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Comments from Cruisers (3) Add Comment

1. Russ -  April 6, 2013 - 3:57 pm

   Anchored 3/31/13 off south west anchorage. We were located right outside Plantation Yacht harbor in about 6 feet of water. A short dinghy ride to the beach at Founders Park.

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2. Claiborne -  April 25, 2011 - 2:55 pm

   Great little site, well protected from the south & east. Founder’s Park has a full marina with fuel, ice, and pump out station. There is a nice beach, tennis courts, pool, fields, amphitheater, and even a dog park.
   Bill Longstreth

   Reply to Claiborne
3. ron -  May 26, 2010 - 1:08 pm

   Grassy anchorage. Nothing special. But, the jet skis will drive you crazy.

   Reply to ron

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1. Dan -  January 27, 2014 - 2:42 pm

   Recently spent the night here and found it to be a very nice anchorage. Very well protected and quiet. I found the bottom to be grassy but got a good set on the anchor.
   Dan

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2. Erwan -  March 25, 2011 - 2:10 pm

   Very nice anchorage, quiet compared to the one on the other side of the Wilson Key. The bottom is very soft mud, so not very good in strong wind. Don’t go too far inside the bay, it becomes shallow very fast.
   We anchored there to visit the “Theater of the Sea”. It’s at a walking distance from the shore where it’s easy to dinghy. Ice, small grocery and Tiki bar very close.
   Erwan

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Comments from Cruisers (4) Add Comment

1. Mark Richter -  February 24, 2014 - 10:06 am

   Our favorite bar/restaurant in the keys is the Lorelei in Islamorada. It includes a small marina, and the local anchorage is 300 yds away. They have the best happy hour specials we have found, and there is nearly always live entertainment at the tiki bar from around 5PM on. There’s a nice small grocery a few blocks south, and the local public library another couple blocks south.
   Mark Richter

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2. Victor -  March 9, 2013 - 3:14 pm

   Anchored in the Southwestern part of Barley basin in light winds. Good holding and more than adequate depth for 5′ sailboat draft. Took 10 minute dinghy ride into Lor-e-li restaurant dock which was the quintessential beach restaurant/bar experience. Good food and service. Crowded at sunset. Live music on a Tuesday evening. Many more land patrons than boat patrons. All in all a very good experience.

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3. Claiborne -  May 7, 2010 - 9:43 am

   We also anchored off the Lor-E-Lei and went in for refreshments and dinner. It was early so we sat at the bar (in the shade) and had a few adult beverages and then had dinner. Dinner was OK except the Fritters were raw inside. We paid, no complaining, and headed to the outside to sit and listen to the entertainment which had just kicked off. One more beer and we were heading back to the boat. The Waitress rudely informed us that we could not sit out there unless we ordered food. No signs stating such. I told her that I had already spent 50 bucks with tip and she said,”I make my money from tips.” and told us we could not sit. Rude wait staff will always cause patrons to leave. Stay away from this place unless that is OK with you.
   John and Susan

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4. Claiborne -  August 17, 2009 - 11:31 am

   Islamorada is still great. We anchored there in clean 5 to 8 foot water for several days going down and back up. Great anchorage and Loreli’s still allows cruisers to land their dinghy’s there. The Tiki bar is great and the sunsets are still the same. Also nice place to eat but grab seat long before the sunset because it gets full then empties out (a bit).
   George

   Anchored out off the Loreli and took the dinghy in for refreshments. The marina looked full with long term residents. The beer and entertainment were fine.
   Bob and Toni Dorman

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1. Bob -  December 28, 2011 - 12:18 pm

   Little Basin is a nice anchorage if you don’t draw too much. I was able to hug the channel with a wing keel catalina drawing 4 feet. Stay close to the channel. Across the street is a great little restaurant. Ma’s Fish Camp. Great Bahamian Conch Chowder and fish dip. I am a snob for both and they have some of the best of both in the keys. The Key Lime pie is great and they will also make a salad and put grilled fish on it for you. North about one block up the street is the Keys Hurricane Memorial Park which is worth a visit for the history. Also a decent package store.
   Bob

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1. Victor -  February 16, 2013 - 3:39 pm

   Steamboat Channel and Shell Key
   From Plantation Key we headed towards Steamboat Channel. Prior to the Steamboat Channel, there was some sailor angst about shallow water at low tide even on the ICW Magenta line, but we never touched bottom. Steamboat Channel had adequate depth and we went through without any problems. Spent overnight on the northwest side of Shell Key. Good holding with a Delta plow anchor. There was only one mooring ball visualized and of course taken by late afternoon.

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2. John Byrne -  July 17, 2012 - 6:43 am

   We had good holding here in 5-15 knots from ESE through SW. Nice quiet anchorage that was almost bug-free too.

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1. Victor -  February 16, 2013 - 3:41 pm

   We spent a night on the western side of Lignumvitae Key due to east winds of 18-20 knots. We were well protected in the lee of this island with good holding in sand with our Delta plow anchor. There was again, only one mooring ball at the northern tip of the key and since it was very exposed to the east wind we decided not to use it.
   Victor

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2. Claiborne -  March 25, 2011 - 2:02 pm

   Spent one night there on March 13. [2011] I found only 1 mooring ball.
   Erwan

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3. Claiborne -  February 12, 2011 - 9:48 am

   We dropped the anchor on 11/28/2010 at 2:30am and we really enjoyed the place in the morning when sun came up!! It’s peaceful and beautiful. The wind was East.
   Erwan

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4. Jean Thomason (DOVEKIE) -  March 19, 2010 - 4:53 pm

   Lignumvitae House and Tour continue to be only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One can visit and walk around the house area only on Mondays and Thursdays. The outside of the dock is available to tie up but watch the depth – I think it was under five feet. We tied to a mooring ball on 3-11-2010 – there are only two left.

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5. Claiborne -  August 17, 2009 - 10:24 am

   Lingumvitae Mooring. Weʼve stopped here twice. With a south wind it was peaceful, with a north east it was very bouncy. A few moorings are sheltered around the south west side but theyʼve always been taken.
   Bob and Toni Dorman

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6. Claiborne -  August 14, 2009 - 9:59 am

   Cruising News: Question 31 We stayed 2 nights on the state mooring off Lignumvitae Key (2/1 – 2/2/09). There were 4 moorings available. Took the dinghy to Robbie\’s Marina to feed the tarpons. We came through Channel 5 with no problem, but weren\’t as lucky when we went through Bowlegs…very shallow water. We left on high tide 2 days later and had no problem.
   RL & Karen
   s/v Last Call
   45′ Island Trader 5 1/2′ draft

   Reply to Claiborne
7. Claiborne -  August 13, 2009 - 3:09 pm

   Subject: Lignumvitae Key
   Cruising News: Today we enjoyed an interesting and informative tour at Lignumvitae Key and would like to update you on the current status of this park. Tours have been cut back from 5 to 3 days a week – now only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 10am and 2pm. We were told this is due to current economic conditions, that many of the Florida state parks are being cut back or closed, and to contact our legislators to help keep our parks open. We also noted only 3 moorings where there used to be 5 (there is also plenty of room to anchor). This is a great stop for anyone cruising through the Keys. We came up from Marathon on the bay side and never saw less than 6 feet.
   Pam and Frank
   aboard s/v Blackfoot

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Comments from Cruisers (4) Add Comment

1. Mary Dixon -  May 5, 2012 - 10:36 am

   Matecumbe Bight. Anchored here May 5, 2012. Things were good until shortly before dark. Fishing boats started buzzing us. One came so close to our bow that I thought he was going to hit us. One boat stopped by and told us we were in the fishing boats “runway.” So, even though it was dark, we pulled up anchor and moved farther NE behind the mangroves. There apparently is a creek that you can see on the chart, but not the naked eye, the fishing boats use.

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2. Claiborne -  February 23, 2011 - 11:19 am

   Nice spot….good for anything but strong north winds. You might even have it to yourself.
   Dan

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3. ron -  May 26, 2010 - 1:15 pm

   This is one of our favorite Keys anchorages. For some reason, the water is always clear, even on the turn of the tides, and the holding is superb. We frequently check our bottom here with the excellent visibility and is a nice place to take a dip. We have rarely seen other boats here. Even if the wind switched from the West, we wouldn’t worry as the most you’d get is a bumpy 2-3 foot chop. There is nothing available here to the cruiser.

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4. Hank Haeseker -  July 17, 2009 - 8:20 pm

   June 2009, found good holding and depths as shown on chart.

   Reply to Hank

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