That sounds like a great trip. We just got our C-Dory 25 in Sept and have only used her in the Destin FL area. My wife and I use to keep a MacGregor 26 sailboat in the Keys. The Mac is a water ballast motorboat/sailboat that is IIRC about 3500#. No big heavy keel.
Before I forget to ask....What are you using as a tow vehicle? I have a 1/2 ton Dodge with 5.9L and tow package but it's rated at 8500 lbs. Haven't towed the C-Dory 25 yet.
Sorry for such a long post and I know I have left a bunch of stuff out but hopefully you will find some of this helpful....
I don’t have any of my log books or other records with me but I wanted to share a few things. I would highly recommend getting a copy of Claborne Youngs Cruising the Florida Keys. He does a very good job detailing the Atlantic side AND the bayside. What we learned, especially this time of year, was you either played in one or the other for a week or so. The winds came from the East and you stayed in the Bay or from the West and you stayed on the Atlantic side. We actually like the bayside better. More secluded places to anchor.
If Pennakamp does not work out. Try South Dade Marina. Little whole in the wall “marina” just under the billboard just as you exit Dade County. Cheap to park truck/Trailer. Tight little canal that leads into Manatee Bay with easy access to Barnes Sound through a cool cut under the Jewfish Creek Bridge out into Key Largo Blackwater Sound. There is a cut to the Atlantic side (Adams I think) but we had a stick so I took the dink under but don’t recall the height. We enjoyed anchoring on the bayside in Buttonwood Sound/Sunset Cove and Tarpon Basin. Remember the sunsets are on the bayside. Lots of protected anchorages bayside. Check out the dive bar The Caribbean Club (Blackwater Sound). Filmed Key Largo there. If you have Netflicks watch the first Season 13 episodes series Bloodlines. You will see tons of places you will eat at drink at. We watched it just to see what we recognized. Ms Macs is a good restaurant in Buttonwood Sound. All of these places are a dink to shore and walking distance. On the ocean side we did anchor in a larger sailboat (15,000lbs) at Rodriguez Key and had 20kt winds and finally weighted anchor and went into Key Largo Harbor around 4AM. At least I didn’t have to dodge the snorkel boats piloting Crash Corner. The several marinas in there and restaurants. Just watch the weather if anchoring. This is just below Pennekamp.
In Islamorada we anchored in Little Basin and could dink up to the big World Wide Sportsman. Very shallow in there so not a lot of traffic and protected. Follow the markers and guidebook. Across the street from WWS we love Ma’s Fishcamp for Bahamian Conch Chowder and smoked fish dip AND great wifi. It was our go to place.
There are a couple of mooring balls (or were) of Lignumvite. The island was neat and we explored around it. Its just below World Wide Sportsman.
Now you start getting into much clearer water bayside. The Key Largo area has the dark tannin look and as you move towards Islamorada it clears up.
Boot Key harbor was great for showers and West Marine. Also, if you dinked all the way to the Dockside Tripical Café ( I think that is it…heard Eric Stone singer and does the Bob Bitchin Lats and Ats parties owns it now). You can tie up have a drink and it is a short walk to Publix. You can also catch the Keys bus and go up and down the keys.
Lower Matecumbe Oceanside---Safari Lounge and the Caloosa Cove Marina. A little tricky to get in with a keel but no issues with C-Dory. We took a charter sailboat in there and my wife got her up against the slip and stopped a foot from the concrete and I just stepped off. The guys who came out of the bar to “help her” were impressed. They asked her how long she’d operated the boat and she said about 2 hours. We got some stunned looks. She does all our close quarter maneuvering.
Bahia Honda: great place. The marina is nice and the C-Dory is a great size for it. You can anchor right outside the marina entrance but holding sometimes was not the best and you have ZERO drag room until your into the bridge. We anchored some bayside and would dinghy over to Bahia. If you snorkel start at the very low bridge crossing on the way to the cabins where all the big RVs park. Float down to the entrance to the marina. Very shallow but has a very deep drop-off so you get some neat stuff. Thought a great white was swimming right at me. All I could see was a darker object in the dark and it was moving fast. Swam right up to my mask. Then I saw the cute whiskers of a Manatee who was just checking me out.
Just below Bahia Honda is No Name Key and Big Pine Key. Check out No Name Pub. It’s famous. Google it. Lots of fun. Anchored off No Name Key. Wind was not right for Doctors Arm. We just dinghy over and walked. Bring a flashlight and maybe long pants/sleeves and walk around the neighborhoods and look for the Key Deer. There is something really weird about a 12 point buck that is the same size as my Labrador Retriever. We anchored off a punch of the little islands into the bay in this area. We never made it to Key West on the boat. We took the bus several times to wait out storms etc but just loved the Middle Keys so much we never made it further.
Some things I am glad I had with me:
Dinghy. Got to take one. A motor is best. Sometimes you are really fighting the current. Home Depot Walmart sales the little stick lights. Looks like a baton. They come in red, green, and clear. Never had FWS question them BUT they did look for them. They also have a whistle built into them.
Handheld VHF. What if the dinghy breaks down on the way back from dinner and you can’t row out of the current.
I had 25’ chain, 200 rope rode, and a west marine 23lb plow. I would add 25’ of cheap home depot chain for the keys trip. Okay…its not ship shape and Bristol chain but there were times I really needed the extra. I would wash it off when I came home and coat with some oil. Still have it. Looks bad but works. I had a Fortress FX 16 with 25’ chain and 150 rope. Couple of times used them both.
Army surplus no-seeum net. NOT mosquito. If you can clearly see through the holes it will only stop mosquitoes. If you look through the holes and it looks blurry then it is probably no-seeum. Also Thermacell Mosquito repellent butane device. I had deet and skin so soft concoctions I mix up but that really makes you feel greasy so we would use the nets and Thermacell.
I always had a thin wetsuit this time of year in case I had to dive the anchor or get in the water to work on a fouled prop.
Luci inflatable solar lamp. They make a frosted one now. This makes a great find the boat on way back from shore as well as sit around the boat light that doesn’t draw on the batteries. Easy to find on amazon.
NoRinse Body Wash- you can bathe in ½ a Solo cup of water. So nice to get clean at night and not draw down water supply. We also had NoRinse Shampoo.
In the event you need to get back via land to the tow vehicle and are down in the keys consider the Lower Keys Shuttle bus.
www.kwtransit.com. You can take it to Marathon and get off at the airport for a car rental. Greyhound and Keys Shuttle will run all the way to Miami but it is not nearly as frequent. I always kept this printed and in my backpack.
Navionics for Ipad. It was nice to be able to plot out the next day while sitting at a bar versus having to be bent over the chartplotter. If you have a cellular ready ipad, even if you don’t pay for the service, the GPS chip will be in it. You can also buy a GPS puck to tether to it.
Hope you find this helpful
Bob and Alicia
