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PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2016 4:38 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2015 3:57 pm
Posts: 5
I am a TI owner in Texas I'm thinking about heading to the keys to sail and camp for a week. I figure rather than drive and take 2 days with the trailer I'll just rent a TI there in Key Largo. Can anyone point me to good itineraries? Is it hard to find spots to camp or is it pretty open? I am used to backwoods open camping but not familiar with the rules in the keys (official, real, and social realities). Anyone able to point me to tips? Might bring my two my two teenaged boys for a trip they will remember. Anyone interested in joining an ecofriendly group? Any thoughts and help are appreciated.

Jason
2015 TI

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PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2016 8:30 pm 
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Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3062
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
Quite a few guys on this forum go into the everglades but only during the winter it seems, just too hot and buggy in the summer.
We live in SW florida, and also have a house in Key West, we mostly like to scuba dive and snorkel. We have our TI hardened for offshore. Sailing offshore off of key west is not for the faint of heart and can be rather dangerous without lots of local knowledge and experience. Besides Key West is not real sailing friendly, very few launches, narrow channels, very strong currents, and un predicible weather during the summer (sudden storms roll in many afternoons with no notice during rainy season. You see very few small sailboats like lasers and sunfish there (there is a good reason for that).
Further north places like bahia Honda, long key, key largo, horshoe key, etc are all a blast. Summer is off season so you can likely get into some of the campgrounds and resorts.
Most of the keys are developed and I don't know much about stealth camping down there (we only stay at resorts). It's pretty hot there in summer even at night it's in the 80's and very humid, even the natives all have ac.
We have stayed at the Hilton in Key Largo, and another one about 5 miles south of there, can't remember the name though. We have also stayed at Fiesta key a few times and moored our TI to the mooring balls a week or two at a time going out daily, we had a blast. At mm13 there is a place called blue water resort, we have stayed there a few times with our RV, there are canals and docks behind the campsite where we park our TI for the duration, then go out daily. Pennecamp an Bahia Honda are both great if you can get in (not likely).
Most of the resorts are on the gulf side, but all the fun stuff (diving and snorkling wise) is all on the atlantic side with darn few places to cross up around key largo. Crossing adams causeway from gulf to atlantic sides in a ti with no motor would be a nightmare.
Hope some of this helps
FE


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 4:36 am 
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Site Rank - Admiral

Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:43 am
Posts: 202
Location: Chalfont Pa
A year late on this one, but maybe this info will be useful to others in the future.
Just got back from Key Largo, rented at two places and I can recommend one. Florida Bay Outfitters
uses a rather disappointing bait and switch, their website shows rentals of AI and TI by the hour but they only rent
half day and full day. Big difference in price if you only want to go out for a few hours.
A quarter mile south is the Marriott Hotel, that rents both boats by the hour and their water access is much better.
Regardless next time we are bringing our boat down, too many really nice places to sail and easy to launch.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:57 pm 
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Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
Posts: 3062
Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
I had no idea about the Marriot, thanks for the tip
FE


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 11:13 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 4:30 am
Posts: 237
Location: Delnor Wiggins, Fl Peters Twp PA
fusioneng wrote:
I had no idea about the Marriot, thanks for the tip
FE

+1


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