[Rhodes22-list] Biscayne Bay Area Launch ramps

[Robert Quinn]

Bill:  My pleasure.  Hope it helps you have a great time.  From the sound of 
it you know the area and the first trip out should be Biscayne Bay.  If you 
decide to overnight on the boat, I recommend No Name Harbor for one night 
and Pumpkin Key for another night (or alternatively Elliott Key Harbor or 
Boca Chita to shorten sail time).  Getting to and from each will allow you 
to sail the length of Biscayne Bay.

As you indicated there are so many options that you can just about run out 
of time and money before you complete them all.  We rented a place in Key 
Largo a few years ago that came with a '25 Catalina.   My brother and his 
wife joined us for a great romp on Florida Bay.  We stayed on the Florida 
Bay side: Blackwater and Buttonwood Sounds primarily but you can cut up to 
Barnes and Card Sound as well if you wish.  We sailed down to Hammer Point 
where my cousin had a place stopping along the way for lunch, a swim, etc. 
Much calmer on the Bay side most of the time.  What is nice about having the 
choice is that if the Hawk Channel is kicking up, you can save the vacation 
by slipping over to the Florida Bay side.

We love visiting Coconut Grove.  Very interesting people watching location 
with tons of great restaurants.  As a Miami Boy (actually grew up in 
Hialeah, Miami Springs, and Palm Springs), we try to get down several times 
a year.  The Miami Boat show is always a great excuse for us to visit old 
haunts.  We will spend a few days at this year's show.  Rumor has it that 
Elton will be there.

Bob


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Effros" <bill at effros.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2005 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Biscayne Bay Area Launch ramps


> Bob,
>
> Thanks for spending so much time on this reply.  It is exactly what I 
> need.
>
> I've got charts, guide books,  Frank Papy's guide, etc.  I think you 
> recommended Papy years ago, and I went right out and bought it.
>
> As a professional vacation taker, I like to settle into one or two places 
> and really learn them, rather than trying to see how many notches I can 
> carve into my GPS.  If I like the area I can always come back.
>
> My wife likes the idea of sailing better than sailing.  She has very thin 
> blood, and gets cold when the sun's not out, even in the middle of the 
> summer.
>
> We have a very close, very interesting friend who lives in Coconut Grove. 
> We have many friends in Miami, love the area, and come back repeatedly.
>
> If my wife enjoys this vacation, and enjoys having the boat in Miami, we 
> will repeat it.  If not, my boat will probably never sail out of the Long 
> Island Sound area again.
>
> OK.  That's fair enough.  Both my wife and I are perfectly comfortable 
> with my sailing and navigation skills.
>
> There are islands off the Florida coast that are rentable.  There are 
> homes on canals with slips that we can rent.  Their are resorts reachable 
> only by boat, and others with marinas where you can leave your boat while 
> you get a hot shower and sleep in a real bed.  All of these things are 
> under consideration, and my wife is game.
>
> We have stayed in Marathon and Key Largo and Key West.  We have snorkeled 
> in John Pennekamp.  We have sailed in Key Biscayne with friends.  We have 
> been on Fisher Island.  All delightful.
> I am going to study and review your remarks closely, and plot them on 
> charts, along with any other thoughts from anyone who wants to suggest 
> anything.  I want to construct a knock-your-socks-off, can't miss, first 
> time, winter boating experience, so my wife will want to come back again, 
> and do more.
>
> Your comments will help a lot, and I'm going to keep going over them.
>
> Thanks, again,
>
> Bill Effros
>
> Robert Quinn wrote:
>
>> Bill:  A lot depends on what you plan to do (e.g., do you plan to put in 
>> and sail off for a few days or just day sail coming back to the same 
>> location every night?).
>>
>> I've read ahead so will try to consolidate responses in one email. 
>> Sailing on Biscayne Bay when the weather is with you has to be one of the 
>> neatest experiences going.  The Bay offers lots of fairly open area and 
>> lots of islands to explore but you also have to have good charts are 
>> there are lots of shallows to contend with.  The R22 is a good boat for 
>> the area.  The sail to Key West is great.  As someone mentioned coming 
>> back can be a challenge as from Key West to Marathon in the Hawk Channel 
>> (Atlantic side) you are heading almost directly east.  Most days the wind 
>> comes from the east... need I say more.  Going down is a blast.  (Must 
>> add that sometimes the wind can be with you coming back.  Mother Nature 
>> don'cha know.)  You do have the option of coming up on the Florida Bay 
>> side though which is interesting for a couple of reasons.  The channel is 
>> well marked but does get shallow and winders quite a bit out of Key West; 
>> however, it offers a lot of protection when the wind is up on the 
>> Atlantic side. Plus lots of protected Bays that offer great swimming, 
>> fishing, islands to explore, etc.
>>
>> Frank Papy's guide book "Cruising Guide to the Florida Keys" is a must, 
>> in my humble opinion, as he gives you some good guidance all along the 
>> way (Fort Lauderdale to Key West and the Tortugas (now with a West Coast 
>> supplement) pointing out high points, places to see, and places to avoid, 
>> good navigation guidance, anchorages, hints to make life in the Keys a 
>> great experience, etc.
>>
>> We have been to Homestead's Bayfront Park on many occasions but for some 
>> reason I have never bothered to inquire about overnighting the car and 
>> trailer as we never had our R22 there.  I do know that there is a fellow 
>> who sailed his R22 from there to the Bahamas so would think he left his 
>> trailer and vehicle there.  I'd give them a call as this would be an 
>> ideal jump off point.  There are slips, fuel, bathrooms, parking, etc. 
>> available so it looks like leaving the trailer and car there would be a 
>> good bet.  Crandon Park Marina on Key Biscayne is also something to check 
>> out.  A bit more crowded but a good jump off point as well.
>>
>> We sailed the "NoKaOi" (Tartan 37 Version as opposed to the R22 version) 
>> around from Punta Gorda via Cayo Costa, Naples, Marco Island, Shark River 
>> (winded in for four nights), Marathon, Key West (Boca Chica actually for 
>> a month), then back to Marathon (wind on the nose).  As the weather was 
>> quite stinky on the Hawk Channel we ducked under the seven mile bridge up 
>> to Matacumbe Key, Pumpkin Key, breaking out into Biscayne Bay for one of 
>> the most memorable sails we have ever had.  The weather was perfect: 
>> wind, sea conditions, bright clear blue sky day, dolphin escort, and gin 
>> clear water. We ducked into No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne (near Cape 
>> Florida Park) for a wonderful night.  We continued on up to Fort 
>> Lauderdale, Lake Worth (Palm Beach) before getting back to Stuart via the 
>> St. Lucie Inlet.  With the exceptions as noted we only spent one night at 
>> the named locations as we were interested in spending time in the Key 
>> West area, and from there, getting home for a family reunion.
>>
>> Now the questions is:  Bob if you had it to do over, what would you have 
>> done differently?  Took tons more time!  Learn from our experience.  I've 
>> read a lot about sailing the Keys area (Biscayne Bay to Key West) and the 
>> best advice is to spend at least a week in each area:  West Marine puts 
>> out three chart books:  one for Miami to Key Largo, one for Key Largo to 
>> Marathon, and one for Marathon to Key West and the Dry Tortugas.  These 
>> chart books kind of make it easy to break up your visits with plenty to 
>> do in each area both on the Florida Bay side and on the Atlantic Side. 
>> (Note: There are several places whereby you can cross over from the Hawk 
>> Channel to Florida Bay.  It is important that you know these cross over 
>> points as when things kick up on the Atlantic side you want to know where 
>> you can duck over to Florida Bay.  This is especially important during 
>> the winter months when the 'nor'easters blast through.)
>>
>> Oh, and in each of these segments, there are places to launch and recover 
>> from.  For example in Key Largo, you have John Pennekamp Coral Reef State 
>> Park which is a great jump off point to some fantastic snorkeling just 
>> off shore on the Hawk Channel.
>>
>> Our "NoKaOi" got bashed in Frances and Jeanne last year so our sailing 
>> season was limited (we left the Florida heat and hurricane season on July 
>> 20th in a small motorhome for Maine).  After we got the boat 
>> recommissioned in April we were only able to get a few day sails in plus 
>> a three day trip to Lake Worth.  Sure enough, Wilma, our 2005 storm also 
>> beat  the "NoKaOi" up a bit, fortunately not nearly as bad as Frances and 
>> Jeanne.  We hope to set sail again in January in preparation for a 
>> Bahamas run sometime from mid April to June 1st.   If for some reason the 
>> weather gods say no to the Bahamas, we will be perfectly content sailing 
>> from Biscayne Bay to Key West in a very leisurely pace.  Tons of great 
>> anchorages, swimming, snorkeling, restaurants with dinghy docks when we 
>> don't want to cook aboard, and did I mention, wonderful sailing?
>>
>> Come on down, you will love it!
>>
>> Bob and Kathy on the "NoKaOi"
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "William E. Wickman" 
>> <wewickman at duke-energy.com>
>> To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2005 12:57 PM
>> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Biscayne Bay Area Launch ramps
>>
>>
>>
>>   Speaking of Biscayne Bay, I am thinking about taking my boat down 
>> there next summer for about a week.  Can anyone recommend a launch ra 
>> mp that will allow you to store your trailer and vehicle safely?
>>
>>
>>
>>   Bill Wickman
>>
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