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