After hauling the boat, we decided to take a short trip to Cedar Key…our last vacation for a while. Cruising to Cedar Key was awesome, but here’s what you need to know:
The Upside of Cedar Key
The cruising guides say that Cedar Key is not a great place for cruisers. I disagree. If you want to experience a quaint, old-Florida style town, Cedar Key fits the bill. Settled in the early 1800s as a military base, it eventually became a busy shipping port for travelers to sail to ports south.
Once, a railroad connected the islands to Jacksonville. The keys shipped lumber, cabbage palm fibers used for making brooms, as well as fresh fish, crabs, and clams. You can learn all about the local history at the quaint little museum in town.
As you walk along the main street you will see many historic buildings, taking you back in time. Many homes are restored and available to rent as B&B’s. The common mode of transportation on shore is via golf cart, which you can rent at various places throughout town.
The waterfront offers a variety of restaurants, pubs, and shopping along a short street that loops around the dingy dock. A fishing pier extends off one end with great views over the water. Most restaurants have upstairs dining with views out over the water.
The Downside
Update the charts!
First, make sure you have updated charts before you go. The channel into Cedar Key is twisty like a snake. It took two of us watching the chart and searching for channel markers to figure out where we were going! As the channel twists and turns, it becomes difficult to sort out which marker to head for. The good news is there was plenty of deep water all the way in. We saw nothing less than 10 feet in the channel and anchored in about 12 feet of water right off the town.
Go shopping!
Next, make sure you are supplied with provisions. We found one small corner store and a liquor store in town, along with various tourist shops, coffee shops, and restaurants. Stock up on groceries and supplies before you go.
Fuel up!
Also, make sure you have enough fuel and water to last for the trip. You will not find anywhere to gas up or obtain water unless you fill jerry cans in town. We filled the tanks in Tarpon Springs before we left, which allows us about three weeks’ worth of water and much longer than that for fuel.
Watch out at the dock!
Lastly, the dingy docks are a bit to be desired. We had about three-foot tide swings while we were there. The first time we came to shore, the tide was low and many places along the “transient dock” were so shallow even the dingy would run aground! We decided to try our luck in a slip that was unlabeled and had no issues on any of our trips to town. Watch the depth as you go under the bridge as we saw several small motorboats stirring up the mud.
Overall, Cedar Key was a fun visit for a few days. With an early morning departure, we were able to sail back to Clearwater in a day making around 8 knots. Now, back to work…
