Gulf coast transient suggestions

We have some more time to think about it. Boat needs some work. I'll explore hitting the Keys. One guy I'm taking knows them to Ft. Lauderdale pretty well.

From what I'm gathering from you all...the cut between Ft. Myers and Stuart is NOT a one day thing? That's a bummer.
 
I've heard of a path from Everglades to Long Key which would avoid going through Key West but it's really shallow all through Florida Bay. If weather is good the best route is to Key West then around the south side of the Keys through Hawks Channel. Much nicer trip than through the Okee but a couple of days longer. There are several channels that can take you to the north side of the keys but that is all slow going. From Card Sound north it can all be done on the inside.
 
Well, this will show you how long it's been since I've made the trek. Apparently we needed a "kinder, gentler" name for Arsenic Bank. Now referred to as "Yacht Channel", lovey. You'll want to do this at noon if possible. NEVER at night.
Arsenic bank now called yacht channel.PNG
 
We really prefer going into marathon. @cod shared the routing with me years ago. Have used it multiple times. Easy, good water.
 
We have some more time to think about it. Boat needs some work. I'll explore hitting the Keys. One guy I'm taking knows them to Ft. Lauderdale pretty well.

From what I'm gathering from you all...the cut between Ft. Myers and Stuart is NOT a one day thing? That's a bummer.


We moved a 55 Viking Sportfish from West Palm beach, up to Stuart then across Okeechobee to Ft Myers then up to Boca Grande in one day. It was a very long day.....we left at dawn, watched th e sun rise over the Atlantic and barely got tied up in Boca Grande at 8:45 PM, just in time to buy fuel.. We travelled in early March so there was no issue with water levels and the blow boat guys had not yet started their migration south so we did not have to wait for a single lock. Also, we had several experienced boaters/navigators along on the trip as well as 3 experienced pilots who could hold a course if you watched them carefully.......they all had a lot of airplane time but it was all with electronic navigation. Our destination was Destin, my home turf, and once we got to Apalachicola, I didn't need a chart. The one bonus on this trip was that one of the "Crew" was a blind guy who ran concession stands in the Tennessee State prison system. He could accurately estimate time to waypoints to within a couple of minutes using only a wrist watch...... and one of his friends on the trip took him all over the Viking as soon as we got to the boat and he never once got lost, needed directions to find anything.

Some of the passengers had a tight return schedule. The 2 18 hour days from West Palm to Boca Grande then from Boca Grande to Panama City were killers. Maybe I'm too old for that much fun in a day now, but I'd have to give the 1 day crossing serious reconsideration now. You can make it in a day, but to make that schedule work, the crew needs to be compatible and competent, and you need luck with weather and traffic.

Frank
 
Twice a year for 18 years. 46 Post, 5' draft when fueled. But, mostly because of where we were going to or coming from.
Lots of runs through Moser Channel, or all the way down and around. Depended on the boat, the time of day for visibility, the weather, and the program.
Northern keys cut through.PNG
 

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