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Anchorages Rated
Recreational characteristics: Activities
 
Name Fishing Swimming Day Sailing Skiing Rowing Beach Combing Overall Rating
Big Pass/Otter Key yes no no no yes no medium
Bimini Basin no no yes no yes no medium
Boca Grande/Grande Bayou no no no no no no medium
Bradenton yes no yes yes no no low
Cape Haze no no yes no yes no medium
Captiva Pass yes yes yes yes yes yes medium
Charlotte Harbor yes no yes no no no low
Chino Island yes yes yes yes yes no medium
DeSoto Point/Emerson Point no yes yes no yes no medium
Ding Darling/Tarpon Bay yes yes yes no yes no medium
Doctor's Pass
Edgewater Lake yes no yes no no no low
Englewood Beach yes yes yes no yes no high
Factory Bay yes yes yes no no no medium
Glover Bight no no yes no yes no medium
Gordon Pass/Green No. 13 yes no yes no no no medium
Hooker Point yes no no no no no high
Lemon Bay yes yes yes yes yes no medium
Little Marco Island yes no yes no no no medium
Live Oak Point/Punta Gorda yes no yes no no no low
Longbeach yes yes yes no yes no medium
Longboat Pass yes yes yes yes yes yes medium
Mantanzas Pass/Ft Myers no no yes yes yes no high
Matlacha yes no yes yes yes no medium
McKay Point no no no no no no medium
Naples City Harbor no no no no no no medium
New Pass/Sands Point yes yes yes yes yes yes medium
Palmetto yes no yes no no no low
Pelican Bay yes yes yes no yes yes high
Point Blanco No. 1 yes no yes no no no low
Point Blanco No. 2 no no yes no yes no high
Power Plant Slough yes yes yes yes yes no high
Punta Rassa yes yes yes yes yes no medium
Roberts Bay yes yes yes no no no high
Roosevelt Channel/Tween Waters yes yes yes yes yes no medium
Safety Harbor yes yes yes no yes no high
Sanibel - West of Bridge yes yes yes yes yes yes medium
Sanibel/Point Ybel yes yes yes yes yes yes medium
Sarasota/Bayfront Park no no yes no yes no medium
Stump Pass/East yes no no no yes yes high
Stump Pass/West yes yes yes yes yes yes medium
Terra Ceia yes no yes yes no no high
Useppa Island/Cabbage Key yes yes yes no yes no medium
Venice/Higel Park no no no no yes no medium
Yacht Club Colony no no no no yes no medium
York Island/St James City yes yes yes yes yes no low

This website provides resident and transient boaters with an easy-to-use selection guide to anchorages in southwest Florida. The information is based on local knowledge provided by numerous boating organizations and on a Florida Sea Grant research project involving several hundred volunteer boaters.

All of these anchorages were selected to accommodate vessels with a draft of 5 feet or greater (many can accommodate a draft of 6 feet or more), except for three with an approach channel depth of 4 feet (Yacht Club Colony, Power Plant Slough, and Point Blanco #2). The average distance between anchorages on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is 4.85 miles, but be forewarned: depending on the particular stretch of waterway, weather conditions, and crowding, it may be necessary to travel a much farther distance to reach appropriate and available shelter.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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