The Virginia Key anchorage is the perfect staging point for a Gulf Stream crossing. Good holding in sand and gravel, protection from the banks to the South and an easy exit out the channel to the Gulf Stream. The channel markers are well lit and easy to follow for a night departure. If you get bad weather, there is an excellent anchorage just to the North- the Marine Stadium. We have sat through 50 knot blows and held steady. The only downside is that the bottom is mud and your anchor retrieval will be quite messy. Still woth the effort.