Cow Key Channel anchoring areas

Cow Key Channel has two designated anchoring areas, one on each side of the marked channel. The western area, 42 acres, lies east of Key West and west of the channel; the eastern area, 48 acres, lies south of Cow Key and east of it. Its boundary point E-A sits about 60 ft north-east of channel marker 6. The navigation channel itself is excluded from both areas – the rule leaves the fairway open.

Both are among the seven areas FWC designated in Monroe County, under Fla. Admin. Code 68D-14.002(1)(d), in force since 3 October 2023. The position above is boundary point W-A, on the western area.

The channel is marked by private daybeacons. Two fixed bridges cross it with 36 ft of horizontal and 9 ft of vertical clearance, and an overhead cable has 25 ft. North of the bridges the Coast Pilot calls the channel unmarked and hard to follow, and it advises seeking local knowledge before entering. A shoal that bares lies about 0.2 nm south-south-west of Cow Key's south-west point.

Nine feet under the bridges and 2 ft of allowed draft describe the same thing from two directions: this is small-boat water. Clearances and depths change – read them off the current chart.

In both areas the rule caps vessel draft at 2 ft. That is a limit on the boat, not a statement about the water: 68D-14.003 leaves the depth under your keel to the operator. All of Monroe County is an anchoring limitation area, so a boat lying here has to move at least 0.5 nm, or into another designated area, after 90 days.