Grady White 306 Canyon30' 6"
View Specs & ReviewDive capital to Sportfishing Capital — the reef run
Yachting in Upper Keys
A Minted Location · Upper Keys, Florida
If your boat exists for the water column — sailfish on the color change, coral forty feet down, tarpon in the bights — the Upper Keys are the densest stretch of reasons to own one in America. The Keys' tourism council states both titles plainly: Key Largo is the Diving Capital of the World, and Islamorada is known as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World, its waters chased by anglers after tarpon, bonefish and sailfish. Between them run Pennekamp's seventy square miles of protected reef, the only drawbridge in the Keys, and the charter wall at Bud N' Mary's, working since 1944.
Minted Yachts covers this run from Lake Largo to the Matecumbes, and everything below comes from each facility's or agency's own published information — the same standard behind every yacht review on this site.
For an owner, the layout is the appeal: marinas on both shores, a 65-foot crossover at Channel Five when you need to swap sides, and a village-owned harbor in Islamorada where transient dockage reads like a park pass.
Where to keep a yacht in Upper Keys
Upper Keys dockage runs shore by shore. Oceanside, the Lake Largo and Port Largo basins at MM 100 hold the working infrastructure — Pilot House's fuel and rate-card slips, Marina Del Mar's dive-fleet canal, and the Key Largo Harbor yard. Bayside, Mangrove Marina's hurricane-protected twenty acres in Tavernier and the village-owned Plantation Yacht Harbor anchor the middle miles. Islamorada finishes with the names: Three Waters (the old Holiday Isle), Whale Harbor's charter wall, the Safe Harbor pair, Lorelei's yacht basin and Bud N' Mary's at the sportfishing south end. Figures below are what each facility publishes about itself.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot House MarinaThe working downtown-Key Largo basin: 50 wet slips plus 75 dry racks, the fuel dock and a dockside restaurant sharing one protected pocket a mile off the Atlantic. | Key Largo — MM 99.6 oceanside, Lake Largo basin | 80 ft | 50 | ValvTect diesel & Rec 90 non-ethanol gas |
| Marina Del Mar Resort & MarinaThe dive-fleet canal marina of Port Largo — 18 to 20 feet in the canal (mind the 4.5-ft spot on the approach at low tide), two minutes from Molasses Reef. | Key Largo — MM 100, Port Largo Canal (ocean access) | 60 ft | 77 | — |
| Key Largo Fisheries MarinaDockage at a genuine working seafood house — tie up where the lobster and stone crab boats have unloaded since 1972 and eat what came in that morning. | Key Largo — Lake Largo basin, near MM 100 | — | — | — |
| Mangrove MarinaTwenty hurricane-protected bayside acres — the Upper Keys' rare liveaboard-friendly marina, with a working yard, travel lift and forklift behind the slips. | Tavernier — MM 91.7 bayside, ICW markers 62–65 | 70 ft | 102 | Fuel dock on site |
| Plantation Yacht Harbor MarinaIslamorada's own harbor: village-run slips (5-ft controlled depth, 25-ft minimum) whose fee includes Founders Park's beach, Olympic pool and courts. | Islamorada — MM 87 bayside, in village-owned Founders Park | 45 ft | 83 | Diesel & unleaded, 8–5 |
| IslaMarinaThe retail-forward stop by the Keys' only drawbridge — fuel both sides of the pump, bait, a coffee bar and a rental fleet where bay-to-ocean traffic funnels through. | Islamorada — MM 85 bayside, just before the Snake Creek bridge | — | — | Gas & diesel |
| The Marina at Three Waters ResortHoliday Isle reborn: the tiki-bar landmark now runs a rebuilt resort marina claiming the deepest channel in the neighborhood (5'6" at low tide) — its own pages cite 18 and 20 transient slips of the 72. | Islamorada — MM 84 oceanside, Windley Key at Whale Harbor Channel | 80 ft | 72 | 90-octane gas & diesel |
| Whale Harbor MarinaThe 50-year sportfishing landmark under the old lighthouse restaurant — a full charter wall of offshore and backcountry boats, with the SandBAR and Wahoo's on the property. | Islamorada — MM 83.4 oceanside, Whale Harbor Channel | — | — | — |
| Safe Harbor IslamoradaThe serious service side of the Islamorada stretch — hoists to 70 tons and every yard trade behind a full wet-and-dry marina; the marina also hosts third-party businesses on site. | Islamorada — ~MM 80.5, 80460 Overseas Hwy | 55 ft | — | Gas & diesel, daily 8–5 |
| Safe Harbor Angler HouseOld-Florida charm at small-boat scale: houseboat villas, a two-story tiki and a pool, sized for skiffs and center consoles to 30 feet. | Islamorada — ~MM 80.5 bayside, 80500 Overseas Hwy | 30 ft | — | Marine gas |
| Islamorada Yacht Basin at LoreleiThe little bayside basin behind Islamorada's most famous sunset bar — step off the dock and into the Cabana Bar's nightly Sunset Celebration. | Islamorada — MM 82 bayside, behind the Lorelei | — | — | — |
| Bud N' Mary's MarinaThe 1944 institution where Islamorada earned its title — forty-plus resident captains, the oldest and largest charter fleet in the Keys, and direct ocean access for boats to 45 feet drawing 4.5. | Islamorada — MM 79.8 oceanside, southern tip of Upper Matecumbe | 45 ft | — | Fuel on site |
| Robbie's of IslamoradaThe tarpon-feeding dock the whole coast knows ($2.50 admission, $5 a bucket, by its own site) — plus the rental fleet and the state-listed ferry to Lignumvitae Key. | Lower Matecumbe — MM 77.5 bayside | — | — | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Keys Sailing ClubKey Largo's volunteer-run sailing hub since 1973 — club racing on Buttonwood Sound and youth learn-to-sail from a bayside clubhouse. | Key Largo — Buttonwood Sound, bayside | — | — | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Upper Keys
The reef. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park protects roughly seventy square nautical miles off Key Largo — overnight boats use the marina slips or the mooring buoys in Largo Sound (hail the dockmaster at the dive shop), and the South Sound Creek approach demands the channel's center: coral rock sides, sharp bends, and an entrance the Coast Pilot calls difficult and narrow. Sanctuary-wide, more than 600 free mooring buoys serve the reefs first-come — standard buoys to 59 feet, larger ones for 60-to-100-footers at select sites — and Molasses Reef adds a buoyed no-anchorage area of its own. SPA rules apply at the named reefs: no fishing, no touching coral, no anchoring when a buoy is available, with NOAA phasing in broader anchoring prohibitions.
Two roads south. Oceanside, Hawk Channel carries 9 to 34 feet inside the reef the whole way. Bayside, the ICW threads Blackwater Sound, Cowpens Cut and Bowlegs Cut in genuinely thin water — the deep-draft route is the ocean side, and the Coast Pilot's dated "reported" soundings mean local knowledge everywhere inside.
The cuts. Snake Creek at MM 86 has the only opening bridge in the Keys — a bascule with 27 feet closed and strong currents at the span. The rest are fixed and honest about it: Whale Harbor 12 feet, Tavernier Creek 15, Indian Key Channel 27, Channel Two just 11 feet with reported submerged pilings. The real crossover is Channel Five — 65 feet fixed, 7 feet reported — the one span in this stretch a flybridge or sailboat should plan on.
The islands. Two state parks out here are boat-access-only: Lignumvitae Key's virgin hammock (Thursday through Monday, $2.50, watch the seagrass flats) and Indian Key's 1830s wrecking-village ruins — closed since April 2026 while the dock is rebuilt, so check before you plan it. San Pedro's 1733 wreck site sits in 18 feet a mile south of Indian Key with five free mooring buoys over the ballast pile. The charted overnight stops are Key Largo Anchorage (14 feet, soft bottom, fair in all but southerlies) and Tavernier Key Anchorage (hard bottom, anchor to your draft).
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park — Key Largo — MM 102.6 oceanside, Largo SoundAmerica's first undersea park — seventy square miles of protected reef, with the South Sound Creek approach demanding the channel's center (2026 note: one ramp and the pump-out closed for construction).
- Molasses Reef (Sanctuary Preservation Area) — Off Key Largo — 15.5 miles SW of Carysfort Reef LightThe marquee dive of the Upper Keys reef line — SPA rules apply (no fishing, no anchoring on coral), with the sanctuary's 600-plus free buoys serving vessels to 59 feet, and to 100 at select sites.
- Indian Key Historic State Park — Off Lower Matecumbe — boat-access-only islandThe 1830s wrecking village that was Dade County's first county seat, reachable only by water — closed for its dock rebuild as of this guide's research date.
- Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park — Florida Bay, west of the Matecumbes — boat or kayak onlyVirgin tropical hardwood hammock and the 1919 Matheson house on an island you can only boat to — mind the seagrass flats on every approach; the park publishes its own advisory.
- San Pedro Underwater Archaeological Preserve — 1.25 nm south of Indian Key — in 18 ft of waterThe 1733 Spanish plate-fleet wreck as a state park: a 90-foot ballast pile with replica cannons, dived off its own free buoys at published GPS coordinates.
- Key Largo Anchorage — Hawk Channel side — 4.5 miles NW of Carysfort Reef LightThe charted overnight hold on the ocean side of Key Largo, straight from the Coast Pilot.
- Tavernier Key Anchorage — 2 miles east of Tavernier — Hawk Channel sideThe mid-run stop between the Largo basins and the Islamorada docks, charted and named by the Coast Pilot.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key Largo Harbor MarinaSelf-described largest full-service commercial facility between Miami and Marathon — the Upper Keys' go-to haul-out, paint and repair yard. | Key Largo — Port Largo canal, 3 minutes to the ocean | — | — |
Chandleries & specialty suppliers
- West Marine — Key Largo — Key Largo — MM 103.4The Upper Keys' first chandlery stop — parts, safety gear and tackle before the run down island.
- West Marine — Islamorada — Islamorada — ~MM 82A 10,000-square-foot store with a dedicated Fishing Shack, by West Marine's own announcement — the serious-tackle format, sized for the Sportfishing Capital.
On the Upper Keys calendar
The Florida Keys Gold Cup Championship — Islamorada's winter sailfish series, run in three legs by its own organizers: the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament each December (63 editions in, with $70,000-plus in cash and prizes by its own count), the Islamorada Fishing Club's Sailfish Tournament in January, and the Cheeca Lodge Presidential leg that both organizers name as the closer. Tournament season is when this village earns its capital-letter title.
On the reef and in the park — Pennekamp keeps a public calendar of its own, from ranger programs to its evening lecture series, and the dive fleet runs every day the weather allows. The serious spectacle is offshore in December and January, when the sailfish fleet leaves Whale Harbor and Bud N' Mary's before sunrise.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Upper Keys
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stay overnight at John Pennekamp by boat?
Yes — the park's own pages say overnight visitors on private boats use the marina slips or the mooring buoys in Largo Sound, arranged with the dockmaster at the dive shop. The approach is the test: South Sound Creek's dredged channel has coral-rock sides and sharp bends, and the Coast Pilot calls the entrance difficult and narrow. Note the park's 2026 construction alerts — one boat ramp and the sewage pump-out were closed at research time — and check current alerts before you go.
Can I visit Indian Key and Lignumvitae Key by boat?
Lignumvitae, yes: the botanical park in Florida Bay is boat-or-kayak-only, open Thursday through Monday 8 to 4 at $2.50 a person, with a weekend ferry from Robbie's — and its own seagrass advisory for the shallow approaches. Indian Key is the one to check first: the state closed the island completely in April 2026 while contractors rebuild its dock, a project the park estimated at up to six months. San Pedro's wreck preserve nearby stays open — five free mooring buoys in 18 feet of water, no fee.
What are the rules on the Upper Keys reefs?
The named reefs — Molasses, Carysfort, the Elbow, Alligator and their neighbors — are Sanctuary Preservation Areas: no fishing or collecting, no touching or standing on coral, no anchoring on coral, and no anchoring at all when a mooring buoy is available. The sanctuary maintains more than 600 free first-come buoys (standard buoys to 59 feet; larger buoys for 60-to-100-footers at select sites), Molasses Reef adds its own buoyed no-anchorage area, and NOAA is phasing in broader SPA anchoring prohibitions — check the current rule before you plan to drop a hook anywhere near the reef line.
Which channel crosses between Florida Bay and Hawk Channel in the Upper Keys?
For anything with height, Channel Five — the fixed 65-foot span 8.4 miles west of Alligator Reef Light, with 7 feet reported and a strong current at times. Don't confuse it with Channel Two next door, which clears only 11 feet and carries reported submerged pilings. The small-boat cuts are honest about their limits too: Whale Harbor 12 feet, Tavernier Creek 15, Indian Key Channel 27, and Snake Creek's 27-foot bascule that opens on schedule. All controlling depths are dated Coast Pilot reports — run them with local knowledge.
How does the Snake Creek drawbridge work?
Snake Creek at MM 86 carries the only opening bridge in the Florida Keys — a bascule span with 27 feet of closed clearance, connecting Florida Bay to the ocean between Plantation and Windley Keys. The Coast Pilot warns that currents run strong through the creek and especially at the bridge, and the opening schedule lives in the federal drawbridge regulations (33 CFR 117.331) — confirm the current schedule before you stage a tall boat on it.
Is the Upper Keys a good place to own a sportfish boat?
It's the definitional one — the tourism council calls Islamorada the Sport Fishing Capital of the World, and Bud N' Mary's has run charters off the same dock since 1944 with the oldest and largest fleet in the Keys. The winter Gold Cup sailfish series is the proof of concept, the reef line is twenty minutes out, and the bay holds the tarpon and bonefish. A canyon-capable outboard boat with a 4-to-5-foot draft fits every published dock figure on this page. Tell us your fishery and we'll match the boat: TS@MintedYachts.com or +1 (404) 805-9819.
Which Upper Keys restaurants can I reach by boat?
From their own sites: Lorelei in Islamorada invites arrival by boat, car or foot with its yacht basin behind the bar; Sundowners in Key Largo features its own back dock; and Hungry Tarpon sits on Robbie's working marina at MM 77.5. The marina restaurants at Pilot House and Three Waters pair food with published transient rates. The bayside landmarks — Snook's, Marker 88, Morada Bay — publish no guest dock on their sites, so check local dockage options; Plantation Yacht Harbor's village slips are the sourced tie-up for the Plantation Key stretch.
Where can I get a transient slip in Islamorada?
Three published offers, from each facility's own pages: Plantation Yacht Harbor, the village-owned marina at MM 87 bayside, charges $6 per foot per day including water and electricity (reserve up to 60 days ahead, VHF 16). Three Waters Resort's rebuilt marina on Windley Key matches $6 a foot nightly with a 25-foot minimum. And Bud N' Mary's at MM 79.8 rents its limited transient space at $5 a foot under 30 feet, $6 over — no liveaboards. Pilot House in Key Largo publishes its rate card too: $3 to $3.75 a foot by beam.