a few shorter trips will bring your wife around.

cardude01 said:

Update on the Keys trip...
1. Made a long (for me) open water crossing. That 90 mile crossing from KW to Marco was interesting with no cell service most of the time. Took like 13 hours. Kind of boring actually!

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Boring is good! Boring is relaxing. More often than not, excitement means something bad is happening.

Check the island packet wed site for write up about harbor cay club next time your in the keys.

cardude01 said:

6. And the biggest rookie mistake-- I got a schedule in my head and didn't ditch it. I had reservations at KW and was determined to make it. When we hit the rougher weather in the Gulf I should have just turned around and headed back to the ICW and everything would have been fine.

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Don't beat yourself up too much. A lot of very experienced boaters make that same mistake. Probably the error which causes more grief than anything else. Sometime when you have nothing else to do, read "A Gentleman's Guide To Passages South." (Not all of it -- just the part about keeping too tight to a schedule).

Just curious . Would a sail rig have made the ride smoother ?