Browsing: Florida Keys

Destinations
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Hawks Cay: Popular Keys Resort

Hawks Cay Resort, sprawling over 60 acres in the Florida Keys, about half way between Miami and Key West, has become an increasingly popular boating destination. It’s easy to see why. First off, as the real estate saying goes, it’s all about location, location, location. The resort is on Duck Cay, mile marker 61, about 90 miles south of the Miami airport and 61 miles north of Key West. It’s just a bit north of Marathon, where you can cut under the bridge if you want to head up the Gulf Coast of Florida, and a bit south of Islamorada,…

Cruising Life
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NOAA Unveils Plan To Restore Reefs in Keys

Earlier this week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a historic new plan for restoring seven coral reefs in the Florida Keys. NOAA says the plan, called Mission: Iconic Reefs, is an effort to restore almost three million square feet of reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, stretching the length of the keys. The plan is one of the largest investments ever made for coral restoration. The reefs protect the keys, with five million visitors a year, from catastrophic storm surge, while providing some of the best-known destinations in the world for diving, snorkeling and fishing. But…

Cruising Life
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Florida Keys Open to Visitors on June 1

The Florida Keys will open to visitors on June 1, after being closed for almost two months to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The checkpoints on the access roads in the upper Keys will be lifted; the roads had been blocked off since late March to anyone who did not live or work there. The Keys are a major cruising destination, for people cruising on the Great Loop and for people who simply want to enjoy some of the best boating, fishing, diving, and most exotic locales, in the continental United States. Marinas that had been closed are now scheduled…

Cruising Life
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Key West: Home of the Colorful Conch Republic and a Great Cruising Destination

Key West is a lot of things. The Conch Republic. The end of the road, or at least the end of the 127-mile-long Overseas Highway. It’s irreverent, different, fun. And it’s colorful: Consider the daily scene where hundreds, or thousands, of people, plus various fire-eaters, jugglers and tightrope walkers, gather on Mallory Square to look for the green flash as the sun goes down. Or the annual Fantasy Fest parade (pictured above right) or the New Year’s Eve blowout (above left). Most of all, Key West is a great cruising destination. If you’re looking for a weekend or more, head…

Cruising Life
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Eight Months Later, Canals in the Florida Keys Are Still Clogged from Hurricane Irma

Eight months after Hurricane Irma, canals in the Florida Keys are still choked with debris, while county and Federal officials are debating how to pay for the cleanup. Meanwhile, according to the Miami Herald, the aftermath of the hurricane has also complicated the recovery of seagrass in Florida Bay. To date, only 16 canals in the Keys have been cleared, involving about 3,000 cubic yards of debris, leaving another 97,000 cubic yards (with everything from awnings to RVs) to go. The debris is blocking boats from using the canals; it also is blocking the canals for manatees and other marine…

Cruising Life
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After the Storm: Caribbean Status Update, Island by Island. Plus: What’s Open in the Keys

The storms that ravaged the Caribbean and the Florida Keys in September did not treat all areas the same. Some islands were almost totally destroyed (Barbuda, for example), while others (neighboring Antigua) were relatively spared. On the Florida Keys, Key West itself suffered flooding, while farther north, around Islamorada, damage was more widespread and severe. Here are two solid stories from The New York Times that give an update on conditions in the Caribbean and in the Keys today. In the Caribbean, The Times reports island by island (see the first link, below). In the Keys (see the second link), The…

Cruising Life
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5 Fun Things To Do with Kids in the Florida Keys

If you’re cruising in the Keys with your family, here are some great ideas from Drew White, the resident expert at Cannons Marina on Longboat Key. White spent summers there as a kid himself, and now lives there. You may have your own list, but here’s a good place to start: 1.Eat on the dock at Robbie’s Restaurant in Islamorada, and get a bucket of fish to feed the tarpon. 2.Visit the Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key, where there are hundreds of small deer. 3.Swim with the dolphins at Theatre of the Sea on Islamorada, a mini-theme park.…