Florda Cruising Guides

D

DickAndSharon

New member
We are thinking about taking our 25 to Florida next winter. Our cruising has been limited to the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay. We would be Florida newbies. Our intent is to explore the Keys and some of SW Florida, and would like to spend a lot of time on the hook. Chesapeake anchorages are plentiful, but are they readily available in the Keys? If anyone one has a preferred Cruising Guide for these areas, we would be most appreciative. Any other sage advice will also be appreciated. Also, we are debating taking the ICW or trailering. Guidance on truck and trailer storage would be appreciated.
 
Several folks in FL should have guides they have used. Brother Mike and B are on GYPSY now in FL and will be there for some time. I know I gave him my Dozier guides to use, I feel sure they have Quimby's on board, but, I feel Quimby's may not have some of the shallow places our boats can go. ...or...the CD's can go. While traveling, I have always found I end up using a couple or more, mixed of course with great feedback...and some not so great...from the locals...or other folks traveling on similar boats. Life is too short for just one guide book...

Byrdman
 
A lot will depend on how much time you have allotted for your Florida Cruise. If you plan on being around for a few months I would suggest you start your adventure right there at your home port, by putting in and cruising the Cumberland, Land Between the Lakes and Tombigbee to Mobil, Alb. and come on down to the keys by the west coast of Florida.

When you get to the keys, no matter your route there will are lots of places to drop the hook or take a mooring or rent a slip.

I think Boot Key Harbor offers the best of all worlds and suggest you do your reading on that site. Boot Key is centrally located, great rates and offers lots of amenities.

Whatever your discission, we wish you a wonderful stay in Florida and hope it is warmer next winter then it has been this one.
 
The cruising guides we used most frequently were:

Managing the Waterway (both East Coast and FL Keys editions)

Southern Waterways

The Richardson chart books also have good information on them.

Plenty of decent places to anchor. The MTW book shows good anchorages, plus you'll have no problem getting local information once you're there. Mike's suggestion of Book Key Harbor is good. They are cruiser-friendly, but a bit crowded for my tastes. Spend a few days there and you'll meet plenty of folks who have good info on where to spend a week or a season.

Friends who have down there this winter have run into "unusual" chilly weather. I think they say that every year. When the northers blow in (and they will), you will want warm foul weather gear.

I really like the Keys, but you have to go into it with a different attitude. The nice places are expensive, and the not-so-nice places are still kinda spendy. :wink: When the weather is good, you'll never want to go home. When it isn't, you may wonder why you ever left home. Bring a sense of humor and appreciate the "keysie" laid back style (George and Penny taught us that phrase) and you'll have a great time.

We used a Delta quick-set anchor with 50 feet of chain as our primary, and two different danforth-type secondaries. Even in a blow, you can find generally find decent shelter... our shallow draft sure helps. Never had a problem at anchor, but spent a damn bouncy night on a "free" mooring ball. You'll need a dinghy to get to shore; some of the "populated" places charge $5 or $6 bucks for their dinghy dock.

Planning is part of the fun. Keep us posted.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
We cruised both coasts of Florida and the Bahamas back in 2002 (and that's getting to be history.) We went in Our Journey, a 36' sailboat and the only boat with a 6' keel west of the Mississippi. Here's what we used:

Maptech Chartbooks. The west coast of Fl, east coast of Fl and the Bahamas. These are great and cheap for paper charts. Needed for planning and backup.

You can download the latest electronic raster or vector charts from the internet and use them on your PC. I had to borrow them from a passer-by in the day, but the PC was invaluable. Now you can use a GPS puck, which is really helpful in navigating the shoal waters of Florida. Really shoal waters. We provided the afternoon's entertainment several times, getting unstuck. Relax, the C-Dory will be a lot easier.

The cruising guides were:

The best local cruising guide was Skipper Bob. Good old Bob is now dead, but the guides have been updated. Great detail knowledge. There's "Marinas Along the Intracostal Waterway" and "Anchorages Along the Intracostal Waterway" AND the "Great Circle Route". They all cover Florida well. We used Anchorages a lot.

Southern Waterway Guide. It goes from Florida to the Mexican border, so you can cruise there. Helpful for marinas, routing, etc.

For Florida's west coast (sorry, left coast) we used A Gunkholer's Cruising Guide to Florida's West Coast. Good local knowledge. For the Bahamas there is The Bahamas Cruising Guide by Mathew Wilson, 2nd ed. Both worked well, but you can wait till you get there and see what's up-to-date.

Now, we also have to find trailer storage. Sometimes the marinas will let you store the truck/trailer where you launch, and other times they're expensive. In the latter case, we've had good luck with a local storage yard. You can find them on the internet and call them to find the best/cheapest one.

And by the way, we used a CQR which is a plough type anchor. There's a lot of soft sand and we dragged a couple of times. Once, overnight, a 1/2 mile. Luck beats skill and we didn't ground. I'd carry a Bruce for those situations. In addition, if you're from the mid-west, get used to tides. At least 3 ft.

When you go to the Bahamas, we found it a lot cheaper to check in at Nassau and then go cruising. Whenever you check in be sure to say "we just got here." We waited overnight and they weren't happy. You'll need a passport. Key West was fun, the Dry Tortugas a blast and we got thrown out of Naples for not having the latest registration on our dinghy.

Looking at your boat pictures, I have one suggestion. If you go to the Bahamas, get a second motor for your C-25. Even if it's a small dinghy motor, you can tie the dinghy alongside the boat and get if moving that way. sometimes there aren't a lot of people in the Bahamas. Sometimes there's too many. Also make sure you got a dinghy if you plan to anchor. Remember, PVC dinghys rot in the south

You're getting this gratuitous advice because Judy's away and the alternative is pulling up the tyle off the kitchen floor.


Boris
 
Back
Top