overnight anchoring spots around tampa/st pete

[spincycle]

New to boating in the larger hatteras class, anyone know of any protected spots to anchor overnight in the Tampa /st. petersburg/anna maria areas. my home port is down town st. petersburg.

Spincycle

[garyd]

You could try the Manatee river. It would be good practice. Some current but not terrible fast. It switches at least twice a day/night. Come into the mouth of the river and as you pass the jut of land off your stb bow you can head south and anchor or head north. Depends on what the winds going to do. Usually a nice overnight anchorage.

If your new to anchoring etc I would avoid anchoring overnight in around Tampa bay. Or Longboat pass (wikked current and dramatic tide change).

garyd

[sofarelli]

The best anshorage in the area is at the south side of Longboat Key pass.
We all call it Jewfish Key and Moore's. It's all no wake, good clean water,
and 2 restaurants just a dinghy ride in. You'll see little boats beached and up to 70' boats anchored in the south channel or out in front of Moore's
restaurant.
The Manatee river (Desoto point) is nice, but the boat traffic on weekends
can get annoying.
If you crave the City, anchor in the Vinoy basin. North Pinellas has good open anchorages up around the north side of Honeymoon Island and Anclote Key. It's open water in St. Joseph's Sound protected by 3 Rooker Island.
I hope that helps.
Mike "Hattitude"

[Freestyle]

On the Tampa side, a spoil island charted as Pearson's Paradise or Dan Browne Island is popular with good protection from everything west.

Davis Island basin is super protected but often conjested with the live aboard crowd.

This weekend anchoring on the East side of McDill will give you a front row seat to the air show on Saturday and Sunday. Well protected from everything but north and east winds which are not called for.

On the beach side, I sometimes anchor on the southern side of Pinellas near the Holiday Inn Sunspree. It's nicely protected except from the South.

Sand Key is also quite happening but swing room is limited.

With $5 diesel this summer we will all be staying a little closer to home.

Bruce
Freestyle
43 DCMY
Tampa

[Brian Degulis]

There's a small island across the bay from you directly west of the Apollo Beach Power Plant known as "Beer can island" Deep water is on the east side right up to the island itself. It's popular usually a weekend party the island is clean sand with some shade trees and you can go on it. It's privatly owned there are signs up saying your welcome to use it just keep it clean.

Brian

[Freestyle]

Brian

The Island west of Apollo Beach is now formally named Dan Browne Island but still charted as Pearson's Paradise and commonly known as Beer Can. It was owned for years by Mike Hughey who owned Imperial Yacht Basin, Joy Food Stores and SuperTest gas stations. He sold it to the deveelopers of NewPort who have since gone bankrupt after scraping Imperial to the ground and leaving the area with about 300 fewer well sheltered covered wet slips.

Dan Browne was a WWII Navy pilot who escaped a prisoner of war camp. He was a lawyer for Mr. Hughey who had the island named after him after he died in a plane crash a few years ago flying solo in his mid 80's.

Just some local trivia.

Bruce
Freestyle
1976 43 DCMY
Tampa