Dry Tortuga Island

K

kennharriet

Member
Has anyone C-Dory'ed to Dry Tortuga? Just got back from there yesterday. We took the commercial catamaran trip and camped one night. It was a great trip. There were a handful of small sail boaters anchored there. For an inexperienced (no experience) C-Dory'er, it seemed like awful big water and seas to make the 70 mi. trip from Key West, but most of the sail boats were not much larger.

Saw some 700-800 lb. Goliath Groupers off the dock, and watched one fisherman land an 8' 6" shark. Big fish for a landlubber from Idaho. Some of the other keys between Key West and Tortuga (Marquesas Keys) looked like great fun to explore also. Mel Fisher may have found the Atocha sooner in a C-Dory...
 
Is it 70 miles each way? Thats about the limit of my range. I would carry a few extra cans for a trip like that. I have read about the fort and the park, looks like a lot of fun to go visit and do a little fishing.
 
:D I have been to the Dry Tortugas several times by sailboat. I now own a C-25. I am thinking about a trip there going along with a group of sailboats. Traveling at their speeds I get about 6.5 mpg at 6 knots. This means I could travel 650 miles on a tank of gas. If they need help getting off of a sandbar, I am there to help and if I run out of gas they are to help me.

The run from Marco Island to Key West or the Dry Tortugas is about the same distance. Marco Island is the last place to get fuel. I have thought of going from Marco Island to Key West, filling up with fuel and then make the round trip to the Dry Tortugas and back to Key West with a stop over at the Marquesas Keys. If you are active duty military or retired military you can dock at Boca Chica Naval Air Station for much cheaper dock fees. There is a bus from the NAS to Key West. You can also buy groceries from the base exchange.

Maybe some day we can go from Key West to Havana, Cuba. It is only 90 miles South. The C-Dory has enough gas and if you start very early in the morning at 16 to 18 knots you could be there about noon before the afternoon seas build up. If I go I will post a blog about my trip.
 
You've gotta visit the Dry Tortugas. We went there in Our Journey (sailboat,) but there were a lot of small cruisers there. Great place, and you can anchor in the lee of Ft Jefferson. Here's a couple of pics:

12_Ft_Jefferson.sized.jpg

The anchorage is where the dredge is shown, and the bar was closed when we were there. Great anchorage. Our boat is next to my right elbow. The shrimpers come in and anchor at night and you can trade for shrimp, no selling since it's a National Park

Here's another shot from the top.

13_drtort.sized.jpg

And there are a couple of small keys to visit by dingy. This key has a lighthouse, and that's Ft Jefferson in the background

14_drtort2.sized.jpg

Great trip

Boris
 
I, too, have been there by sailboat, but David on Alma's Only has made the trip to Garden Key (on which Fort Jefferson is located) on his CD22.

I'll send him an email so he can relate his experience.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
I have also been to the Dry Tortugas by Sail boat. We found the best way to return (because of the speed) was to leave at dusk, and arrive in Key West at dawn--that was long before GPS and an easy run. At the time we were there, most of the boats were larger than C Dory size. We also noted the CG taking down each boat's registration nubers--and saw DEA running dark on the way back in the middle of the night.
 
We've been to the Dry Tortugas twice - once by boat and once by seaplane. It is, indeed, an interesting place to visit, but once you've toured the fort and snorkeled around the pretty water, there isn't a lot more to do. No problem for range with the CD-25, but be sure to bring your own water, food, and anything else you'll need... there is no water, no store, no fuel, etc. I don't know if the regs have changed since we were last there 5 years ago, but I had heard that they were limiting the number of boats anchoring and/or putting in mooring balls (I don't have a confirmation of that). It would be wise to check with the National Park Service beforehand.

From my perspective, heading across to the Bahamas would be more interesting - lots to do, fuel, water, marinas, and scads of islands. I'm certainly not saying the Dry Tortugas isn't a great place to visit; I just don't think of it as a destination beyond a couple days.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Kinda off topic but I was vacationing in Key West about 15 years ago. The hotel was renting PWC for $75@hr and the airport was renting airplanes (2 place) for $55@hr. Herein is a good example of supply and demand. We rented the airplane and flew over the Dry Tortugas - somewhere I've got a similar aerial photo of the fort. :wink
 
Of course, Jim, you're right. And the Bahamas are just a hop skip and jump from the Dry Tortugas as shown below. By the way, this picture shows why we like a sturdy, hypalon dingy. We used that dingy to tour everywhere, and it got beat up.

22_judysnork_a.sized.jpg

If you're in Florida, there are a plethora of great places to go. Hopefully, we may be able to add Cuba soon.

Boris
 
My brother and I took Alma's Only to the Dry Tortugas, and had a super trip. We departed from Key West in fairly rough, confused , generally following seas, that were predicted to quiet over the next several days. They didn't, and it was fairly windy during our two nights at Ft. Jefferson, and we then took the same water, nose on, for the return. There are some photos of the trip at the following link:

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Although the water was less than ideal, we were able to make reasonable speed, taking turns at the helm. Doing so required constant attention to steering and throttle, and an occasional slam, but nothing that caused any concern. In smoother water, the trip would be a real dream. We left with full tanks of gas (24gal port and starboard), and 20 gal in jugs. We burned right at 20 gal each way, so ended up with 4 gal left in each built-in tank, and a full 20 in reserve. This burn was with considerable throttle changes, and in rough water. You'd do much better in anything that's a little closer to ideal.

While underway, we only saw a few other boats, and those were mostly close to Key West or the Torgugas. But, with nothing else in sight, the DSC went off, with someone sending a distress signal from a VHF which was not hooked up to a plotter. So, there were no coordinates. What was interesting was that the air came alive with calls from other vessels acknowledging receipt of the signal, and eventual relay of that status to the USCG. So, although there was nothing in sight, there were a lot of ears listening. I expect the call was sent by mistake, but it sure gave me a good comfort factor.

The bottom line is that if you plan ahead, the trip can be safely accomplished in a CD 22. The fuel reserve turned out to be most comforting, and I recommend carrying as much extra as possible, since there are a couple of alternatives that might come into play. There's always the possibility of having to turn back to the Tortugas if sudden weather hits Key West during your return leg. We also budgeted enough reserve to allow a diversion to Florida's southwest coast, if returning to the Tortugas or trying to make Key West didn't seem advisable. With those bases covered, we had a lot of flexibility.

I'll be glad to make routes and tracks available to anyone who'd like.

Good luck.
 
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