By Boat & Ferry in Key West

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By Boat & Ferry

Boaters can travel to and along the Keys either along the Intracoastal Waterway (5-foot draft limitation) through Card, Barnes, and Blackwater sounds and into Florida Bay or along the deeper Atlantic Ocean route through Hawk Channel, a buoyed passage. Refer to NOAA Nautical Charts Numbers 11451, 11445, and 11441. The Keys are full of marinas that welcome transient visitors, but they don't have enough slips for everyone. Make reservations in advance and ask about channel and dockage depth -- many marinas are quite shallow.

For nonemergency information contact Coast Guard Group Key West; VHF-FM Channel 16. Safety and weather information is broadcast at 7 AM and 5 PM Eastern Standard Time on VHF-FM Channels 16 and 22A. There are stations in Islamorada and Marathon.

Key West Express operates air-conditioned ferries between the Key West Terminal (Caroline and Grinnell Streets) and Marco Island and Fort Myers Beach, on the mainland's southwest coast. The trip takes 3 1/2 hours each way. Ferries depart in the morning at 9 and return in the afternoon between 5:30 and 6. Tickets start at $73 one-way, $128 round-trip. The round-trip includes continental breakfast. A current, legal photo ID is required for each passenger. All bags are subject to search. Advance reservations are recommended.

Chambers of commerce, marinas, and dive shops offer free Teall's Guides, land and nautical charts that pinpoint popular fishing and diving areas throughout the Keys.

Contacts

Coast Guard Group for the Florida Keys (Key West. 305/292-8856 or 800/368-5647. Islamorada. 305/664-8077 information; 305/664-4404 emergencies. Marathon. 305/743-6778 information; 305/743-6388 emergencies). Key West Express Ferry (888/539-2628 or 239/394-9700. www.keywestferry.com). Teall's Guides (Box 522409, Marathon Shores, 33052. 305/872-3123).