Everglades boating tips

 

There are miles of places to explore up the Little Shark River, the Shark River,and beyond with a 5' draft. A good, calibrated depth gauge is important. A bottom machine that you can understand enough to tell you if the bottom is limestone, sand, or mud, will keep you out of a lot of trouble. The limestone depths do not generally rapidly change, so if you have a quick rise in depth, it is usually either sand or mud, either of which are more forgiving to touch.

Learning to read a bottom machine also helps you find those perfect spots to anchor. The first mile of the Little Shark River has some areas with mud over limestone, and other areas of hole-y limestone. I've seen a lot of people get hung up when their anchor gets caught in the bottom, or their chain rapped around the jagged edges of the limestone. When I'm in rough limestone, I'm inclined to put a float/trip line down to my anchor. I would NOT put out a second anchor, but swing on a single anchor.

Every chart that I have; paper, Garmin, Navionics, etc. is not terribly accurate in the interior of the Everglades above Little Shark River/Shark River. There really is a lot of water up there, with a lot of depth. If you have a background in canoes or kayaks, and have learned to read water currents and swirls, exploring these mangrove rivers is a snap. Basic things to remember, the depth is usually towards the center, with more depth towards the outside of the curves, and sediment more inclined to collect on the inside of the curves. A pretty good rule of thumb is to divide the width of the channel into thirds, and stay to the outside curve of the middle third. More importantly in the Everglades, watch for sediment where creeks converge, remembering that the the current direction changes with the tidal flow. I suggest exploring up-current, which allows you to rapidly slow your forward momentum, and ease back the way that you just came.

Remember that charts are merely aids to navigation, and the prudent mariner etc. etc. Often you will find that although you are in the middle of a channel, your chart plotter may have you on one edge, or even ashore. Use your chart as a general guide. If it shows the water shoaling on the port side of the channel, guess that the shoaling is on the port side of the channel, and don't worry about where your plotter places your vessel. The good news is, since hurricane Wilma, a LOT of sediment has disappeared, opening the mangrove creeks for great exploration, secluded anchorages, abundant bird viewing, and a wonderful place in the winter!

In addition to the tidal fluctuations, be advised that a strong NE wind can make all the water levels considerably lower in Florida Bay.

I've spent a lot of time exploring the mangrove creeks with a 19' Whaler with a great bottom machine and plotter, as well as a marked PVC pole that confirms my suspicions about depth and bottom composition. I get a lot of comments about a 4208 Garmin on a 19' Whaler, but it has certainly opened doors to places I take the Nordic tug.

If you want to spend time in the Everglades, it is important to have good screens, for the mosquitoes can be prolific after dark. You also need the ability to close up your vessel around dusk and daylight for protection from the no-see-ums, which are NOT thwarted by screens, but just come through.

Don't let the bugs scare you off! Dawn and dusk are the worst. But, during the rest of the day they aren't bad in the winter, and a breeze can make them almost unnoticeable even at dusk/dawn. When the wind is howling outside, the mangrove creeks are a tranquil place to explore; by your bigger boat, a dinghy, or a kayak. The no-see-ums seem to be worse towards the tidal entrances. I'm not sure why.

In the last couple of days, I've seen manatee, bottle-nose dolphin, sea turtles, alligators, and birds. Even the casual birder needs a bird identification book, and a good pair of binoculars!