Miami/ Key Largo and Hogs Breath 100 Races

Team PP2 will be kicking A at the Hog. You may only attend if we are guaranteed to beat you.

Team wildergfx onboard crazy taino will be ther!
Miami Key Largo - check
Rick White seminar - check
HogsBreath 100 - check

nine days of PURE sailing. I just may never want to return from that trip.

Can someone tell me if the shoal south of Pigeon Key is passable? My chart show 3' but it was printed in 2001.

Yes, it is passable. Most will go that way. You will have to pull your boards all the way to get through. Also your rudders will pop. There are deeper areas in places so keep your eyes open.

Mike Hill

Thanks Mike, any other tips?

Go Fast!

No but really pay attention to what the boats in front of you are doing and follow along. That's really the best advice I can give. Other than that get a waterproof chart of the inside area and take a GPS with the coordinates for the finish. Mark the passes on the GPS.

Mike

Ya gotta love this forum! A Florida native getting "local knowledge" of the Keys from someone in St. Louis!

Thank you.

Pete, you'll be able to read the water for the most part. If the tide's up, you're golden on most of the passes. If it's out, you'll see people slogging their boats across mud.

This is one of the few places it's tough being in the lead if you're not familiar with the area.

Keep your boards clear, as seagrass and crab traps are everywhere....

There is also a prop dredged channel close to the main shore with a few sticks marking the way. It is pretty deep and I have been through there with a MacGregor 36
Rick

I'm having some difficulties locating Pigeon Key on the charts. Do you have a rough lat/lon for it?

Also, any preferred routes (waypoints) that should be used for the Miami/Key Largo race when racing cats? I'm coming down from Chicago to join Robi in this race and the Hogs Breath 100 race, so any advice would be appreciated as neither of us have raced these races. Lat/lon waypoints would be best as I do not know the area but I am looking at charts downloaded from NOAA.

Jamie

If you've found the start point, marker 54. Pigeon key is on an approximate heading of 220 degrees at a range of approx. 3.9 miles. Sorry, that's the best I can do!

btw- I've found TWO pigeon keys, fortunately only one is along the race course.

Apparently, I'm not seeing what you are seeing. 1/2 mile South of the Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge (about 25 44.3N, 80 11.0W) shows a marker designated:

Fl G 2.5s
3M "69"

and a suggested route of 193T. Still, even at 220T or 220M, I can not find any obstacles. I must have something wrong. I'm looking at the raster navigational chart 11451_1 from http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/ using the Maptech software.

Two different races. Rickenbacker Causeway is in Miami. Pigeon Key is on the Bay side of Key Largo. Marker 54 is in Buttonwood Sound, and is the start point for the "Hog's Breath Keys 100" or whatever the official name is. The Miami/Key Largo race is the weekend before Hog's Breath.

Two different races, two different weekends.

Now, I see it, I knew I had something wrong. Is Channel 5 (NE of Long Key) where you cross under the highway? Also is there any markings on the chart that show the approximate location of Sombrero Beach?

I couldn't find Sombrero Beach MARKED on the chart, but if you go here: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?... &style=h&lvl=6&scene=1926015 you should be able to find it by following Sombrero Blvd. 931

The Beach is down in the corner against the mangroves.

We are both looking at the same channel 5, so I hope that's the one!