Wanting to travel the Keys, looking for help and info

Hey guys, new to the Hobie way of life and this forum. I am a born-again sailor, did sailing camp for a few years during the summer when I was little, then had a sudden epiphany and decided to really get into it during this past summer, and bought a Hobie 18. I'm 20 years old now and I guess I'm a bit of a newbie, but I'm wanting to plan a Florida Keys trip with a friend. I've been doing some research, and any tips from personal experience is very welcome. Really would want to get a 21 Sport Cruiser and do it, but they're so dang hard to find.

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-Andrew
1982 Hobie 18

It all kind of where in the keys you plan to go, Key West is nice but not real sailing friendly (not a lot of good places to launch and parking is a real (censored)).
I would refrain from going too far out west from Key West, it's very shallow most everywhere and can be dangerous out there (smugglers and drug runners, and coral heads), don't land on the remote islands. Get the Dry Tortugas out of your mind right away, it's too far and way too dangerous especially this time of year with winds from the north, even in the summer unless your with a really seasoned group with support ships, it's just not worth the risks especially alone.
We like to launch south of the island (there is a concrete ramp near Higgs beach), it's relatively safe south of the island, and you can jump off and snorkel pretty much anywhere (it's all pretty shallow). Just don't go out too far without lots of local knowledge, going 5 miles out to the reefs might sound inviting, but can be dangerous (it sucks to be blown out to sea, Key west is a just tiny dot in the giant ocean).
I would stay away from Mallory square, the current there is intense and there is way too much boat traffic (including cruise ships lol).
North west of the island is very shallow with extremely narrow channels (really hard to tack), and kind of boring up there.
You can't circle the island without dropping your mast BTW.
Up in Key Largo most of the nice resorts are on the gulf side, but most of the cool diving and fun stuff is on the atlantic side, only one place to go across (way south) to the other side unless you want to drop your mast and travel the Adams causeway (not recommended, it's a torturous 2-3 mile paddle, (no sail)). I'm sure there are places to launch on the atlantic side, we just haven't found any yet.
We have stayed at Fiesta Key (around mm 78) they have mooring balls just off shore where you can keep your boat for the week, and go out a few times a day from there (we stayed in cabins there).
I've heard it's nice around Bahia Honda but we didn't have our boat with us when we stayed there.
One of our fav places is Blue Water resort at mm 13. They have campsites in the off season, and have canals going to each camp site. We just docked our boat there for two weeks, and went out on day trips every day, the place is gorgous.
Hope this helps
FE

Wow, thanks for the info! I've never actually been to the keys, so I have no knowledge of them. The most sailing I've done is putt around on this puddle we call a lake here in central Louisiana. I was thinking about launching somewhere between the central and northern part of the keys and the. Sailing down to wherever I decided and turning back, camping or lodging along the way. Why do you say stay away from the remote islands? Is it possible to beach somewhere and throw up a tent?
-Andrew

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-Andrew
1982 Hobie 18

It can get dangerous out in the remote islands to the west. Smugglers and drug runners, we were warned by several captains to stear clear of the remote uninhabited islands and to never land on them, I have no clue if true, scared us enough to stay away.
FE

I'm contemplating a similar trip. Putting in somewhere around Key Largo and heading towards KW, probably using the state park campgrounds (Curry Hammock and Bahia Honda). Camping is not allowed in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge (which basically encompasses everything other than the keys that are on US1). It is allowed in the Dry Tortugas as that is a National Park, but that is a trip for a bigger boat than mine. I understand it is common for cruising boats to anchor in the remote keys, such as the Marquesas Keys, and there are fishing/diving charters running out there also so I don't know how fusion's warning relates to that.

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'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages

AntonLargiader, which side do you launch on, Gulf or Atlantic? Is is possible to switch sides under the highway? I hate to badger you guys with so many questions, but I'm a little virgin when it comes to these things. Another thing, I was starting to taste the idea of rigging up some sort of platform made from pvc with some mesh material stretched between it and mount it in front of the mast stretching between the hulls so I can store some gear and supplies. Any thoughts?

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-Andrew
1982 Hobie 18

I have no direct knowledge of sailing there, I just want to do it, same as you. There are campgrounds all along the ocean side of the Keys and I can't imagine there wouldn't be a way to put the boat in at one of them. I have a Hobie 16, and would probably use that, but a Getaway would probably be a better boat for it. It has a forward tramp like you describe, with plenty of bouyancy and tough plastic hulls.

Rigging a forward tramp on an 18 is a question for 18 owners, but I doubt you'll get much support for the idea.

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'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages

Not necessarily a forward tramp, really just a place to put things on. Maybe about two feet long at most. Not trying to home make a getaway or anything like that. Not having wings on my 18 will really make things cramped if I have another person and all our stuff on the same trampoline.

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-Andrew
1982 Hobie 18

Rigging something forward of the tramp/mast/fwd crossbar is fine if it's kept small, light, and close to the forward crossbar for trim reasons (more on that in my response to your other post).

I don't know anything about the Keys, but I'd highly recommend spending a month or two learning the in's and out's of catamaran sailing before going on such an adventure. Maybe adventure on local lakes and in the gulf on a calm day, remaining close to shore and other boaters who can help you out in a jam. I wouldn't go on an offshore adventure without being very comfortable with the boat and confident in my ability to sail her, and especially how to right the boat in a capsize. It's not terribly difficult to capsize on accident, and if you can't right the boat, it could be extremely dangerous. Note that any addition or modification for carrying supplies could make righting more difficult and lead to "turtling" the boat, which is much more difficult to recover from. Anything you bring along should be waterproofed, as there isn't a place on the boat (not even inside the hull ports) where things won't get wet. For an "offshore" adventure, you'll want at a minimum a hand powered bilge pump, oar, VHF radio, and preferably a friend on a powerboat or jet ski that can shadow you or come looking for you if you don't make it to your intended destination after a reasonable amount of time. Let someone know where you're going and when you expect to make it there, and make sure they can go looking for you if you don't show up. Or find another Hobie sailor and sail together, so you can both watch out for each other! It'd also help to be somewhat familiar with the area and the local weather patterns, so you can plan whether you'll be primarily upwind, downwind or reaching enroute to your destination, where the shoals are that might tear off rudders & transoms or damage daggerboards and wells, or the places to avoid out of safety concerns, as fusioneng mentioned.

This may all be fairly obvious, but I suppose my whole point is just to make sure you have the skills for such a trip before leaping into it. Catamarans do handle somewhat differently from monohulls and dinghy's. The fundamentals are the same, but there are tricks of the trade when it comes to tacking, jibing, downwind sailing, etc. I'd recommend picking up "Catamaran Racing for the 90's," as I learned a lot about how to be more proficient at sailing my H18!

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Mike

'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238

I knew I was going to going to have to bring some sort of radio, I just didn't know where to start and have never used one. Any pointers on battery power? I know for sure I am going to get some experience this summer. I have a lake a few minutes from my house that I have only ever sailed in. I also have some work to do on the boat itself, just going to need to learn all the technical stuff about the rigging and parts.

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-Andrew
1982 Hobie 18

You're going to want to look for a hand held VHF radio (like these http://www.westmarine.com/handheld-vhf-radios). Some float, some don't. Most should be waterproof. Bear in mind that the range is only about 10 miles, so if you can't see any boats on the horizon, a handheld VHF won't get you very far. Batteries usually last ~8 hrs on a charge, so perhaps if you're planning a longer trip, keep it off until you need it. Channel 16 for distress, 68 for general calling.

When I had my boat on Lake Michigan, I carried a handheld waterproof VHF radio, flares, and a compass. If you get out of sight of land or it gets foggy or dark, the compass is necessary. As long as your radio is charged up, just keep it turned off if you are going to be out all day. Turn it on to check weather reports (mine got the NOAA weather stations). Keep the radio attached to you, not the boat. If you fall off and lose the boat, the boat can't call for help! Not a bad idea to carry a bright waterproof flashlight on you for the same reason.

Thanks for the information on the Keys, FE. I've dived there, and my wife and I are taking a few days there in a couple of months, but won't have the boat. But as retirement looms, I can anticipate a Keys sailing trip in the winter!

Completely off topic for FE: is practical fusion energy still 20 years away? That's what they used to say when I booted protons at Los Alamos National Laboratory 30 years ago.

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Yet another Bob!
"Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker
"Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft)
Too many canoes and kayaks

I have rigged a pickup truck AirGate in front of my crossbar. It is the web tail gate they make for trucks. Fits an 18 perfectly. Strong. Not to big just drilled the supports into the combing And was good to go. Great for all the day gear keeps the tramp clear.