Key Largo Advice

[bjtaksa]

My wife and I are planning our first outage in the new boat and figured we'd do it right... 3 days in the Keys sailing and getting our SCUBA certs up to date.

Was looking for advice on Key Largo...where to launch, where to anchor, what to see, what to watch out for.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Brandon

[Mark Prouty]

If you join the Trailer/Sailors they have a launch ramp database. I know it covers Key Largo.

http://www.trailersailors.org/ramps.html#florida

[aquaone]

If you check out Amazon, they should have Capt. Frank Papy Cruising Guide to the Florida Keys. It's a great guide that has undergone 9 or 10 revisions. It has all the main cruising routes, illustrative charts, things to do, anchorages etc. in a beautifully spirally bound handbook (about $19.95). You won't be disappointed.

[Chip Hindes]

It seemed to me when I was there three years ago you could anchor almost anywhere on the west side you wanted. Make sure you have an anchor that will hold in sand, cause thats all there is. Its easy to get out lots of scope because the water its mostly shallow and you dont have to worry about neighbors cause you can drop the hook virtually anywhere. We anchored a six boat Mac raft on my single Bullwagga anchor in about 8 of water, 100 scope. It held the night through easterly gusts estimated at 25 knots. The next morning I dove on the anchor to check, and it hadnt moved 6.

There are a number of bars and restaurants on the west side, many of which had courtesy docks. We picked one bar at random and docked all six boats, had a beer and then asked if we could leave the boats while we ate at a restaurant, and it was no problem. Nice people. We came back at sunset and bought a few more courtesy beers while watching it. We didnt ask if we could dock there the night but I got the idea even that might have been OK. Dont remember the name of the bar but there was a plaque there that stated it had been used during the filming of the movie Key Largo. I saw the movie after, kept my eye out and there was nothing in the movie that even remotely resembled that bar, so go figure maybe they simply used it like any other bar, as a place to have a beer.

Be prepared to pull the foils, it seemed to me most of the depths at the courtesy docks are well under 6 at low tide.

[Ron]

I just returned from a 3-day cruise from Miami to Elliot Key and Boca Chita. Elliot is just north of Key Largo. As a previous poster noted the water is shallow by the keys. I was the only sailboat in Elliot Key's harbor because the approach is 2.5 - 3 ft deep for about 3/4 of a mile. Elliot is part of Biscayne National Park, $15 to dock overnight. Boca Chita has a channel to enter the harbor.

Also, make sure you have bug nets and bug spray. On our second night there was no wind and the no-see-ums came out in force. In hind-sight I think in the no-wind conditions you are better off anchoring well off the islands since the bugs won't go out that far.

[bjtaksa]

Thanks all-

Really looking forward to the trip and I appreciate the good advice.

Brandon (and yes Bill, it is Maj Brandon now)

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Congratulations Brandon - Fly/dive/sail safe.
Don't forget your map/chart/directions.

[bobmonroe]

Try John Pennekamp State Park website, located in Key Largo, We haven't been there in several years, but I think you can find what you want.

[Bawgy]

I was there two years ago and had an enjoyable time . There used to be an old spanish shipwreck there but it is all but gone now . In the park there is a large plataeu (sp?) to snorkel over with a steep cliff wall. I didnt go over the cliff because There must have been 20 -30, 3-5 foot barracudas cruising the edge for food . Those teeth alone looked 5 foot long

[Mark Prouty]

Ya know, there is one exceptional thing about boating - no relying on campgrounds!!.

I went down there years ago and the camping was awful. We had to wait a long time to get into John Pennekamp State Park. When we got a spot, there was no privacy and it was noisy and barren feeling. I went down with three guys and one kept complaining forcing our trip short. I'll never do that again!!

[Terry]

Ya know, there is one exceptional thing about boating - no relying on campgrounds!!.

Ain't that the truth, one of the main reasons I did wilderness camping in my younger years, you need a reservation these days.
I had the pleasure of visiting Florida a few times a dozen or so years ago and really enjoyed it, DisneyWorld, Cape Canaveral, Bush Gardens etc. On one of our trips we toured the keys and if one thing sticks out in my mind it is beach access on Key Largo, there was none. The only access I had was from my hotel, after driving around the Island the only piblic access was some scuba diving park but you had to pay money to get in, I was agast at the time, could not believe it, no beach acess unless you paid for it, that was a new one for me. I guess the State park is the only option, the name sounds familiar to me but it has been a long time, but being the only park it must be the one I went to but didn't enter because they wanted money, I just could not bring myself to comply, it was against my principles, as I have never heard of it before. Still I really liked it there and saw the famous author's mansion Hemmingway? on Key West. Sure gets dark fast there, wow in 5 minutes, takes an hour or more here at the 49th. If I had the $$$ i would have a winter home in florida.
PS the rains there agree with me as I am from the wet west coast.