Islamorada

Paradise in Purple

Sun-kissed days and mild tropical

nights define this Florida Keys favorite

Whether you set course for a “gotta get away” weekend or an idyllic extended stay, Islamorada is a wonderfully near yet far destination that offers endless experiences. From fishing to diving, sampling the culinary tastes of the Keys, or relaxing poolside at a quaint cottage or all-inclusive resort, Islamorada is a memorable destination. This might be the only place on Earth where it’s possible to venture into the backcountry in the morning, stalking bonefish, permit, tarpon, and snook in just inches of water and then tag a sailfish in the Gulf Stream after lunch.
Islamorada bids boaters to enjoy an easy Florida Keys cruise; the crystal clear, shallow waters afford the option to “sight navigate” depths during most of the trip, but the abundant yet fragile coral requires a GPS and applicable charts for reference. A departure from Miami provides a magnificent excursion along a southwesterly course. If  weather turns foul, you can choose to make the entire trip in protected water by choosing the inside route cruising down the “backside” of the Keys as the locals call it.
If you opt for the inside passage, your 69 statute mile route via the ICW takes you under Miami’s Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge on a heading of 193 degrees to the Featherbeds passing along Biscayne National Park. You’ll make your way past the initial islets of the Florida Keys chain–Soldier Key, Ragged Keys, Boca Chita with its lighthouse, Sands and Elliott Key. Exiting the Featherbeds, head to the western mark for Caesar’s Creek, which also offers direct access to the Atlantic Ocean.

The beauty of the Keys unfolds as you cruise south through Card Sound, passing Angelfish Creek, under the Card Sound Bridge and through mangrove-lined Jewfish Creek. Here you’ll see a new attraction–the impressive 65-foot high fixed Jewfish Creek Bridge—as you enter Blackwater Sound, which narrows into Dusenbury Creek and Grouper Creek before spilling out into Buttonwood Sound.
The alternative is to simply set your course for a stunning outside run via the majestic cobalt waters of the Atlantic or the more calm stretch of Hawk Channel inside the reef line.
Islamorada, named by early Spanish explorers who visited the shores of this 20-mile slice of paradise, used “isla” and “morado (purple)” to describe magnificant sunsets and brilliant purple bougainvillea so abundant here.
Now known as the Sport-Fishing Capital of the World, Islamorada actually encompasses Plantation, Windley, Upper and Lower Matecumbe, and Long Keys. The area lures aficionados to its unique locale between the “backcountry” waters of Florida Bay and the sparkling Atlantic Ocean where the catch of the day ranges from seasonal sailfish and marlin, to kingfish, wahoo, dolphin, tuna, and grouper.
But these islands are so much more than fishing. The pristine water welcomes enthusiasts to a dazzling underwater world of amazing snorkeling and diving opportunities. Islamorada is home to breathtaking reefs–Davis, Conch, Alligator, and Pickles–as well as Crocker Wall and the Aquarium and Fish Bowl. Each provides thrilling adventures that most every level of diver can enjoy. Experienced adventure seekers can explore the hulk of the 287-foot Eagle, now an artificial reef 60 to 100 feet below the surface.
Marinas dotting this nautical highway include Tavernier Creek Marina (MM 90.8 bayside), Holiday Isle Marina (MM 84.5 oceanside), and the renovated 90-slip Plantation Yacht Harbor (MM 87 bayside). Bud ’n Mary’s Fishing Marina (MM 79.8 oceanside) has greeted charter captains since 1944. Lorelei Restaurant/Islamorada Yacht Basin (MM 82 bayside) also has a neat anchorage site that offers splendid sunset views. The old Max’s Marine bayside location is undergoing a dramatic $10 million transformation into Watermark Islamorada. This full-service marina at MM 80.5 bayside, has plans to open as a semi-private facility anchored by the 9,000-square-foot Watermark Yacht Club. However, memberships aren’t required for standard boat repair service; the same goes for renting rack space or wet slips. Remember, the Florida Keys are a no discharge zone.
For those who prefer to spend time on shore, or who have trailered a small boat, a variety of accommodations beckon guests with landside hospitality. Casa Morada is an upscale 16 suite resort on Florida Bay, while The Moorings Village provides impeccable cottages overlooking 1,100 square feet of white sandy beach. There’s Chesapeake Resort, a lively oceanfront retreat of guestrooms and villas adjacent to Whale Harbor Restaurant and Marina or the Pines and Palms Resort featuring laid-back Keys style cottages and suites, along with dockage and boat ramp for boats up to 32 feet.
The famed Cheeca Lodge and Spa re-opens later this month. Its luxurious new four-story building houses 840 square-foot suites, an expansive indoor-outdoor lobby lounge, two restaurants, and an exercise club with sun deck.
The trip wouldn’t be complete without stops at local tourist meccas: the Tiki Bar at Holiday Isle Resort and Marina (MM 84.5 oceanside) serves up legendary Rum Runners. Swim with dolphins at Theater of the Sea (MM 84.7 oceanside) and schedule time to feed the giant silver-hued tarpon that gather around the docks of Robbie’s Marina (MM 77.5 bayside). The History of Diving Museum (MM 83) is a fun diversion. Indulge in a shopping excursion at World Wide Sportsman and grab a light bite upstairs at Zane Grey Lounge overlooking the marina. Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, offshore near MM 78.5 bayside is accessible only by boat. The island features a virgin hardwood hammock, an early Florida Keys pioneer family home and a stone wall believed to have been built by Native Americans.
So, chart your course for a southerly cruise. The eclectic sights and sounds of the Florida Keys invite you to experience the unique beauty of its Purple Isles with a stay in Islamorada. A sunset is waiting.
For further information, check out islamoradachamber.com or fla-keys.com.

Islands of Sparkling Bays

The Spanish Virgin Islands are the

best cruising grounds you’ve never known

Situated 29 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Fajardo is known as La Metrópolis del Sol Naciente (the city that guards the sun). Fajardo is the jumping off point for cruising the Spanish Virgin Islands. It is the major boating center of the eastern half of the island. The area’s beautiful beaches feature calm, clear water for snorkeling. Because Puerto Rico has few rivers, and none flowing to the eastern coast, the water and reefs remain free of sediment.
Even those who don’t boat are often drawn to Fajardo for the views from Las Cabezas (the headlands), a series of three ridges stretching into the ocean that give way to fantastic coral reefs. El Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan, a carefully restored 1880s-era lighthouse, sits on one of the ridges and offers spectacular views, not only of the sea but of the mountains beyond San Juan.

The Spanish Virgin Islands begin just beyond Fajardo with a series of uninhabited coral islets–Icacos, Palominos, Palominitos and the foreboding Cayo Diablo. Beyond lay the larger inhabited islands of Vieques, Culebra and Culebrita and Luis Peña. With hills to climb, nearly empty anchorages and far less development than the BVI’s, they offer the cruiser or charter sailor a unique landfall. These are U.S. territories so no check-in is required if sailing from the U.S.V.I.
Almost equidistant between Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, the seven-mile long Culebra is the fortunate center of a miniature archipelago of 23 isles that was a haven for pirates in the 18th century, others raided its beaches for huge leatherback turtles. In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt established the Culebra Naval Reserve and in 1909 the area was designated a bird refuge. Oddly, and contentiously, the islands became a gunnery range during WWII and remained so until 1975. (Seventy percent of neighboring Vieques remained a gunnery range until 2003.)
Today, more than 2,000 people live on 25 square-mile Culebra, most of them clustered around the town of Dewey. With fantastic white-sand beaches and some of the most pristine coral reefs in the Caribbean, it’s a treasure for aquatic tourism. During the week it’s pretty quiet, not so on weekends when a twice-daily ferry brings holiday-makers from San Juan.
Juan Bravo, a security specialist in San Juan, built Bravissima, a custom Uniesse 65 flybridge, specifically to take family and friends on cruises to these islands. He keeps the boat in Fajardo yet can be anchored off Culebra in less than an hour.
“Most boaters I know grab a mooring for the weekend and cook on board, but oftentimes Nina and I take our dinghy in for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Our favorite hang out is El Eden,” says Juan. “They serve everything from Eggs Benedict for breakfast, conch or octopus salad or hearty meatball sandwiches for lunch, and lobster risotto for dinner. The desserts are a delight. Ahhhh… and its air conditioned, so this is hands down our favorite spot when we need to cool down. Nina just loves their Bloody Mary’s, which the owner prepares with his own recipe.”

About the only drawback to Culebra is the absence of a fuel dock or commercial marina. However, all restaurants are accessible by dinghy. Mamacita’s, Dinghy Dock and Club Seaborne, known for its fine cuisine, have their own dinghy docks. To reach El Eden you simply tie your dinghy at the dock of an old boatyard just a short walk from the restaurant.
“Mamacita’s and Dinghy Dock are also very popular restaurants with bars serving local fresh catch such as chillo (red snapper) and mero (grouper). Locals, tourists and boat owners mingle here during the evenings and sometimes Mamacita’s has a band playing on weekends,” he says.
Another favorite anchorage lies just outside the entrance at Ensenada Honda. It’s usually referred to as Dakity Reef and as with Culebrita, it attracts plenty of boats on the weekends. With views of wide-open ocean, this anchorage is quite special. The reef is easy to get around with line-of-sight navigation, but don’t attempt it at night. Culebra is a laid back, easy-going island. The locals are friendly and most speak English.
Tiny Culebrita is a must-see with six beaches ringing the island. Tortuga Beach on the northeastern tip is sometimes called The Jacuzzi because boulders set up natural pools similar to The Baths at Virgin Gorda. Snorkeling is excellent.
Vieques is about 10 miles south of Culebra and nearly three times as large. One of the last refuges of native Arawaks it, too, became a pirate haven. Because of its strategic position, various European thrones fought over its control. Isabel Segunda is the last fort built by Spain in this hemisphere. Today, it serves as a museum housing both art and the island’s archives. A large herd of wild “paso fino” ponies, the prancing descendants of conquistador mounts have free run of the island.
Unlike Culebra, whose lighthouse is in ruins, the Vieques light at Punta Mulas, built in 1893, is still flashing; its beam visible for 16 miles. But the real flash champions of the SVI are the dinoflagellates that light up the bays nightly in a phosphorescence show. While phosphorescence is unusual in any event, the widespread nature of it in the bays of these islands is a phenomenon. Puerto Mosquito and Puerto Ferro are regularly scenes of spectacular displays. Every splash, every swimmer’s stroke and the movement of every boat and fish stirs the tiny creatures into a glowing, sparkling tizzy and a match for the stars overhead. In short, it’s a gunkholer’s paradise.