06 · Florida · 7 nights
South Florida & the Dry Tortugas
From Biscayne Bay down the Keys to the empty anchorage off Fort Jefferson — 70 miles west of Key West, where the birds outnumber the boats.
Best season · November – May
The Chart
- 01Miami Beach
- 02Key Biscayne
- 03Fort Lauderdale
- 04Bimini
- 05Marathon
- 06Key West
- 07Dry Tortugas
Signature Moments
- Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas — 70 miles west of Key West, accessible only by boat or seaplane
- Mallory Square sunset celebration, Key West
- Stiltsville, Biscayne National Park
- Hemingway's house and the 6-toed cats
Day by Day
- 01Miami Beach Marina
Embark · Miami
- Morning
- Aboard by 1500.
- Afternoon
- Cruise the Miami skyline at golden hour — Star Island, the celebrity mansions of Indian Creek.
- Evening
- Dinner at COTE South Beach; nightcap aboard at anchor off Key Biscayne.
- 02Elliot Key
Stiltsville & Biscayne National Park
- Morning
- Tour Stiltsville by tender — six wooden houses on pilings in the middle of Biscayne Bay, Prohibition-era ghosts.
- Afternoon
- Snorkel the reefs of Biscayne National Park.
- Evening
- Private at-anchor dinner, no one for miles.
- 03Marathon, Florida Keys
Down the Hawk Channel
- Morning
- Long run south through the Hawk Channel.
- Afternoon
- Arrive Marathon. Dolphin Research Centre visit, or snorkel at Sombrero Reef.
- Evening
- Dinner at Keys Fisheries — stone crabs on paper-lined tables.
- 04Key West Bight
Key West
- Morning
- Short hop to Key West. Tour the Hemingway House and the Little White House.
- Afternoon
- Sunset at Mallory Square — buskers, acrobats, the ritual.
- Evening
- Dinner at Blue Heaven (in a courtyard with chickens underfoot).
- 05Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park
Crossing to the Dry Tortugas
- Morning
- Early departure — 70-mile run west. Arrive by noon. Anchor within the moat of Fort Jefferson.
- Afternoon
- Tour Fort Jefferson — 19th-century brick masonry fortress, held 1,000 Union soldiers through the Civil War. Snorkel the reef outside the moat.
- Evening
- The only sound is the wind. Stars like you haven't seen since childhood.
- 06Bush Key (Tortugas) → Key West
Dry Tortugas & Return
- Morning
- Bush Key is a seasonal bird sanctuary — 80,000 sooty terns in spring. Silent drift in the tender.
- Afternoon
- Afternoon passage back to Key West.
- Evening
- Last dinner at Louie's Backyard on the Atlantic side.
- 07Key West Bight
Key West · Disembark
- Morning
- Farewell breakfast aboard.
- Afternoon
- Depart from Key West International (EYW) by 1400.
- Evening
- —
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