# Sailing from Tampa to the Dry Tortugas



## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

I've got some time off in March, and was thinking about making a run from Sarasota down to the Dry Tortugas. I'm pretty set on the destination, and don't really want to hit Key West or anything on this trip. I've read through some of the older threads on the trip, but they all seem to recommend stopping in Port Charlotte. 

Let's say I wasn't interested in making any stops along the way. Is there anything along the route I need to be concerned about (crab traps in the middle of nowhere, unusually shallow areas, etc)? Given a Catalina 36, are the conditions in mid to late March suitable for the trip? 

I'm also thinking of bringing a few tanks along to do some diving. I hear there are plenty of wrecks out there, are there any worth diving? Notwithstanding the information about the achorages, and the fort itself that are in the other threads; are there any other considerations I should be thinking about?


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## CapnBilll (Sep 9, 2006)

I went from Key west. 

Spring can be stormy on the gulf, and there is the Gulf current, you will be going esentially upstream.

Beautiful place to dive or snorkal, the kids can walk along Fort Jefferson and see reef fish within touching distance.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

A couple questions come immediately to mind:

1. Are you sailing with a crew or are you sailing single handed? 
If you are sailing with a crew, and thinking about sailing straight through, you'll have to give the Marquesses Keys and Rebecca Shoals a wide berth to avoid coral heads and shoals. Pots are usually not a problem, but there can be some derelicts floating around waiting to snag your prop or rudder.

If you intend to sail single-handed then you'll obviously be making some stops along the way. Once you get beyond Key West you can find an anchorage in Mule Key Basin, and another at the west end of the Lakes Passage at the west side o0f Crawfish Key. Beyond that you'll find a couple entrances into Mooney Harbor in the Marquesses Keys. The deepest ones are on the south side, where six feet of water can be found at high tide. Once inside the anchorage is a bit tight, but there is 8 to 12 feet of water available. I wouldn't chance the west entrance to Mooney Harbor unless you have been there before. The entrance is constantly shifting and silting in, and the last time I was there depths were down to just 4-feet until you got inside.

Beyond the Marquesses there is no sheltered anchorage until you reach the Dry Tortugas. I've only been there once by powerboat, it was an incredible trip and the water clarity was beyond description.

Good Luck,

Gary


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## jbert (Sep 17, 2011)

Can I come along? I will be watching the thread and look forward to hearing how the trip went. I am hoping to do the same trip in the next 12 months or so.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. I'm going to make the run down without stopping so I'll check the charts around the Marquesses Keys and Rebecca Shoals.

I'm going to have a few days on either side to wait out a good window, so maybe with a little luck I'll be able to miss any nasty weather.

The shallow approach is good to know. That might be a factor with a 5'10" draft. Something else to look into.

Thanks again guys.

*UPDATE:* Checked the charts, and because I am coming from the north, the Marguesses and Rebecca Shoals won't be a factor as they are well to the east of my course. The approach into the anchorage from the north, if I pass the yellow "I" marker is charted at 25-50 foot so it looks like' I'll be good there as well. Still appreciate the input!


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

jbert said:


> Can I come along? I will be watching the thread and look forward to hearing how the trip went. I am hoping to do the same trip in the next 12 months or so.


If you wanted to sail tandem down there, I'd be down for that. I'm also going to be hitting up Egmont Key and a few other places around Tampa Bay in March. I don't know anyone *remotely *close to my age who's into sailing, so if you feel like sailing on the bay, hit me up.


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## jbert (Sep 17, 2011)

I will see if i can figure out how to msg or email ya and we can link up someday around the skyway or at a watering hole out near 75 someday.


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## minnow1193 (Dec 20, 2011)

What age are we talking here creedence? I'm under 40 and just getting in to sailing. Live in Apollo Beach. Eager to get out while i am working on my new project.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

minnow1193 said:


> What age are we talking here creedence? I'm under 40 and just getting in to sailing. Live in Apollo Beach. Eager to get out while i am working on my new project.


Nothing at all against the older crowd, I'm more than happy to hang out with sailors of any age; but I haven't met anyone within striking distance of 30 at any of the marinas I've had boats in (especially true in Florida).

I work overseas, but I'm back in March. If you feel like heading out, by all means shoot me a PM.


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## nolatom (Jun 29, 2005)

Definitely good diving. You might check the facebook page of the M/V SPREE, a dive boat that's based in Key West most of the year, and makes trips out to Fort Jefferson. Should be some dive reports there.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

nolatom said:


> Definitely good diving. You might check the facebook page of the M/V SPREE, a dive boat that's based in Key West most of the year, and makes trips out to Fort Jefferson. Should be some dive reports there.


Found the page, thanks. They talk about diving a wreck in 200-300' of water at the DTs! Had no idea the diving got that serious around there. Looks like there is a LOT more diving around there than people give it credit for. Think I'm going to want to track down a few more tanks.

That's a pretty huge head boat. Looks like they could crowd up a reef/wreck pretty quickly. Here's to hoping I miss them during my trip.


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

creedence623 said:


> I've got some time off in March, and was thinking about making a run from Sarasota down to the Dry Tortugas. I'm pretty set on the destination, and don't really want to hit Key West or anything on this trip. I've read through some of the older threads on the trip, but they all seem to recommend stopping in Port Charlotte.
> 
> Let's say I wasn't interested in making any stops along the way. Is there anything along the route I need to be concerned about (crab traps in the middle of nowhere, unusually shallow areas, etc)? Given a Catalina 36, are the conditions in mid to late March suitable for the trip?
> 
> I'm also thinking of bringing a few tanks along to do some diving. I hear there are plenty of wrecks out there, are there any worth diving? Notwithstanding the information about the achorages, and the fort itself that are in the other threads; are there any other considerations I should be thinking about?


The run from Sarasota to Ft. Jefferson is quite straight forward and the entrance from the north pretty easy. Time your arrival so that you will have good light to see the bottom as you get into Garden Key. There is a deep channel but shallows are nearby and the water shoals very quickly. On the direct trip down the only fixed obstructions are a couple of old radio towers but they make good reference points. For some reason, south of Cape Romano a few squalls always seem to develop in the early evening and persist until about 0100 or so. If you have radar, they are easy to track and avoid. Never the less, ensure your reefing gear is in good order and prepare to reef the minute you begin to feel a cool/cold breeze from the east. Some times the shrimpers/fishing boats can be a pain in the neck, especially at night. Acquaint yourself with the lights used by fishing boats and avoid them, particularly if they've got a trawl out.

The holding around Garden Key isn't the greatest--sand over marle--so ensure you have good ground tackle for that. Use Passageweather.com for weather forecasts before you leave. Unfortunately, Northwesterlys can be a bit much in March. The predictions are pretty good for 4-5 daze out. Take plenty of food, fuel and water as none is available on the Key.

FWIW...


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Not only can Northwesterly's be a problem, I went from Destin to Tampa during April and only had 3 hours of wind in 3 full days (we hit Egmont at midnight). So make sure you have sufficient fuel.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

Hey Hylite, thanks for chiming in. I forgot you've got a lot of local knowledge in the bay area. Glad you mentioned the radio towers, I hadn't seen those on the charts. 

I've got a few fuel cans to strap to the deck so I'll probably fill those up before heading out as well. With luck I'll have a some good pictures to post in a few weeks.


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## andrew1289 (Feb 3, 2012)

hey credence

I'm Andrew, I'm living in clearwater fl at the moment. I'm right on the water near tampa international airport. We have a guest dock here too.

I would LOVE to come out sailing sometime. I am free everyday for now. Just got back from Cozumel did some sailing on "the stars and stripes tour" using the americas cups boats. (I am not a sailer)

I have my good friend and his girl from demark visiting. It would be a dream to have you meet us at our dock and take us out for a little while. Beers and food on me of course!

let me know


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## svzephyr44 (Jun 26, 2000)

What no one has mentioned is coming back. The weather can be such that coming back east can be a real problem = very high and choppy waves. Plan at least a week in case you get "stuck" or take the fast cat back to Key West (it will be the vomit comet instead of the "fast cat" on the trip), then return to claim your boat and sail back if you run out of time.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

andrew1289 said:


> hey credence
> 
> I'm Andrew, I'm living in clearwater fl at the moment. I'm right on the water near tampa international airport. We have a guest dock here too.
> 
> ...


Hey Andrew, I'll be back in the States in March. If your friends are still around then, I'm more than happy to meet up. I'll shoot you a PM as it gets closer.

As for the weather, I think I'm going to have to accept the chance of getting hit with something along the way. I don't know why, but for some reason I always thought passageweather.com was a pay service. Happy to learn it's free, and pretty impressed with the amount of information. It sort of puts sailflow to shame. I've got 9 days to do this, so that should give me a little wiggle room on either end to take advantage of a good weather window. The good news is, I have a new Harken MKIV furler, and a brand new custom mainsail getting put on this week with 3 reefing points, so it wouldn't be terrible putting the new toys to good use. 

The only thing that concerns me is fetching I've heard about in the Gulf. We'll see how it goes.


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## EliotR (Oct 23, 2011)

Need crew?


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

EliotR said:


> Need crew?


I've talked my wife into coming along on this trip so she's going to end up being my crew (though she doesn't know that yet). I may regret that if the weather turns on us, but I'm taking my chances.

If this trip works out well, I might make a habbit of running down there, and to the Keys. If I do, I'd gladly take anyone who feels like coming along in exchange for a few beers/ good company. In the mean time, same offer stands, if you feel like sailing around Tampa Bay, shoot me a PM.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

creedence623 said:


> That's a pretty huge head boat. Looks like they could crowd up a reef/wreck pretty quickly. Here's to hoping I miss them during my trip.


I've never worked with that particular boat before but I have been able to arrange with head boats and dive shops to take my tanks for fills and pick them up the next day. Success seems dependent on calling ahead during a non-busy time and finding someone that makes (as opposed to follows) the rules.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

creedence623 said:


> I don't know anyone *remotely *close to my age who's into sailing, so if you feel like sailing on the bay, hit me up.


If we could get together all the young people in this forum I have seen say they can't find anyone their age to sail with, there would be no more comments like that - and they all seem to be on the Florida west coast. There are at least five who frequent the chat, one stationed oversees until June.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

DRFerron said:


> If we could get together all the young people in this forum I have seen say they can't find anyone their age to sail with, there would be no more comments like that - and they all seem to be on the Florida west coast. There are at least five who frequent the chat, one stationed oversees until June.


Yeah, I remember the "Who's under 35" thread; and as good as it was, it'd be tough scanning the 30+ pages of replies to hunt down folks in Tampa. I might start a new thread when I get closer to coming back to the States to see if anyone is up for grabbing a beer or doing some sailing (in no particular order).


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## andrew1289 (Feb 3, 2012)

Hey creed...

I need more posts before I am PM. Are you in the states yet?


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

Andrew, I got you on chat, we'll work something out.

Incidentally, that plan just got changed. Looks like I'll be singlehanding to Key West now rather than the DT's. A little bummed because I've been to the Keys a hundred times (by car), but at least I'm still doing a trip somewhere. I'm still figuring about 35 hours, so the sailing part should be just as good.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

Made the trip, and had a great time. Thanks to everybody who offered advice. 

I ended up sailing down and back with my wife on board. She even pulled a night watch so I could get an hour's sleep. The crab traps are REDICULOUS. Even after my years in the Chesepeake, I'd never seen anything like that.

The weather was okay. We did get some stormy weather at night (of course it came while we were in the middle of crab trap alley), and the wind eventually clocked around from the south-southwest which was pretty annoying. Beyond that, everything went smoothly, and we had no issues with the boat, depth, sea state, etc. Had a great time, and made it in 35 hours from the mouth of Tampa Bay.

Again, thanks for all the advice.


Additionally, I'm back in the Bay so if anyone wants to get together for a beer and or some sailing, shoot me a PM!!


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## Svohana (Feb 24, 2013)

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm planning on doing it this march. sailed there before, but never in March. How was it? Anyone else interested or has input, let me know.

Thanks,

Jeff


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## ianjoub (Aug 3, 2014)

Jeff, I have never done it. I was planning a trip to Anclote key though. Have you ever been there? The charts indicate that there should be good anchorage there for an overnight...


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