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Slide show above from Festival of States 2007 Cruise

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                                               Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys & Back Again                                                                                                  

I have made several trips from Tampa Bay (Ruskin) to the Florida Keys in the past few years.           Each cruise has its own unique flavor. The weather and sea conditions always change even if  the route is nearly the same. I’ve made these trips in June and July so thunder storms and squalls were to be expected. They often occurred late in the afternoon, but also at night or just about anytime. Hurricanes are also a possibility. I always keep a plot of their tracks along with Tropical Storms. I lucked out in that only once in the last six years did I change my loose plans and not make it all the way to the Keys. (That time I spent a week in Fort Myers Beach instead) In 2005 I left Key West after two days and made it back ahead of a hurricane that had not formed yet when I left. (Dumb luck). I’m flexible in my plans and I don’t get to upset when the weather or equipment problems dictate a change. I once spent nine days at the Naples City Docks while my diesel fuel pump was being rebuilt.

When planning such a trip, Cruising Guides are a big help. A small booklet “Anchorages in Southwest Florida” is very good and contains details on approaches and depths. I expected to  make this trip more than once and I wanted contingency plans if problems occurred along the way. With this in mind I entered GPS coordinates for all of the passes I would likely use from Tampa Bay to Key West and Marathon. I also penciled in on my charts several anchorages I might use. I did not enter any waypoints for the Sarasota passes as I’ve been told they are very dangerous. Several passes I have used can be dangerous when the weather kicks up, such as Longboat, Venice, Redfish, Fort Myers Beach and Naples (also Clearwater & Pass-a Grill) but are just fine in calm conditions. The only inlets/passes I would use in “Bad” conditions are Tampa Bay, Boca Grand and maybe Fort Myers.                                                                                         

I draw 5 &1/2 foot and have found a few good anchorages. They are all listed in the Guides. What has surprised me is how easy it is to get in trouble (read: AGROUND) attempting to anchor off the ICW. I won’t bore you with details. I have passed up several anchorages listed in the guides due to my 5 & ½ foot draft. My favorite is Ussepea Island (near marker 60).    Fort Myers Beach use to be a good anchorage. It’s now illegal to anchor there but they do have moorings. (I don’t know the cost because I never paid. No phone # and no one came to collect. When I ask ashore I was told $200 something a month) Wisteria Island Key West is OK but has strong currents and can be a little rough. The large mooring field in Garrison Bight is better. When I stayed there no one was collecting. Boot Key Marathon is good. It may be illegal to anchor there now?? I’ve heard they now have moorings and an aggressive marine patrol that likes to board/inspect. Good cheeseburgers at Burdines though and free shovels full of ice at Ponchos with diesel purchase. Also good snorkeling at Sombrero Key. The City

Park anchorage at Sarasota has very soft mud and poor holding. I had to fend off a dragging small sailboat that was on a mooring! I have anchored at the north end of Sarasota Bay. OK but not well protected. I have found Venice to crowded with all the boats anchored bow and stern to limit swinging. I rarely use docks (read cheep). I’m usually gone about three weeks and spend one or two nights at a dock. It’s nice to get a full charge on the batteries and even nicer to enjoy my AC. The Conch Harbor Marina at Key West has a nice pool but the dock was $3/ft.        

I have traveled inside and outside. Outside is better. However, I cruise alone and if I’m heading south and the wind is out of the south I will probably go ahead and travel the ICW as I’ll be motoring anyhow. If I don’t go out Tampa Bay or Longboat pass I’m stuck on the ICW till Venice. If I do go out I need to consider which inlets I can safely get back in and how long the leg will be so I don’t get too fatigued. I like the ICW but after several hours, hand steering can get tiresome and lead to problems…….you know. Bidges can also be a pain and the schedules are always changing (for the worse). There is nice scenery on the ICW and I often meet dolphins that sometimes follow me for miles.

Beyond the ICW the hop to and from the Keys can be made from Fort Myers Beach, Naples or Marco Island. I’ve done all three. I don’t like the shallow water getting into Marco. Naples City Docks are a nice place to rest up before the long hop (for me). The anchorage next to the City Docks is gone, (now moorings-only $10)

     Traveling Naples Bay you see miles of multi-million dollar homes.  

I’ve have not checked out the Shark River yet. I hear it’s a good place to wait for a weather window. If you have crew you can choose to go from anywhere, i.e. Tampa Bay. Even with

crew you would likely want to see sights along the way. 

 Of course arrival determines departure so I leave in the afternoon to arrive in the shallows north of Marathon or Key West Northwest Channel in daylight hours. Each leg from anchorage to anchorage should be planned the same way. I once entered Venice inlet in the late afternoon, found it to crowded and tried to make Sarasota Bay before dark. I didn’t make it and found myself facing the downtown Sarasota city lights where I couldn’t make out any ICW markers. I have not repeated that error. I find a spot in daylight hours off the ICW even if it’s only a couple boat lengths and hang out an extra light.

There is a lot of good guidance available for preparing your boat and provisioning. I use a checklist I’ve developed from various sources. I don’t have refrigeration and I use to provision based, to much, on foods that would keep and caned goods. Now I focus on what I like to eat.  A trip to the Keys is a coastal cruise with opportunities to provision and obtain ice.

It’s a good idea to carry a lot of spare parts, as generally nothing you have parts for breaks down! I like to have backups. My boat came with two built in GPSs, so I bought a hand held unit as it doesn’t rely on the ships batteries and wiring. I bought a second tiller autopilot before my first trip to the Keys. On one trip I had both autopilots fail in Florida Bay about 2AM.            I took one apart in Marathon and discovered a few drops of water inside. I baked it in the sun for a few hours and it worked all the way home.

On the long leg from SW Fla. to the islands I don’t nap. (Nineteen to thirty hours-depending)    I use an oven timer to remind myself to check the horizon for traffic every 15 to 20 minutes.    

This leg has been both the best, sailing all night under a full moon and the worst, bashing into head seas under power with lightning crashing high winds and driving rain.

My past sailing experience included Lake Erie and chartering boats in the islands. The west coast of Florida is a great place to sail. With some experience in these waters I make fewer mistakes and enjoy it more.

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Louis Simon S/V ARGO  
    

Some tide chart links that might be of use:

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tides06/tab2ec3e.html#102

http://www.thiswaytothe.net/tides/florida/old_port_tampa_tide.html

http://www.thiswaytothe.net/tides/florida/port_manatee_tampa_bay_fl_tide.html

http://www.thiswaytothe.net/tides/florida/st_petersburg_tampa_bay_fl_tide.html

http://www.wxtide32.com/

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