Anchorages in Florida
An Update from the Seven Seas Cruising Association

By Copyright 2006 Seven Seas Cruising Association
Posted Sunday, August 20, 2006

 


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We have been cruising for almost five years in Mexico and Central America. We started in the San Francisco Bay Area and had never cruised with our boat on the East Coast.

We had heard from other cruisers, as well as read about the problems with officials at some of the anchorages in Florida. We were therefore not eager to leave the Yucatan Peninsula and head for Florida to work our way up the East Coast.

However, our experience in Florida has been very positive in all cases. We left Isla Mujeres, Mexico, in late April and sailed to Key West, Florida. We stayed in Key West for a week at anchor on the east side of Wisteria Island. We were able to use the dinghy dock at Key West Bight Marina for a fee of $5 per day. There was free wireless access at a coffee shop near the West Marine.

We then moved up to Marathon and anchored outside of Boot Key Harbor to the west. We need 70 feet of clearance for our mast, so we couldn't make it under the 65 foot cable at the bridge which is at the entrance of Boot Key Harbor. We used the dinghy dock at the Marathon Municipal Marina; this was the best dinghy dock that we have seen anywhere! There was plenty of room and they have two separate areas- one for hard dinghies and one for soft sided dinghies. THey also have great showers, a TV room, laundry facilities and a large book exchange. There is free Internet access at the public library about a block away from the marina. It was, however, a long dinghy ride from the anchorage to the dinghy dock. We would highly recommend stopping along the way at Burdine's Restaurant for a great meal, including deep-fried key lime pie. West Marine also has a dinghy dock, which is just beyond the bridge and to the left as you enter the harbor.

Our next stop was Palm Beach via Lake Worth Inlet. We anchored in the south end of Lake Worth in a very protected anchorage with good holding. We were able to use the dinghy dock at the Riviera Beach Municipal Marina, which is on the west side of Peanut Island. The fee was $5 per day. There is really nothing within walking distance, so we had to take a taxi or rent a car to get to anything. We talked to other cruisers who anchored in the North end of Lake Worth adn it was not far from a market and West Marine. Again, we couldn't anchor at this location due to our tall mast; we couldn't clear the 65 foot fixed bridge.

We stopped at Ft. Pierce for just one night and fueled at Harbortown Marina. The dockmaster was extremely helpful and said that we could use their dinghydock for free. The assumption was that we would buy a drink or have a meal at their restaurant. You could also get wireless access at the marina, but it was not free. We anchored just off the marina, north of the bridge, but it was fairly shallow. It was not eight feet deep as shown on the charts. The dockmaster at Harbortown said that you can anchor on the edge of the turning basin, which we did not do. As we left the next morning, we did see a boat anchored on the northwest side of the turning basin.

In St. Augustine, we anchored on the north side of the Bridge of Lions. It is not a big anchorage, but has good holding. We were able to use the dinghy dock at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina for $7 per day on the north side of the bridge. They have a very nice facility with a laundry, showers, TV room and wireless access for a fee. However, we were able to pick up a free wireless signal in the TV room and it worked fine. There are, of course, lots of restaurants in St. Augustine and there is a market about a mile away from the water on King Street. All in all, our stay in Florida was much nicer than we had expected. We enjoyed each and every anchorage and found people to be very friendly.

Associates Jacque (KF6KJZ) Martin and Joe (KF6JLV) Brandt.

This article is an excerpt from the August issue of the Seven Seas Cruising Association Commodores' Bulletin - a monthly publication featuring articles and information from cruisers around the world. If you would like to read more of these articles, you can subscribe to the print or electronic version of the SSCA Commodores' Bulletin by becoming a member. The SSCA website is a wealth of information as well, with forums, announcements and information on how to become a member of this unique group of folks. Check it out at: http://www.ssca.org .

Reprinted with permission.