- Sheltered
- Partly
- Exposed
- No reliable report
The Coast Pilot names one wind for this anchorage, and it is the south-west
One sector on this rose rests on a source, and it is the Coast Pilot's own sentence: the anchorage off the east point of the south end of the key is exposed to south-west winds. The other seven are blank because nothing read for this run says anything about them for this key. That the anchorage lies off the east point describes where to drop the hook, not which winds the island keeps off, so it has not been turned into a colour. Waterway Guide carries no listing for Pavilion Key.
Where it is
The Coast Pilot places Pavilion Key at 25°41.4'N., 81°21.2'W., 30 miles north of Northwest Cape, among the outer keys of the Ten Thousand Islands. Coming up the coast it is the first prominent land seen after leaving Seminole Point, which the Coast Pilot gives at 25°36.9'N., 81°16.3'W., 24 miles north from Northwest Cape.
There is nothing ashore here in the way of a harbour: no dock, no fuel, no village. Everything on this page comes from the Coast Pilot, which is the only official source that describes the place.
The anchorage
The Coast Pilot says anchorage is available for drafts of 4 to 5 feet off the east point of the south end of Pavilion Key, and that the anchorage is exposed to southwest winds.
That exposure is the whole of the weather advice an official source gives for this spot, and it is the thing to plan around: a key that lies open to the southwest is a fair-weather stop on this coast, not a place to sit out a blow from that quarter. The depths are the Coast Pilot's own figures; the DepthNote above says what they do and do not answer.
The approach
The Coast Pilot gives one line on getting in: the approach to the anchorage passes close west of Dog Key, which lies 0.3 mile southeast of Pavilion Key. It names no marks and no course, and we add none.
The rivers behind
Chatham River and Huston River empty into the Gulf of America 3 miles east of Pavilion Key. For them the Coast Pilot carries a reported figure rather than a current one: in 1982, it says, it was reported that a draft of about 1½ to 2 feet could be taken up these rivers. The year is part of the figure, which is why it stands in the label above.
Good to know
- Open to the southwest: the Coast Pilot says plainly that the anchorage is exposed to southwest winds.
- Landfall: Pavilion Key is the first prominent land seen after leaving Seminole Point, 24 miles north from Northwest Cape.
- Dog Key: the approach passes close west of it, 0.3 mile southeast of Pavilion Key.
- A 1982 figure: the 1½ to 2 feet for the Chatham and Huston Rivers is a report the Coast Pilot dates to 1982, not a present-day depth.
Questions
What draft can anchor off Pavilion Key?
The Coast Pilot says anchorage is available for drafts of 4 to 5 feet off the east point of the south end of the key. Depths change – check the current chart.
Which winds is the anchorage open to?
The Coast Pilot says the anchorage is exposed to southwest winds. It gives no other wind direction and no holding ground, so that single line is the whole of the official shelter information for the spot.
How do I approach Pavilion Key?
The Coast Pilot says the approach to the anchorage passes close west of Dog Key, 0.3 mile southeast of Pavilion Key. It names no marks and no course for the approach.