Wisteria Island

Anchoring

The Coast Pilot puts the best anchorage for vessels up to 150 ft north of the city in Man of War Harbor, in 14 to 24 ft, and says small craft usually anchor east of Wisteria Island, to the west of the main ship channel. It warns to keep clear of the visible and submerged wrecks in the harbor, and that anchoring near Key West Bight Channel Light 2, between the channel and the shoreline, is not recommended: poor holding, strong currents and it blocks the dock approaches.

Closer in to the island, reports are shallower than the harbor figures: 7–10 ft south-east of it and 8–10 ft north-west of it, with holding reported as good over rock and mud. The harbor as a whole is protected against heavy seas by Frankfort Bank and Pearl Bank to the west and by Fleming Key to the east – that is protection from sea, not from wind, and the reports above describe an open anchorage.

What the rules make of this spot

Two things apply to everyone. All of Monroe County is an anchoring limitation area, so within 10 linear nautical miles of a public mooring field or a designated anchoring area a vessel has to be moved at least every 90 days. And since the 2026 statutes, anchoring within one linear nautical mile of a documented anchorage point for 14 days or more within any 30 needs a long-term anchoring permit from FWC – free, electronic, one vessel per permit, valid for a year. The permit does not replace the 90-day rule; the two stack.

Short of that, the statute is explicit: it may not be construed to prohibit anchoring for less than 90 days anywhere in Monroe County. A night or a week here is simply anchoring.

Two boundaries run through this water. FWC has designated a Fleming Key Anchoring Limitation Area – 100 acres in Man of War Harbor west of Fleming Key, with a maximum vessel draft of 6 ft – and the naval restricted area runs 100 yards off the shoreline of Fleming Key and around it. The anchoring rule names no island, and its boundary is given as a list of corner positions and a drawing, so take both off the chart rather than off this page.

Ashore

Everything is in Key West, across the water. The Key West Bight Marina in the Historic Seaport lists a general dinghy dock at $15.44 a day or $113.26 a month for dinghies up to 13 ft, a private berth at $174.89 a month, and one for dinghies up to 16 ft at $241.82 a month.

Fleming Key Cut is the short way through to Garrison Bight: about 6 ft to the junction, a fixed bridge with 18 ft of clearance, very strong tidal currents and, in the Coast Pilot's words, not recommended for low-powered vessels. The marked Garrison Bight Channel round the north end of Fleming Key is the alternative.

Good to know

• Wake and speed: inside the sanctuary and outside marked channels, no more than 4 knots and no wake within 100 yards of a stationary vessel – which is what an anchorage is made of.
• Pump-out: a free mobile pump-out boat serves anchored vessels in set service areas from Key West to Key Largo; register with On The Hook Marine on 305-833-1978.
• After ten days: a vessel anchored or moored more than ten days in a row that has to carry a marine sanitation device must show proof of a pump-out within the last thirty.
• Living aboard: a vessel with enclosed living space used as a dwelling overnight must keep a record of every pump-out – date and station – for a year, showing one within the last 30 days.
• A mooring field is coming: Monroe County is building one in Man of War Harbor; permits were expected late 2026, construction early 2027 and completion in June 2027. The county's own papers do not settle how many moorings it will have.
• Tides: the nearest NOAA station is 8724580, Key West, about three quarters of a mile south of the island.