Archive for January, 2009
Since I am on this NY Times kick heres a quote from an article by Sam Sifton in todays paper;
“There is only the water, a soft pale grassy green flecked with white that gives way to teal in the channels, and to straw-ruffled browns on the flats, the oily green rise of mangrove hummocks behind them. There are clouds scudding through the immense blue sky, scattered terns wandering the waters with muted cries. There are manta rays pulsing along in the deep, and turtles breaststroking on hidden currents, menacing lemon sharks and motionless barracuda and shrimp and crabs and lobster and conch. There are jacks, and needlefish, and grouper. And there are bonefish: silvery ghosts feeding hard on the tide in the shallows, their dusky tails breaking the surface at the far edge of your eyesight.”
He is discussing bonefishing in the Bahamas, but his description could very well apply to the shallows of the Keys. There is something magical about being surrounded by shallow water and mangrove islands.
When we took our sailboat up the ICW to NY one of the things I missed the most was not being able to see the bottom through the clear water. Because we had spent the previous 25 years boating in the waters of the Keys and the Bahamas, I guess I was starting to take it for granted. Not any more!
Florida Keys Sailboat Charters for Couples | Florida Keys Sailboat Charter Vacation for Families | Florida Keys Sailboat Lessons |
There is a great article in the NY Times today about Kayaking near Marathon;
“WE were paddling atop an expanse of shin-deep water, and our guide was in the middle of a long recital of facts about the old Seven Mile Bridge, the decaying concrete structure we had just passed beneath.”
Whether you are Kayaking, sailing, or riding in a shallow draft boat in the clear waters of the Keys, the opportunity to see and be close to an amazing amount of wildlife is possible. Here is the authors take on seeing a Stingray;
“We glided to within a kayak’s length of this four-foot-wide, undulating creature as it hovered just centimeters above the sea floor. For about a minute, we watched it coast through the flats at the approximate pace of a waddling land turtle. And then, unexpectedly, this platter-shaped behemoth darted off, leaving a cloud of white sand in its place.”
This morning, when I was having coffee in the cockpit, two Dolphins were swimming right next to the boat. Even though we see them regularly it is still exciting. The quiet journey over shallow clear water is endlessly fascinating as well as relaxing. Take some time today to enjoy a little bit of nature wearever you are. You can read the rest of the article here. New York Times article
Margie wrote a new article for womens sailing connection that begins with her intro to sailing;
So the person you really care about and that you thought you wanted to spend the rest of your life with has decided that he must have a sailboat. How could it happen that the person you thought you knew well was harboring a hidden agenda? Well, maybe it wasn’t so hidden but circumstances have kept the concept at bay, so to speak. He may have expressed his desire for a sailboat in the past, but you didn’t think it was serious or you were hoping that it had faded with time. Maybe you already have a powerboat and he’s gotten bored with it, as happened in my case. We fished and dived all over Southeast Florida and the Keys in various sizes of powerboats and now he wanted something different. The deciding factor that gave us the impetus to go ahead and make the change was when we found a fully equipped 24’ sailboat on a trailer parked under a mango tree at the local pawnshop, of all places. It had everything one could need including 5 sails, dinner service for 6 and a port-a-potty. The down side was that the inside of it was filled with rainwater. The cockpit drains had become plugged with leaves from the tree and the water ran down into the cabin. Since this is subtropical Florida, everything inside that was above the level of the water was black with mildew. Oh, and the swing keel was rusted in place.
In any case, that was the first chapter in our sailing life. I know now, however, that the sailing fantasy was there long before we purchased that first sailboat and even before we got married and lived in Indiana. Back then the idea had seemed improbable; in fact, it just didn’t fit into the plans of a young couple starting out in life together. When the time and opportunity presented themselves, however, it was still there. And once the dream was realized, it was good for me and good for my relationship, besides being fun. Now we’re enjoying the outdoors together and even getting a little physical exercise. At the same time, I have more self-confidence and the feelings of mutual respect for each other have grown, as well. I’ve come to believe that sailing is a great activity for couples to learn together. What are the issues that are keeping many women (and men) away from sailing, since the benefits of sailing together can be so great?
She goes on to talk about why a sailboat heels and what you can do about it. Please go to womens sailing to read the whole thing
“Although the Florida Keys are connected by more than 40 bridges spanning the 110-mile island chain, the vast majority of keys are remote, uninhabited and accessible only by boat.”
Although Margie and I had visited the Keys many times before, the first time we sailed down from Miami by boat we were amazed by the feeling of being far from civilization. Driving US 1 to Key West provides beautiful views from the bridges, and each little town has it’s own charm, but the true treasures of the Keys are seen when anchoring by small mangrove islands or watching the amazing diversity of wildlife, and the quiet slow journey riding the wind. After a trip by sailboat far away from the hustle of the highway you begin to appreciate not only how big the Keys really are but how much you have missed at 55 MPH.
I just responded to this post at the SSCA discussion Board-
Hi,
This is our first time cruising from Miami to the FL Keys. We draw 5’7″. Can anyone recommend a float plan, such as where is the best place to crossover to Hawk Channel, as well as selected anchorages along the way to Key West? Thanks so much.
With This-
I have run an 80′ schooner 5′ 9″ draft doing overnight Boy scout charters in the Keys for the last 2 years. If you are a little adventurous you can try these, I have done them all.
1. Biscayne channel South of Key Biscayne- deep enough at any tide.
2. Biscayne Bay- anchor off Elliot key
3. Angelfish creek and Cutter bank Channel- do at 2/3 tide or higher. Shallowest at Atlantic entrance to angelfish and Card Sound entrance to Cutter Bank
5. Moser channel to Back side- Do Rocky channel with a chart plotter any tide, lots of sailing with less than 1′ below your keel but its soft bottom. you can also go around the top of the Islands. Great calm water sail in E-SE. lots of protected anchoring spots.
6. Stop at Saywer key and work your way down to Tarpon Belly Key. Hard Corals at entrance, do at any tide. Great diving along ridge between Content and Sawyer Keys. This is one of the most remote and beautiful areas in the Keys
7. Atlantic side anchorages- Rodrguez, Channel 5, Mollasses key by Money key channel tuck in, lots of current, any tide. Niles channel any tide. Newfound harbor don’t use start of entrance channel, go to west of charted wreck then work over to channel. Inner harbor great protection any tide. You will go aground at charted wreck (soft bottom, not really a wreck).
8. Boca Grande Channel Past Key West any tide.
Enjoy your trip
We had a great sail up the backside of the Keys from Islamorada to Card Sound. We saw quite a bit of wildlife including Dolphins, Cormorants, Ospreys and a Rosette Spoonbill. but the most exciting was a Saltwater Croc in Jewfish Creek. This is the first one we have seen in the wild. They are an endangered species, with very few remaining in the Upper Keys. It was much bigger then the fresh water alligators we are used to seeing and had the chacteristic “buck teeth” that showed when his mouth was closed. We were not able to get the camera out quick enough but this is the area we saw him in…
We left the Boy Scouts of America’s High Adventure Seabase with a 25 knot wind behind us 2 days after Christmas. Island Dreamer and our buddy boat Chantaclair took the backcountry route on the north side of the Florida Keys for our sail to Key West. The geography of the lower Keys with its shallow waters and many small islands on the Gulf side provided a flat water sail even with winds gusting to 30. Our crew of 6 boys and 2 adult leaders was from Colorado Springs. Even though they had not sailed before they learned to take the helm and trim the sails very quickly. One of the boys thought that steering the boat was easier than learning to drive his car. It certainly helped to have our first days be in protected waters.
We snorkeled at Content Key searching for what turned out to be the highly elusive Florida lobster. Fortunately we had caught a Cero Mackerel on our sail so we were able to have a seafood dinner. I guess next time I will have to get in the water instead of depending on the scouts to find those Wiley crustaceans. After a beautiful night a anchor in Johnson Key channel watching the stars then we finished our sail entering the Northwest Channel to Key West.
Harold and I have just finished the Winter Break season chartering with the Boy Scouts at Seabase in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. I worked with the Boy Scouts here at base preparing them for their week-long charters on the Morgans, CSYs, schooners, ketches, sloops and other kinds of sailing vessels; while Harold took a group of 6 scouts and 2 leaders on a cruise to Key West and back.
We were here at Seabase about two months, but now it’s time to head back to our home base in Miami. We’re getting the boat back in order and hope to leave on Tuesday, depending on the wind.