Florida

The Florida Keys stretch 200 nautical miles from Key Biscayne to the Dry Tortugas and include favorite boating destinations such as Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, and Key West. They are aptly named, because they do offer the “keys” to a boating paradise unmatched anywhere in our lower 48 states. If you mention those two magic words — the Keys — to any boater in Florida, immediately what springs to mind are visions of sparkling clear waters, snorkeling, scuba diving, tickling for lobsters, deep-sea fishing, back-bay flats fishing, and simply relaxing and letting go. And fortunately for boaters, the Keys are easy to transit in all weather, day or night, because the naturally formed Hawk Channel is well marked for buoy hopping and offers comfortable passage when the seas are raging outside the reef in the Gulf Stream.

The Florida Gulf Coast stretches 550 nautical miles from Cape Sable, at the southern tip of the Everglades, to Perdido Key, which is the western border of the state’s panhandle. The Gulf of Mexico offers both enjoyable and challenging cruising. In the winter, on days when the winds are light, power boats rule. However, when a cold front passes through, the blustery northwest winds leave the waters free for experienced sailors with a reef in both their mainsail and genoa. During the summer, thermal heating onshore creates towering thunderheads and spectacular lightning displays in the early evening. That is the perfect time to be safely tucked in at the dock sipping a favorite cocktail. Fortunately for boaters, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway allows for safe cruising on back bays behind the barrier islands when the weather turns foul. Except for the open water passage across the Big Bend, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway provides a protected route from Sanibel Island to Perdido Key. The estimated mileages between destinations for this itinerary are calculated running coastwise on the Gulf.

Sunny by day, glittering by night, Florida is irresistible. The 1,350-mile coastline is the longest of any state in the mainland United States, and its unique heritage has had countless influences, with Native American, European, Latino, and African-American cultures among them. From the graceful charm of Fernandina Beach to the casual sassiness of Key West, Florida’s East Coast offers miles of diversity and many facilities for large yachts. In 2016, the regional marine impact for Broward, Palm Beach and Dade counties was $11.5 billion. There are more than 8,000 vessels in the world that are 80-plus feet, and 40 percent of them call Florida’s East Coast their homeport.