A. Water Fantaseas, Inc. is pleased to provide the following sample itineraries and excursions as a base to begin planning your own charter from. Please note that these are not “group trips” or cruises that you can purchase individual tickets for, rather they are ideas, suggestions and samples of what you can do and where you can go when you charter a private yacht from A. Water Fantaseas, Inc.

ESCAPE TO ELLIOTT KEY  (4 hours or more) ::

   
As delightful as the Metropolitan Miami area may be, and it is especially so when seen from the water, there are times you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle. Way away. In every way. And you can. By cruising down to a place called Elliott Key. And though Keys residents often insist that “The Keys” don’t start until Key Largo, which is a bit farther south and the first key you can drive to on U.S. Route 1, Elliott Key and the smaller isles that lie close to it are actually very much a part of the keys in topography and geography. And since they are only accessible by water, they are as yet undeveloped, and thus represent the way ALL the keys appeared before we humans intervened.

This cruise takes us south from Miami, through the Rickenbacker Causeway, and into the part of Biscayne Bay that lies between Key Biscayne and Coral Gables. Just a bit south of Key Biscayne we have a choice, we can stay inside the bay or go out to Hawk Channel, a natural channel that runs all the way to Key West. It is inside the barrier reef but outside the keys themselves. If you wish to do some snorkeling, the outside route is our only option. Taking this route gives us the opportunity to pass through Biscayne Channel, which is lined with the homes of “Stiltsville,” the houses on pilings that are so distinctively an “only in Miami” experience. When we reach the outer end of Biscayne Channel we turn southward and head toward Bache Shoal. As we go along, you can’t help but notice the clarity and color of the water. It’s not all that deep here (less than 12 feet on average) and in sandy spots the sea takes on the “liquid turquoise” appearance that is so common in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, but so rare elsewhere. When the light is right it can be breathtakingly beautiful. Soon we reach Bache Shoal, a portion of the barrier reef just off Elliott Key, which is marked by a lighted green navigational aid “11 BS.” The navigational aid is there to warn vessels transiting Hawk Channel that the water on the other side of the marker is too shallow for navigation. And it IS shallower than the channel, in the neighborhood of 6 feet or less depending on the stage of tide. But it is deep enough for us to enter (carefully, of course) to pick up one of the mooring buoys placed there so we don’t have to anchor on the reef. Once we’re secure on the mooring, we shut down our engines and those who wish to do so can don the masks, snorkels and flippers that allow a close-up examination of the reef and all sea life it harbors. There’s never a guarantee, of course, but usually those who choose to explore the underwater treasures here are rewarded with sights of many and varied colorful fish and a number of different corals.

For those who merely want to relax and/or swim, our route usually remains within the confines of Biscayne Bay, where the waters are always smoother. When we reach the option point south of Key Biscayne, instead of heading out through Biscayne Channel as we did to go snorkeling, we continue on the southbound heading we took after clearing Rickenbacker Causeway. We stay on this course until we approach a sandbar known as Featherbed Bank. The extremely shallow water here would present a barrier to forward progress were it not for a couple of channels dredged through the bank by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. If we turn eastward when we first near Featherbed Bank, we can take the East Cut. This route takes us closer to Boca Chica Key and Sands Key, which are just north of Elliott Key. The water is shallow here, but as long as we’re careful it is deep enough to float the boat. Since the slope of the bottom is very gradual as it nears land, for the most part we can’t venture too close to shore, though there are a few places where the water is deep enough to come along side a seawall or pier. Note: This whole area is within the confines of Biscayne National Park and if you have a desire to go ashore anywhere, there will be a fee involved, payable to the National Park Service. But most folks who request a cruise to Elliott Key are content to anchor off and simply enjoy the scenery from the boat. And, usually, do a little swimming as well. Because the operation of Personal Watercraft (PWC) is banned within Biscayne National Park, and has been for several years, if you wish to use the WaveRunner, we have to leave the tranquil setting off Elliott Key and head back north until we are out of the park.

The sandbar off Key Biscayne is just off our usual return route and is a perfect spot to stop. Depending on the length of your charter and the time spent in other activities, this cruise can also offer some other sightseeing opportunities. For example, if you chose the “all inside” option that didn’t involve snorkeling, it is still often possible to visit Stiltsville on the return trip by heading out through Biscayne Channel until we’re past all the houses on pilings (and the shoals on which they sit) and then swing over toward Key Biscayne and back into Biscayne Bay. If time allows, we can also enter a canal that takes us into the interior of Key Biscayne. Known as The Pines Channel, this is a waterway that runs between the bulk of Key Biscayne’s residential community and the southern tip of the island, which is mostly Bill Baggs State Park. Some of the private homes along this channel are larger than small hotels. If this type of sightseeing is to your liking and there’s time enough, we can also head back across the bay to the mainland side to visit Gables Estates. With yet more magnificent homes built on large lots along wide canals, this section of Coral Gables offers a glimpse of another of Greater Miami’s upscale neighborhoods (the Miami Heat’s GM and former coach, Pat Riley, is one of its residents). Behind almost every home there’s a boat. They range from small center-console outboards to mid-sized motoryachts and sportfishermen to magnificent megayachts. And many homes have “one of each.” Remember, the exact route and choice of destinations will be up to you – and, of course, also the availability of time, which always seems to run out all too quickly, regardless of the length of your charter. So, ultimately, we must head back to where we started. But as with all Water Fantaseas charters, it should provide enough memories to last a lifetime.


Original Content: Boat Write