12 replies to this topic

[Don25]

To anybody who has attended the WSP, in the Florida Keys....

 

Any tips or recommendations?  I've never been to the Keys, and looking for any recommendations.

 

thanx

[jimwalker]

We pulled into Key West to see a guy in his white briefs underwear skateboarding down the street.  Luckily Scout Key is not Key West...  I live in the Palm Beach area and my only comment is dew and mosquitos, which actually are the State Bird.

[Don25]

We pulled into Key West to see a guy in his white briefs underwear skateboarding down the street.  Luckily Scout Key is not Key West...  I live in the Palm Beach area and my only comment is dew and mosquitos, which actually are the State Bird.

Lol, that's a sight to see.....

 

I've fished off of Jupiter Inlet, which probably, isn't too far from you. I have heard that wind is likely at Scout Key, and can be a factor.

[Charlie B]

To anybody who has attended the WSP, in the Florida Keys....

 

Any tips or recommendations?  I've never been to the Keys, and looking for any recommendations.

 

thanx

This year was my first time at the WSP.  Weather was mostly bad.  I put up my tent and due, to the forecast, spent the night in Pamer's Resort.  The next morning, my tent was gone.  Fortunately, another camper fished it out of the ocean.  This was not the worst as my computer crashed with all my imaging programs.  Between the weather and my computer, I did not get any observing in.  I did use my binoculars a couple of nights at the resort.  The good! My wife won me a Televue barlow at the drawing.

 

Last year, I went to Chiefland, FL and my mount motor broke.  I seem to have a Florida jinx.

 

Regards,

 

Charlie B

[BJS]

Look up the previous years threads about wsp... plenty of info there.

[Napp]

Bring sweatshirts and shorts.  It can be cool or warm any given day.  Bring sunscreen and mosquito repellant for you and dew control and a cover for your equipment.  If you are tent camping a canopy over your tent will keep it much cooler.  And bring your appetite for seafood!  

[lciummo]

If you can, stay in the Yurts on the "Boy Scout side". They are real beds and 5 mins from showers, bathrooms, etc.  Put you scope on the shore side, or behind the yurts for northern sky views.   Food is available for $5-$10 per meal from a food truck - passable but not great. I take the car to Big Pine for deli and breakfast joints.  There is a large market in Big Pine (Wynn Dixie) for food supplies and it's 10 mins away.

 

You may need an extension cord or power strip or both. Bring towels and bed stuff - you get a double or two twins per person, one for storage one for sleeping.  

 

Key West is 30 mins away, Marathon key with bigger restaurants is about 15-20, including fast food.

 

Bring  hat, sunscreen, and some sort of sun shirt for protection. It's 75 during the day and gets to 65-68 at night which can feel chilly, so a sweatshirt and long pants are good.  I'd skip the power supply and battery and pick up a check 12v PS on Amazon - there is plenty of AC around.

 

I've been going for a few hears and don't remember any mosquitos  - a few lizards but that's it.

 

During they day there are some seminars that are ok, but you may want to explore the keys - diving, fishing, snorkeling. Bahia Honda park is next door - has a large beach, but FL people don't go to the beach in the winter.

 

Bring what you need for you scope and you should be good. Vendors are getting more sparse, so things like spacers, DC power, etc may be to be borrowed.  i brought a 4" refractor and had no trouble with dew. 2025 had excellend weather except one night with some wind and clouds.

 

Definitely worth doing.

[Knasal]

I was on the Girl Scout side this year. It did get windy one night, such that if you were in the open with a shroud on a Dob scope, it may have been very difficult to observe.

 

I had my doubts when my friend who’d been there before told me to setup about 15 feet behind the scrub bushes on the berm by the ocean, facing South. He said I’d get no wind.

 

The bushes were tall enough that I could barely see over them from that spot, and I thought the wind would come right over and land smack on top of my scope, ground tarp and me.

 

That didn’t happen - because of the sand buildup to the berm, the onshore wind blew up the sand berm and got diffused by the bushes. When it went over the top, it landed about 5 to 10 feet behind my setup.

 

This worked great, hardly any wind on my setup, and it was blowing sustained at about 15-20 mph at times. And there were enough breaks in the bushes to see southern objects to the horizon. All I had to do was point the scope to one side or another to see through the breaks.

 

Kevin

Edited by Knasal, 11 February 2025 - 10:47 AM.

[JoeMan VanMan]

Being from the North I learned a hard lesson about fire ants along the berm camping on the Girl Scout side.

[Knasal]

Being from the North I learned a hard lesson about fire ants along the berm camping on the Girl Scout side.

I had a couple bites during setup, but I never had another one after that. Guess I lucked out.

 

Kevin

[Paul Romero]

Hi,

I like food, and never having been to a national star party, I was expecting alot more than what was offered at the food truck. The good crew there were honest and courteous, but the food is just darn expensive. Same goes for the local supermarket. Plan on spending far more than what the other poster listed for a decent meal., if one is even offered… which it wasnt this year.

Clear Skies,

PS oh yes..buy a hoodie at the event..its a good souvenir and you WILL need it at night.

Edited by Paul Romero, 13 February 2025 - 08:59 PM.

[Charlie B]

Hi,

I like food, and never having been to a national star party, I was expecting alot more than what was offered at the food truck. The good crew there were honest and courteous, but the food is just darn expensive. Same goes for the local supermarket. Plan on spending far more than what the other poster listed for a decent meal., if one is even offered… which it wasnt this year.

Clear Skies,

PS oh yes..buy a hoodie at the event..its a good souvenir and you WILL need it at night.

It's the Florida Keys, cheap is unknown there.  That said, the food truck's breakfast and sandwiches seemed reasonably priced to me. Ham and cheese panini $4.00.  I mostly ate from carried food and Winn Dixie.

 

Regards,

Charlie B

[Napp]

Hi,

I like food, and never having been to a national star party, I was expecting alot more than what was offered at the food truck. The good crew there were honest and courteous, but the food is just darn expensive. Same goes for the local supermarket. Plan on spending far more than what the other poster listed for a decent meal., if one is even offered… which it wasnt this year.

Clear Skies,

PS oh yes..buy a hoodie at the event..its a good souvenir and you WILL need it at night.

 

It's the Florida Keys, cheap is unknown there.  That said, the food truck's breakfast and sandwiches seemed reasonably priced to me. Ham and cheese panini $4.00.  I mostly ate from carried food and Winn Dixie.

 

Regards,

Charlie B

Paul, food is not cheap in the Keys and the WSP is held during the height of the season when prices in general are at their highest.  There is a saying about the WSP that it's the cheapest week you can find in the Keys in winter.  Food trucks in general stopped being cheap years ago when they became trendy.  Unfortunately, the institution and legend of a food truck that serviced the WSP for many years is no longer - Micki's Kitchen - the owner retired.  Good food at very reasonable prices and open 24 hours.  The warm brownies at night were legend.  We all miss Micki's.  Charlie is right about carried food or buying stuff to make your own meals at local grocery stores.  That's easy for me to do since I have a travel trailer with refrigerator/freezer and stove.  But I know some folks wiith special diets who do it while staying in tents.  There are 12 volt refrigerator coolers.  But do save up a few bucks to go to some local seafood restaurants.  Great seafood and don't forget the key lime pie!