from Mobile Bay to Florida's West Coast. experiences of others are of
great interest <snip>
Dear Nathan:
We did the Big Bend of Florida in June 1994. If you have the time, and
inclination, I'd suggest doing some exploring along the way. The Gulf
Intra Coastal Waterway from Mobile Bay to Appalachicola has some
beautiful, and occasionally pristine cruising grounds. Clarborne Young
has authored Cruising Guides which detail the area nicely.
We wanted to explore some of the rivers in the Big Bend area. Many
folks just make a straight Gulf crossing to Clearwater, etc., but they
are missing some neat spots.
Our greatest delight in boating is anchoring out, and exploring new
areas by boat, and dinghy. One caveat though, the waters are shallow
(even quite far off shore) and you must pay careful attention to your
depth/draft and chart.
We left Rainbow Marina in Appalachicola at 0230 and exited Government
Cut (the fisherman at the next slip said "watch those range marks
carefully, and you'll be alright". We were). Our first stop was the
Suwanee River. The folks at the marina weren't very helpful, and the
water was really too shallow for our 4' draft. That was our only less
than thrilling experience, though.
We enjoyed the Homassasa River a lot. Tarpon Springs was fun, and busy.
The Withalacootchee River with the Walton Lodge for dinner was great.
Carrabelle and the Moorings Marina were wonderful.
The Gulf crossing on the way down was very smooth. On the way back we
were dogged by thunderstorms, and sloppy following seas. With radar we
were able to dodge most, but not all the T-storms. Do keep a close eye
on the weather, as it can get nasty. Do ask for local knowledge.
Almost everyone we spoke with was extremely friendly and helpful.
Enjoy.
Bob Foss
Nostrum Again 37' Newburyport
from Mobile Bay to Florida's West Coast. experiences of others are of
great interest <snip>
Dear Nathan:
We did the Big Bend of Florida in June 1994. If you have the time, and
inclination, I'd suggest doing some exploring along the way. The Gulf
Intra Coastal Waterway from Mobile Bay to Appalachicola has some
beautiful, and occasionally pristine cruising grounds. Clarborne Young
has authored Cruising Guides which detail the area nicely.
We wanted to explore some of the rivers in the Big Bend area. Many
folks just make a straight Gulf crossing to Clearwater, etc., but they
are missing some neat spots.
Our greatest delight in boating is anchoring out, and exploring new
areas by boat, and dinghy. One caveat though, the waters are shallow
(even quite far off shore) and you must pay careful attention to your
depth/draft and chart.
We left Rainbow Marina in Appalachicola at 0230 and exited Government
Cut (the fisherman at the next slip said "watch those range marks
carefully, and you'll be alright". We were). Our first stop was the
Suwanee River. The folks at the marina weren't very helpful, and the
water was really too shallow for our 4' draft. That was our only less
than thrilling experience, though.
We enjoyed the Homassasa River a lot. Tarpon Springs was fun, and busy.
The Withalacootchee River with the Walton Lodge for dinner was great.
Carrabelle and the Moorings Marina were wonderful.
The Gulf crossing on the way down was very smooth. On the way back we
were dogged by thunderstorms, and sloppy following seas. With radar we
were able to dodge most, but not all the T-storms. Do keep a close eye
on the weather, as it can get nasty. Do ask for local knowledge.
Almost everyone we spoke with was extremely friendly and helpful.
Enjoy.
Bob Foss
Nostrum Again 37' Newburyport
