Our cruising area inclues Florida Bay and the Atlantic Ocean off Upper Matecumbe Key. With numerous fishing and snorkeling spots within a five mile range of our home port, we do not have to travel far before the fun begins. And with many sheltered mangrove creeks, protected bay and channels and islands, we can have fun even when it is windy.

The Atlantic Ocean laps gently on the shores of the Florida Keys. The reason that we have no huge waves surging onto the shore is the coral reef that parallels the connected islands. The reef might be loosely called a broken barrier reef, because of numerous gaps with depths of up to 20 feet. Lighthouses were placed in shallow areas along the outer reef. These lighthouses are on steel legs that reach into the water.

Our waters are warm (72-80 degrees) due to the Gulf Stream which passes Islamorada about 10-20 miles southeast of the outer reef. The Gulf Stream flows northeasterly parallelling the Florida Keys. It continues running along the east coast past Cape Hatteras, New Jersey, Newfoundland, eventually reaching England. The Stream transports water at a rate of 30 million cubic meters per second until it passes Cape Hatteras where it increases to 80 million cubic meters per second. It is the warm waters of the Gulf Stream that enables living corals and colorful tropical reef fish to inhabit this area so far north of the tropics.