From what I've seen I would guess 75% or more loopers take the keys route.
For wilderness, a stop or two in the everglades is hard to beat. If you are shallow enough, consider a stop in Flamingo for a few days.
Boot Key Harbor in Marathon is kind fo the mecca for cruising snowbirds in the keys. If you are shall draft, I would suggest the inside passage with lots of easy runs and convient anchorages. Marinas are pricy in they keys so if you are budget minded, plan on anchoring out a bit more.
As you move up the east coast, Boca Chita in the Key Biscane National Park is a neat place to stop. Go midweek if you want it quieter as the Miami metro area seems to weekend there. It's fun on the weekends but you will probably have to raft off.
From Miami to West Palm Beach, I would consider waiting for good weather and running out in the ocean. It's a narrow waterway with a ton of big boats that do not slow down. It's still narrow north of there but the boat traffic thins out a lot.
You can duck in at Fort Lauderdale and hang out on the New River for a few days. It's fun watching the super yatchs get towed past and suprisingly cheap for dockage.
We haven't done the Okeechobee yet, so I can't add much to that.
Mike & Tammy
Valhalla II
>From what I've seen I would guess 75% or more loopers take the keys route.
For wilderness, a stop or two in the everglades is hard to beat. If you are shallow enough, consider a stop in Flamingo for a few days.
Boot Key Harbor in Marathon is kind fo the mecca for cruising snowbirds in the keys. If you are shall draft, I would suggest the inside passage with lots of easy runs and convient anchorages. Marinas are pricy in they keys so if you are budget minded, plan on anchoring out a bit more.
As you move up the east coast, Boca Chita in the Key Biscane National Park is a neat place to stop. Go midweek if you want it quieter as the Miami metro area seems to weekend there. It's fun on the weekends but you will probably have to raft off.
From Miami to West Palm Beach, I would consider waiting for good weather and running out in the ocean. It's a narrow waterway with a ton of big boats that do not slow down. It's still narrow north of there but the boat traffic thins out a lot.
You can duck in at Fort Lauderdale and hang out on the New River for a few days. It's fun watching the super yatchs get towed past and suprisingly cheap for dockage.
We haven't done the Okeechobee yet, so I can't add much to that.
Mike & Tammy
Valhalla II
