View Single Post
Old 01-20-2020, 04:43 PM   #6
DavidM
Valued Technical Contributor
 
DavidM's Avatar
 
City: Litchfield, Ct
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,786
You didn't say from where you started your trip south and where you are now. But it sounds like a successful trip and you have now learned 80% of what you need to know. That last 20% usually is slow and comes with a few hard knocks

Maybe you are well beyond this now, but here are some thoughts about living in the keys for the winter months:


I would first make it to Marathon and take a mooring on a month to month basis. Then you can venture out from there. Head up to Key West for a week and anchor out off of Fleming Key or take one of the moorings to the east of Fleming. Then head to the Dry Tortugas and anchor off of Fort Jefferson. The fort is worth a visit and there is great snorkling in the area.

Then reprovision and regroup in Marathon and head east. You may want to go inside for these legs as there are more protected anchorages or cheaper marinas on that side than on the Atlantic side. You might want to even give up your mooring in Marathon to continue up to Key Biscayne where you can anchor (tightly) in No Name Harbor, a state park for several nights and see the park, fish and swim on the beach at the end of KB.

Then cross the bay and take a mooring off of Dinner Key at Coconut Grove and enjoy how the other half lives in CG. Then head up to Miami and anchor out east of Belle Isle (one of the Venetian Islands) and walk over to the buzz of South Beach.

Have you decided where to keep your boat during the summer? Many head up to Stewart and haul it out for the summer at one of the storage yards on the waterway west of Stewart. Much, much cheaper than any yard south of there.

David
DavidM is offline   Reply With Quote