FLORIDA KEYS YACHTING
stiltsville
boca chita
What better way to enjoy this small jewel than with a cruise on your charter yacht! Boca Chita Harbor is small, and offers space for anchorage if you are early enough. If not, anchor offshore.
Take a few hours with your charter and enjoy the half-mile hiking trail, beautiful views, sea breezes, fishing, and swimming off the beach in Boca Chita’s delightful crystal waters.
The most notable site on Boca Chita is the 65-foot lighthouse on the island’s western side built in the 1930’s by the island’s original private owner. The lighthouse is not illuminated and is not an official lighthouse for navigation, but when opened by the National Park Service, provides great views of Miami and the Keys.
Enjoy Boca Chita Key and the Atlantic Ocean on your charter yacht vacation!
“kokomo dream”
Kokomo Dream is our introduction to the more northern Florida Keys. You’ll travel by charter yacht to islands approximately 15 miles offshore that are only accessible by private boat. After boarding the yacht in Miami in the morning, we’ll begin by cruising south past Virginia Key and Key Biscayne.
Soldier Key is the first key south of Key Biscayne and lies almost alone. Named for the soldiers who lived there while building the lighthouse at Fowey Rock, this quiet key is a good spot for snorkeling.
The Ragged Keys will be our next encounter. This chain of six small islands is rife with numerous channels which provide outlets that keep Biscayne Bay from excessively high tides in the area.
Sands Key is the next Key south, and actually looks like a car key or house key from an aerial view. Sands Key has an undulating shoreline of coves that inspires plenty of exploration.
Your Kokomo Dream cruise will continue southward to Elliott Key. Elliott Key is Biscayne National Park’s largest island and measures a narrow seven miles long. Camp sites are available on Elliott Key, as well as picnicking, swimming, wildlife watching, fishing, hiking, and 36 boat slips. Elliott Key stands out from the previous keys because it is the only one with drinking water.
Just on the southwest side of Elliott Key lies Adams Key. It contains a boat landing, picnic area and nature trail. Some remains indicate where homes for the wealthy stood in the 1920s and 1930s.
The last area to see before we turn and cruise back to the mainland includes Caesar’s Creek, a channel south of Elliott Key and Adams Key that connects Biscayne Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. Islands we’ll view just south of Caesar’s Creek include Rubicon, Reid, Porgy and Rhodes Keys.
key largo
islamorada
Nicknamed the “Sport Fishing Capital of the World,” Islamorada delights anglers with the best of both worlds – deep sea fishing for sailfish and tuna in the Atlantic Ocean, or back country fishing in Florida Bay for permit and tarpon.
Diving from your charter yacht in these tropical Florida waters reveals a rich marine life of eels, nurse sharks, French grunt and goatfish among the numerous coral reefs and shipwrecks. Bring your underwater camera to photograph the only tropical coral reef in the continental United States. Islamorada is also home to the History of Diving Museum.
Cruising south on the Atlantic Ocean side, you’ll find Treasure Harbor, followed further south by Whale Harbor Restaurant and Marina, which is across from Windley Harbor on the Bay side. When you are ready to disembark from your Florida rental yacht , other attractions include the Theater of the Sea Marine Mammal Park, and Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, site of a former coral quarry.
Probably the most well known attraction on Islamorada is the 12.5 acre Holiday Isle Beach Resort & Marina and the Islamorada Hotel. This popular resort complex has everything for your yachting vacation, from a full service marina to lively bars, eight restaurants including the Horizon, a wedding venue, and the World Famous Tiki Bar, where the popular “rum runner” drink originated. Top off your visit to Islamorada by shopping for gifts, souvenirs or something just for yourself at the Villages’ many boutiques and galleries.
From parks to harbors to a famous watering hole, your Florida charter yacht rental vacation is a tropical pleasure in Islamorada.
duck key
The amenities of Hawks Cay are offered to marina guests. A beautiful salt water lagoon with beach is a great place to while away the hours when you disembark from your charter yacht . Hawks Cay also offers a Dolphin Connection attraction, a fly fishing academy and other nature related activities. A TV show called The Saltwater Experience is filmed at Duck Key – maybe you can catch it live. Popular fishing tournaments for sailfish and tarpon are held on Duck Key every year. Shops and services will have anything you need to make your charter trip more pleasurable.
Your charter cruise to Duck Key is sure to be full of sparkling waters, relaxation, and some of the best attractions the Keys have to offer.
marathon
The Islands of Marathon were originally used as support towns and railroad station sites for the construction of Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad. Marathon offers plenty of exploration for your yacht party as you visit its many islands including Boot Key, Knight Key, Hog Key, Vaca Key, Stirrup Key, Crawl and Little Crawl Key, East and West Sister’s Island, Deer Key and Fat Deer Key, Long Pine Key and Grassy Key.
The primary marina of Marathon is in centrally-located Boot Key Harbor and is called City Marina. It hosts 226 mooring balls that can accommodate boats up to 45’ or 60’. Dinghy dockage is also available. Another marina is Sombrero Resort & Lighthouse Marina located conveniently near Sombrero Beach, a public beach with picnic tables and a playground.
Are you itching for a vacation catch of snapper, grouper, tarpon, or mahi-mahi? Fishing is one of Marathon’s main attractions. Whether offshore, reef fishing, back country or flats fishing appeals, you’ll find easy access to either the Atlantic Ocean or Florida Bay.
Family attractions in the Islands of Marathon are headlined by special events including the Original Seafood Festival every March and Conchtober Fest in September. Visit the Turtle Hospital, the Dolphin Research Center, or for a day full of historical and archeological interest, enjoy Crane Point Hammock.
You can fill several days with all the activities in the Islands of Marathon, or just stretch out and relax in your luxury Florida rental yacht in the tropical Florida Keys sun.
key west
little palm island
Only five acres, Little Palm Island is known for its Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, named by Travel + Leisure magazine as one of the top resorts in the world. It is pricey, and it’s obvious that no amenity has been overlooked, from the beautifully appointed spacious bungalows, pool, and Zen Garden to the full serivce spa. The islet is a popular wedding spot and is known for its fine dining – reservations required. Though the resort is private, visitors can dock at the resort’s marina and enjoy the pool, powdery white sand beach, swimming and snorkeling, and water sports equipment. Children under 16 are not permitted, and in the interest of peace and quiet, no television or telephones are allowed.
You’ll also want to cruise in your rental boat to Looe Key National Park, where the snorkeling or scuba diving sights rival anywhere in the Florida Keys. An artificial reef created by a sunken ship adds extra exploration opportunities nearby.
Little Palm Island may be small, but this day cruise from Miami will be a big hit during your charter yacht vacation.
dry tortugas
Located 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, the Dry Tortugas is now a national park and consists of Garden Key, Loggerhead Key, Bush Key, Long Key, East Key, Hospital Key and Middle Key. Because this cluster of islands, measuring approximately 80 square miles, lies in the area of water that connects the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, it was used heavily in the 1800s by the Spanish as a popular shipping channel. There is no fresh drinking water, fuel or food in the islands, and no marinas.
Your yacht charter trip should include the impressive Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, one of the largest 19 th century American masonry coastal forts. A national monument, Fort Jefferson has a circa-1826 lighthouse, a moat, a campground, historic parade grounds, and picnic grounds.
Loggerhead Key is only accessible by private boat or your charter yacht . A second Dry Tortugas lighthouse was built on Loggerhead Key in 1856 to help guide ships. The grounds are available for walking around but the lighthouse is not available for tours. The pier is not open for public dockage, so wading or a dinghy are in order. No jet skis are allowed.
The Dry Tortugas offers other sights as well. Boat over to Bush Key which is known as a bird sanctuary and the only US home of the sooty Tern. You may encounter the 46-square mile ecological preserve that protects the marine resources of Dry Tortugas National Park. Sport fishing for tarpon or dolphin is also popular here. And, this unique natural landscape offers sea grass beds, sea turtle and bird nesting habitats.
Your trip to the Dry Tortugas offers plenty of sights, quiet solitude and cruising opportunities for your luxury charter yacht vacation.