South Florida, Florida Keys & the Bahamas
“South Florida and the Bahamas are a paradise right in our backyard. They represent the quintessential Caribbean experience, but with the ease of travel and a familiar language and currency,” says Ian Pedersen, assistant marketing manager at The Moorings, headquartered in Clearwater, Fla.
A week’s charter from Dream Yacht Charter’s base in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., can include several stops along the way to Key West. “You can even sail as far as the Dry Tortugas,” says base manager, Hannah Allison.
One itinerary, for example, starts with a first night in Key Largo, then leap-frogging down the chain of keys to Islamorada, Duck Key, Marathon, Little Palm Island to Key West. If you have longer than one week, the Keys extend another 68 nm westward to the Dry Tortugas. Here the attraction is Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas National Park.
The main attractions in the Bahamas are Freeport and Nassau. Just north of Nassau is the lesser known region of the Abacos. The Moorings has a base in Marsh Harbor. A great one-week charter from here is the approximately 110-nm route to Man-O-War Cay, Great Guana Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Treasure Cay, Hope Town, Little Harbor and Elbow Cay, and then back to Marsh Harbor.
The Moorings Pedersen says of the Abacos, “Life here is still laid-back and the snorkeling is as good as it gets.”
