Key West Cruiser Logistics (no marina information included)

January 2022

Key West has an allure for cruisers as it is the southernmost point of the USA. It is a party town with wonderful restaurants and lots of attractions for every interest. However, for cruisers who prefer the economical options of anchoring out or staying on a mooring ball instead of a using a marina, the everyday logistics can be challenging. There is plenty of online information about tourist opportunities in Key West, but less information is available regarding accessing the town as a cruiser.

Mooring balls from Garrison Bight Marina

The mooring field seems to be a fairly secure place to hang in Key West.  However, while there are 180 balls, it can be difficult to secure one as they are first come, first serve. We were told the best way to obtain a ball is to anchor in the area and use binoculars to determine who is leaving each day. If a cruiser is preparing to leave, ask if they will put your fender on the mooring ball before they depart. Then go into Garrison Bight City Marina and pay for the ball:  $20.61 a day or $362.59 a month. While this seems like a feasible plan, we were also told by locals that the anchor holding in this area is suspect. So watching the mooring field from your anchored boat may be difficult.

Garrison Bight Dinghy Dock

If you are lucky enough to secure a mooring ball, you are allowed to use the dinghy dock at Garrison Bight for no additional charge. This dinghy dock is convenient if you want to go to the grocery store. However, it is further from the heart of things in the downtown area. It is about a 17-minute walk to Key West. Please note: this dock is not available to others anchored around Key West. It serves only those who are moored on a ball.

Key West Bight Marina Dinghy Dock

The public dinghy dock is in front of the Turtle Kraals restaurant in the Key West Bight. Before docking, stop at the dockmaster’s office and pay for a sticker which is $8 a day, $40 a week or $97 for a month. It should be noted that a “month” is a chronological month which begins on the 1^st. So it may not be economical to pay a monthly rate if you arrive in the middle of the month. While this dock is not near the major grocery stores, it is right in the heart of the tourist area.

Trash

You can deposit bags of trash behind Turtle Kraals at the trash compactor site. It is one of the few places we have found that encourages you to separate your trash from recycling material.

Anchorages (Information depicted here are based on our experiences, or gathered from local input and Active Captain; results may vary depending on your current conditions)

There are pros and cons to every anchorage around Key West. One of the pros is that pump-out is free anywhere in the anchorages. You just need to sign up with the dockmaster.

There are multiple cons that are true for most of the anchorages. First, many anchorages are extremely crowded. So letting out enough scope to be secure in a blow is difficult because of limited swing room. Second, there are live-aboards who are either attached to homemade mooring balls or multiple anchors which makes them swing differently than those on a single anchor. Third, the current changes directions 4 times day, which frequently causes boats to lie in opposition to the wind. Thus, finding space and swing room can be challenging. Basically, holding can be marginal in most of the anchorages in 20+ knot wind. The dockmaster recommended 10 to 1 scope, but this is impossible in the crowded anchorages.  In fact, when we determined there was going to be a 40-knot blow, we decided to leave Key West for a bit and go to Big Pine Key where we would feel protected.

1. Fleming Key Cut: West of Fleming Key on the south end

We like to anchor in this location even though it has several cons that make it unattractive at times.

Pros

• Short dinghy ride to Key West Bight dinghy dock and town
• Predominant wind from the NE-SE; well protected in these conditions
• Holding is good

Cons

• May be crowded and some locals secured to homemade mooring balls which may not swing the same as other boats. Water is fairly deep, about 25-27 feet. If you put out enough scope,  be mindful that the current may set you very close to someone on a ball
• Wind and current often do not align; may find yourself not lying with the wind causing the anchorage to be rollie
• With cold fronts, the wind blows from the W-NW; these conditions are challenging because boats are more likely to drag.

2. Fleming Key and Fleming North: West Side of Fleming Key, north end

Pros

• Holding is adequate
• Current is not as strong as in Fleming Cut

Cons

• Locals indicated that there is debris in the area so be sure to get a good set
• Longer dingy ride to Key West Bight
• Do not anchor inside the restricted area or you may be ticketed

3. Wisteria Island Southeast

Pros

• Short ride into Key West Bight
• Shallow with adequate holding

Cons

• We were told not to anchor here by a local as homeless people live on the island and there is thievery in the area
• It is subject to wakes from boats in the channel

4. Wisteria Island West side (not indicated on Navionics)

Pros

• Protected by shallow water

Cons

• Seems like it would be open to the wind from all directions
•  LONG dingy ride into the Key West Bight

5. Wisteria Island Northwest

Pros

• The shallow water provides relief from the current and waves
• Less rollie because boats set mostly to the wind

Cons

• Shallow 8-9 feet
• Holding can be suspect in more than 12 knots of wind
• Further dinghy ride into Key West Bight

Stores

There are several grocery stores on North Roosevelt Blvd, Winn Dixie and two Pulblixs. They are over two miles from the dinghy dock at Key West Bight (closer to the Garrison Bight dinghy dock). We walked to the Winn Dixie, but Ubered back with the groceries to Key West Bight which cost about $12.50.

A specialty market, Fausto’s Food Palace is about ½ mile from Turtle Kraals. They can be more expensive but have most of the basics.

There are several CVS stores near Duval Street. One is open 24 hours and has a pharmacy, the other one does not have a pharmacy, but carries other items you would expect.

Several hardware stores are in walking distance. One is right across the street from the Key West Bight: Key West Marine Hardware. There is an Strunk Ace Hardware that is about ½ mile from the Key West dinghy dock. The Home Depot is located about 2 miles away from Key West Bight, across North Roosevelt Blvd from Winn Dixie.

West Marine is a quick walk either from Key West Bight (.1 mile) or Garrison Bight (.7 mile).

Laundry

The Hilltop Laundry (629 Eaton St) is only a third of a mile from the dingy dock in Key West Bight. The Key West Launderette (912A Kennedy Drive) is located near one of the Publixs. It is 1.7 miles from the Garrison Bight Marina.

Mail

Unless you are staying at a marina, the only place we could find to receive packages that were not UPS or Fedex specific was at Pak Mail located on 4^th street about a block from North Roosevelt Blvd. They will hold a package for you for $15. This seems expensive, but we didn’t find a better option. There are several US Post Offices and one is located at Whitehead and Eaton Streets.

Transportation

Key West has lots of options to get around. Most of the town is accessible by foot, but there are lots of places to rent bicycles, golf carts, or scooters. There also is a free hop on, hop off bus service which covers the Duvall loop. It takes about 45 minutes for the whole route and has 17 stops. A bus arrives about every 20 minutes. In addition, Ubers or taxis are readily available.

Using Key West Transit, you can ride a bus to Marathon for $4.00. Other buses provide transportation around Key West and Stock Island: a north route and a south route.

We hope you will find the information you need to make your stay in Key West easier while moored or anchored. If you have other logistical information that could assist cruisers, be sure to include it in the comments section below and I will update the post.

 

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