Jacksonville Area: ICW marker #4 (Fl G 4s) south of the Palm Valley Bridge. There is a lot of water (10 to 17 ft.) and some space on the east side of the channel. Good for an overnight stay or short rest. Room for only one or two boats. 

St. Augustine turning basin. There are two places to anchor in St. Augustine. North of the Bridge of Lions there is mostly shallow water, but close to the bridge west of the channel it is best to stay  close to the bridge. The closer you get to the fort, the shallower it is. The second place is south of the Bridge of Lions, just past the Marina, which is west of the channel. There are many boats there, but most stay clear of the shallow waters near the city seawall; as the tide drops, many boats wind up beached. To avoid this stay as close to the channel as possible. 

New Smyrna: There are several places to anchor in and around New Smyrna. We found a little cove east of the channel with good swinging room and three other boats. Keep an eye on the chart and on the depths. 

Melbourne: For shallow draft boats. Between fixed bridge and Red marker #6, east of the channel. We anchored south of the cable area in 6.5 ft. of water. Brought dinghy to shore at a park at the base of the bridge and tied up to a very strategically placed bench. The good part about this spot is that you can step off your dinghy and walk one block to 7 Eleven, then walk the four blocks to A1A and eat the BEST PIZZA in Florida at Bizzaro's Famous New York Pizza. Open til 10:30pm on weekdays and Saturday, until 9pm on Sunday. Shops and bookstores along the way.  

Hobe Sound: East of the channel between markers #34 and 35. Keep your eye on the chart and watch for depths. As you move away from the channel there is more water (up to 12 feet). The chart indicates a harbor.    

Jupiter Sound: North and South of Red Marker #52 west of the marker. Two anchorages with several boats of varying sizes.    

Riviera Beach on Lake Worth: South of Sherman fixed bridge, around Red Marker #40. There are two anchorages here, one south of the bridge west of the channel, and south of the bridge, east of the channel and east of Peanut Island. Several sailboats of varying sizes anchored here. 

Ft. Lauderdale: South of the E. Las Olas Blvd. Bridge. West of the channel immediately past the bridge there are mooring floats that can be picked up. Dinghy landing at foot of bridge. Several sailboats moored here.  Moorings maintained by the Ft. Lauderdale City Marina, $15/night, maximum stay 30 days. Hail Dockmaster on channel 16.

Ft. Lauderdale: Lake Sylvia. As you pass Bahia-Mar Marina (South of E. Las Olas Blvd.) you will see the marina. Stay close to the left seawall past the Marina, as the water is deeper to the left. Then, once in the Lake, move to the right as the water becomes shallower on the the left (4 ft.) Check chart for shallow areas. Good for a one night stay or short rest, not recommended for extended stays.

Dinner Key Anchorage       Click here to see a chart of the area

Dinner Key anchorage in Coconut Grove is one of  South Florida's best kept secrets, and the one of the best places to stop over before going to the Bahamas or the Carribbean. Located on Biscayne Bay, it offers great sailing, good holding ground, plenty of ameneties and an interesting local scene. All of your boating needs, from fishing to mechanics, can be satisfied by area business owners. There is access to free internet, post office, groceries, laundry, fuel, restaurants, theatres, stores, library, parks, schools and many historical and cultural sights.

Vessels

Miami Dinner Key anchorage is situated on the western side of Biscayne Bay, which has a sandy mud bottom with some grassy spots, which is perfect holding ground for most any anchor. There are two places where boats can anchor. One is the official anchorage, on the south west side of Dinner Key Marina, with over 100 permanent boats. Some boats house liveaboards, while other boats are just left on moorings by their owners. The other is a temporary anchorage in the turning basin on the northern side of the marina, near the Chart House and Monty's Marina. Marine Patrol routinely checks these areas for derelict vessels and to assure that the channels for entering and exiting the area are clear. There are some shoals and very shallow areas along the 4 islands found off of Dinner Key Marina, therefore caution should be exercised and it is recommended to stick to the channel when entering or exiting.

Dinghies

There are two places to tie up dinghies. Officially boaters are supposed to tie up to the dinghy dock on the south end of the marina, near pier 7 at Dinner Key Marina. There are many tied up there on a regular basis, however it is somewhat exposed to the sidewalk and street and theft is common. The other place where dinghies have been tying up is on the north end of the marina, along the wall adjacent to the Chart House, next to Scotty's Landing.  It clearly says that dinghies are not allowed to tie up along the wall in front of Scotty's Landing, however, further towards the point seems to not be a problem. As of the publication of this information it was allowed, but the Chart House could decide to not allow dinghies to tie there at any time.

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Off Rickenbacker Causeway   

The Rickenbacker Causeway is the only road that goes from the mainland to Key Biscayne. On the northern side of it there is an entrance channel which leads east to Rickenbacker Marina and the Marine Stadium. There is a lot of room to anchor there in those spots, and many boats do. However, there are few amenities nearby, and busses only run every 45 minutes to an hour. No word on the holding ground or protection, however we have heard that the Marine Stadium is well protected from storms. 

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The moorings at Crandon Marina   

Miami-Dade county put in a mooring field on the south side of Rickenbacker Causeway, right off of Crandon Marina. Sailboats must go under the Causeway bridge, but smaller boats can access this area from Bear Cut.

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No Name Harbor  (Bill Baggs State Park, Cape Florida Lighthouse)  

This anchorage is a frequent stop before jumping over to Bahamas and the Caribbean. It is located on the southern tip of Key Biscayne, in the State Park. The anchorage is somewhat protected on three sides and boats calm turquoise waters with a depth of about 10 feet. There is a fee to tie up along the seawall, $2 a day. There are showers and bathrooms nearby, as well as a cafeteria and a boating supply store. The holding ground is clay like mud. A supermarket and hardware store are a half hour walk away. There is a bus that runs through Key Biscayne to the entrance of the Park and out to Miami, however it runs once an hour. According to Mike Gray, who has anchored in No Name Harbor at least 5 times, "There is no current and no wind. Very good holding."

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A good anchorage, protected from almost all sides. Clear water, sandy bottom, 12 feet depths. Good holding. Not a long term anchorage. Good for a weekend or for riding out bad weather. No shore facilities, no dinghy landing. Lots of traffic with boats, PWC's and kids.

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This anchorage has a lot of boats and is very busy, due to the fact that it is situated near a boat ramp on Watson Island. However, it has excellent holding ground in about 12 feet of water, and you can land your dinghy at the Miami Yacht Club for a fee. They have facilities available for reciprocal yacht club members and Seven Seas Cruising members. A Publix supermarket, hardware stores and other amenities are a long dinghy ride north east to Miami Beach. 

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Off Venetian Causeway   

Everyone who we have met who has stayed in this anchorage seems to like it a lot. Boats can anchor on both sides of the Venetian Causeway bridge. The south side can be reached from Government cut and the north side is accessed by the Intracoastal Waterway. It has a sandy bottom and according to sailboats anchored there, the depth is around 10-12 feet. The best part is that there is a free dinghy dock right next to the Marine Patrol station on the north side of the bridge. A super Publix supermarket is two blocks away, and movies, laundry, restaurants and other amenities are also nearby. There is a park overlooking the north anchorage, and world famous South Beach is only blocks away. Street parking is limited but available, and due to weekend boaters, the anchorage can be a little rocky on the weekends.

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Off JFK Causeway   

There are several areas to anchor near the JFK Causeway, or at least there are several places where there are boats anchored. In recent days there seem to be fewer boats anchored than usual. These areas are located north of the causeway. On the west end of the causeway, near Pelican Harbor Marina, along the trees that line the causeway there have always been several boats anchored. At one time the county considered installing a mooring field here. 

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Florida International University   Mile 1080 ICW   

According to the Southern Waterway Guide 2001, this anchorage, located across from the Bakers Haulover Inlet, "is one of the finest overnight anchorages along this section of the ICW. (pp. 167-168) The Guide also publishes careful instructions on how to maneuver between the two sandbars that flank the entrance channel. There are no facilities nearby and dinghies are not allowed to land.

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According to "The Hungry Boaters Restaurant Guide," this is known as the Yacht Club anchorage, not affiliated at all with the yacht club. To the west of the yacht club docks there is 7-13 ft. of water and good protection from all directions except from the east.

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According to "The Hungry Boaters Restaurant Guide" there is good protection from all sides except from the west.

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According to "The Hungry Boaters Restaurant Guide," this is known as the Yacht Club anchorage, not affiliated at all with the yacht club. To the west of the yacht club docks there is 7-13 ft. of water and good protection from all directions except from the east.

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The dinghy dock at Bonita Bill's.

The view of Bonita Bill's from the dinghy dock.

Ft. Myers Anchorage western half

Ft. Myers anchorage eastern half