There are various ways you can arrive in paradise in style, from air travel to a high-speed catamaran trip along the Gulf Coast. Sail along the coast in your own schooner, or fly part way and drive the rest, exploring the local charm of each section of the Florida Keys.

BY AIR

Naturally, air travel is a popular option. Commercial and international flights make frequent jaunts from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale to smaller airstrips at Marathon and Key West. The Florida Keys Marathon Airport (MTH) is located at MM 52; the Key West International Airport (EYW) on S. Roosevelt Blvd. Marathon and Key West airports both accommodate private aircraft, and will allow pilots to land, park, and refuel at reasonable rates. Reservations may be required. For up-to-date information and rates, contact the Marathon airport at 305-289-6060 and the Key West airport at 305-296-5439.

Vacationers flying into Miami International Airport (MIA) then make the 160-mile trek to Key West by boat or auto, taking in the beauty of the upper keys along the way. Those touching down at the Ft. Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport (FLL) are 184 miles from Key West. National car rental agencies operate out of both airports. If you’re landing between late fall and the warmth of spring, consider reserving a car.

If you fly into Miami International or Fort Lauderdale airports and don’t want the expense or liability of a rental car, consider the Keys Shuttle, which operates six daily trips between these airports and locations on Key West, Big Pine Key, Marathon, Islamorada, Tavernier, and Key Largo. Vans accommodate nine passengers and can pick you up from your hotel, or outside an airport terminal. Best of all, you’ll never have to park, which can become quite an ordeal on the tiny isle of Key West. Reservations are required 24 hours or more in advance; call (305) 289-9997.

Luxury Limousine will pick you up – from any airport in Florida – and take you anywhere in the Florida Keys in style. Their sedans and limos can seat up to eight. Call 305-367-2329 for reservations.

If all you need is a ride from either of the island airports to your hotel, you probably won’t need reservations—just step out of the terminal and into the cab queue. Many taxi services operate in the Keys, and most will take you as far along US 1 as required. Shuttle vans are also available—they’re cheaper, but generally slower, too.

BY SEA

The Key West Express ferry service operates frequent trips between Key West and Fort Meyers Beach (year-round) and Marco Island (in season only). Cancellations due to inclement weather aren’t uncommon, but if the skies are clear this is one of the best and most memorable ways to make it to Key West, without the traffic hassles common along the 130 miles of the Overseas Highway. The three fast catamarans in the fleet cut across the waves to Key West in only 3 to 3.5 hours—during which time you can lounge on a sun deck, watch a movie, fix yourself a treat in the high-tech galley or full bar, or even try your luck at the slot machines. Call (888) 539-2628.

Another option for the skilled and intrepid is to take your own craft down along the Florida Keys beaches and bridges. If you’re going it alone, try to reserve a slip in advance. Nearly all Florida Keys marinas maintain docks for transient boaters, but most don’t have too many of these—private yachting clubs often only hold two or three transient slips, and those on a first-come, first-served basis. Also inquire about channel and slip depth, as some of the marinas are fairly shallow. Most marinas supply both 30- and 50-amp hook-ups, fresh water, and nearby shops and restaurants. Some offer laundry and bath house facilities, 100-amp power, cable & phone access, while others provide repair and maintenance services.

As an example, the Key West Bight maintains 33 deep-water transient slips for vessels up to 140 feet. Transient dockage rates are $2.20 per foot per day or $32.50 per foot monthly; $2.50 per foot per day, a five-day minimum stay, and 100% deposit during special events. Transient boats must be 30 feet or longer, and cannot stay for more than 120 days during a calendar year. Rates include water; electricity is metered. Garrison Bight, located on Key West’s quieter north end, charges less for dockage at its 30 transient slips, though the minimum vessel size is 70 feet. Contact the Key West city operator to be directed to the appropriate marina manager: 305-292-8200.

Rates are generally quoted by the foot, and additional charges such as taxes and live-aboard fees may apply. Minimum boat size, stay length, and cancellation policies vary from harbor to harbor.

Boaters frequently follow the Intracoastal Waterway (which has a 5-ft draft limitation) through the calmer waters of Florida Bay. As you move south, the red Intracoastal markers lie nearer the mainland, while the green markers separate you from the open sea (“red dirt, green sea” is a helpful mnemonic device). The Intracoastal allows relatively high-speed boating in the reef-wrought waters of the Florida Keys, where manatees and shallows present additional hazards. The Intracoastal is fairly narrow but also well-marked, so it’s not too difficult to follow.

Hawk Channel is a deeper, buoy-marked route on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Florida Keys, and, from the Middle Keys southward, is generally a better & safer channel than the Intracoastal. Hawk channel runs between the islands and the reefs – it follows to the south/east of the keys, and to the north/west of the coral beds. Though less clearly marked, Hawk Channel is wider and you’re less likely to run aground on sandbars and sea grass beds.

Obtain NOAA Nautical Charts (some useful ones include 11442, 11445, 11451, and 11441, & 11462) and make sure you’re familiar with nautical navigation. A depth finder is a very handy tool, and GPS device is indispensable. Currents surrounding the Florida Keys are often strong enough to know a boat off course, and possibly into shallow water. Wearing glare-reducing polarized sunglasses and knowing how to interpret water color as a gauge of depth can save your boat and Florida’s irreplaceable aquatic treasures.

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