Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! We are going to Florida to take our Cig from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West. We desperately need information on where to go, where to stay with a 35 ft’ boat, where to stop along the way. Is it marked? This is all weather permitting of course! We are leaving next Thursday March 3, for the weekend. Anyone want to join us? Should we have someone to guide us along the way? Is there anything that we should look out for? We have no reservations as of yet. Do we need to make reservations in Key West? Should we go ocean side or West or East side? Any comments or suggestions?

Call the galleon for a slip, stay at the Hyatt. I've only done the trip on the outside. It's marked. I think that you can go most of the way inside but you have to come out to get to KW. I know a lot of the board members have done the trip, maybe they'll chime in. If I can help let me know. I made th trip on my own the first time. If I can do it you shouldn't have a problem.

Kent

can I go with Ya

Great trip.
But I seriously suggest that you do it with a friend especially if this is the first time.
You can do it in one day without any problem.
But if you do want to make a stop Hawk's Cay for overnighting is my best suggestion and if it is jsut for a Gas and Go then a good midpoint is the Tiki Bar at Islamorada.
The "inside route" is well marked but I really suggest a friend or local unless you are great with a GPS and Charts too. Some of the local water is tricky depending on tides and such. Well marked but Tricky at times.
The Short Answer is run the inside to Islamorada or the Seven Mile Bridge and then run it like you stole it from 7 mile to Key West (approx 30 miles) BTW it was approx 185 NM the last time I ran it. a couple of years ago.
Also the suggestion to dock at the Galleon and stay at the Hyatt is perfect. Easy walk to and from the boat and the best docks in Key West.
Best
Rice Hauler
a.k.a. Robert Shin

I gotta a Bluechart all loaded up with the route, when are we leaving????

Outside is safer, inside will require attention but is more fun. Just a handful of really tight spots on the inside, but if you miss the channel you are toast. Did it for years with just a compass and a set of charts, but it is hard to read a chart at 60.

Tonto (and his buddys) can do it in his sleep.

Send the wife a day ahead and have her program your chartplotter with all the critical waypoints. There is an excellent book written by a woman with the entire route inside or outside, flip page by page, going and coming back. Tons of other cool information inside it (reef colouring book, fish and wildlife identifer etc) , wish I could remember the name but it is on the boat in florida. By far the best info on doing the route!

Florida Power Boat Club also supplies a good chart book with all the waypoints in it, call Jackie and buy one from them.

A great place to stay halfway along the route is the Anchorage Resort in Key Largo on the inside. Pool, hottub, giant crocs at night thrashing in the water and swimming past your boat (18 freaking feet!!!) and great rock and roll live bands at Gilberts across the bridge.

Have fun!

Stop here for the night. www.hawkscay.com