Hawks Cay Channel or Inside Route from Marathon to Miami?

[drmnj]

Advice needed. Do you think we could take the inland route from Marathon in the keys to Miami with our 4.5ft draft towing a Flats boat or is that a real bad idea? Or should we take the rougher Hawks Cay Channel route with this crazy weather? Thanks for your opinion.

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

Why in the world would you take specific Route planning from a forum? Only you know what your comfort level is for under keel clearance. The manueverability and characteristics of a larger Nordhavn are extremely different than the guy running a 30' boat. He might be comfortable with 2' UKC. Your larger wheel is going to suck your stern down in shallower water. Do you really want to put the safety of your boat and crew to someone else s suggestions? Thats why they have depths printed on the charts, coast pilots and other aids. I'm sorry if I offended you or anyone else, that is not my intention.

 

[drmnj]

It's always prudent to get advice and suggestions from mariners that have recently cruised these waters, conditions are always changing. I have found the suggestions from the mariners of the Trawler Forum to be very helpful and informative. After I review all the charts, weather and information I get from my fellow members, I then make my decision in regards to what route I'll take. I don't know why you would think I would base my decision on route planning just from the Trawler Forum. I believe the purpose of this forum is to share information on current cruising conditions and help each other make wise decisions. What you do with the information is always up to the captain.

 

[islandtimecruiser]

We prefer the inside route. We've done it several times in a 4 ft draft trawler. There are anchorages along the way.

Gina

 

[Moonstruck]

I prefer Hawk Channel. The inside channel is certainly doable, but tedious. There is really nothing to see but a couple of anchorages. By the way, it's probably because you are at Hawks Cay that you called the channel that. There is no Cay in the channel name.

When you leave Hawk Channel you will be well into Biscayne Bay.

 

[drmnj]

I prefer Hawk Channel. The inside channel is certainly doable, but tedious. There is really nothing to see but a couple of anchorages. By the way, it's probably because you are at Hawks Cay that you called the channel that. There is no Cay in the channel name.

When you leave Hawk Channel you will be well into Biscayne Bay.

Thanks you are correct Hawks Channel.

 

[drmnj]

We prefer the inside route. We've done it several times in a 4 ft draft trawler. There are anchorages along the way.

Gina

Thanks Gina

 

[drmnj]

Well, we ended up going the inside route instead of Hawks Channel. No problems with depths. There were some pretty anchorages and cool places to eat. We stopped at Hungry Tarpon & Lorelei's in Islamorada which I would recommend.
Tailwinds,
Capt Mike

 

[pilothouse king]

It's like asking "either the 101 or Pacific Coast Hwy to San Francisco?".
Guess the answer depends if your in a hurry, or want to enjoy the view.
Glad you took the inside route. Sometimes the light makes the little islands glisten like Emeralds. There's so many nice places to hang out and visit between the Channel 5 bridge and Miami, that one can spend months just cruising in between. There's a GREAT 24 hour store/Deli in Islamorada that you can access via Coral Bay Boat Yard (right south of the Lorelei) to re-stock. Lot of good snorkeling on the ocean side, that you can access from the bay side by tender. Bars, Restaurants on both sides. You can go way NW off the line and find places to anchor in total privacy for weeks at a time. The water used to be crystal clear the whole route. You could see a dime on the bottom in 10' of water in Jewfish Creek, where Gilberts has GREAT food, and the condo across has reasonable dockage (if any dockage down there could be called "reasonable") vs. Gilberts. Lots of good anchorages all the way up too, and including Miami.

 

[islandtimecruiser]

Glad you went the inside route. The anchorage at Lorelei is one of our favorites . We stayed at the Coral Bay Marina for a week last year when we bought our boat.

Gina

 

[HopCar]

"I prefer Hawk Channel. The inside channel is certainly doable, but tedious."

This is from a man who's boat will go thirty knots. Obviously the destination is more important than the journey.

 

[HopCar]

Capt. Mike, you went through Miami and you didn't stop to say hello? My feelings are hurt.