Fiesta Key to Tavernier Key

Monday, February 09, 2009. Departed Fiesta Key KOA Campground near high tide, with two fellow Alaskans as company. Jimmie & Laura Hendricks aboard Northern Lights, and Jay aboard Elixir, all bound for the Key Largo area. We had 15-20 knots of wind from, as usual, the exact direction we need to go on the ICW, so we spent the first few hours beating from Fiesta Key up to Shell Key. Almost sailed all they way through Bowlegs Cut, but needed 2 minutes of outboard time at the NE end due to the 3-knot current against us. Once we hit Steamboat Channel off Shell Key, it was dead on the nose and time to start the outboards again.

Motoring from Shell Key to Cotton Key, the deepest water we hit was 5’ 6”… mostly 4 to 5 in the channel. During the 2-mile straight run to Red 80 off Cotton Key, we could see a monohull dead ahead under full sail, not moving… it was the Miss Lucy, a Beneteau 423 from NY. We watched as they finally floated off the shoal on the west side of the channel, only to move 1 boatlength then become hard aground again. As we passed their transom and offered assistance (denied), I asked what they drew. The answer was 5’7”!! Hmmmm….

I hate motoring into the wind… it’s noisy, you can’t play music or talk, and every extra hour we put on the 9.9s is an hour closer to pulling them back out for their (every) 100 hour service, which is a day spent messing with petroleum products instead of sailing. So after motoring through Cowpens Cut, we hailed Boat US to see if they had any “local knowledge” regarding the anchorage inside Tavernier Creek. One of the reasons we joined Boat US was that a couple of marina guys had told us that “if you call them, they’ll have the latest local info.” Well, that’s a joke. I asked the Boat US operator if anchoring up the creek was advisable or not (one chart showed 6-8 feet, the other 1-8 feet) and his response was “I don’t know.” On the plus side, our conversation was overheard by Alan on the Morgan OI Ketch Sinbad, who was anchored in the bay SW of the creek. Alan has real local knowledge, and also pointed us in the direction of Toilet Seat Pass (max depth 3’, min 1’).

Toilet Seat Pass, IVO N24 59.907 W80 32.964 photos:








A note on Fiesta Key (formerly a KOA Campground): This is the best place to stay, whether you’re in an RV, tent, camper, boat or one of their motel rooms. The best people, great bar & food, and you can’t beat the prices! Our stay was fantastic due to Jack, the Marina Manager (Semper Fi), and a host of other folks; Gail & Judy at the Marina Store, and then the killer crew at the Pub; Rick & Maria, Mike, and Dan the Maintenance/Registration man. The locals are quite entertaining, and if anyone needs a Mainship 36 with twin Crusaders, just ask for Robbie on BONER 4 TUNA, he’s ready to sell.

TINT THE KEYS! I wonder what Anna got for Christmas?