Florida West Coast overview

We are really enjoying the West Coast of Florida as we slowly work our way back to the Keys and then up to Biscayne Bay. This is a review trip of this area as we have been through here two times now. Starting at the north on the south side of Tampa Bay, you will find Snead Island Boat Works, Whiteaker Yacht Sales, Regatta Point Marina, and Twin Dolphin Marina. All of these great places are located near Palemtto Florida a great town and area.

Moving south from there, the next stop would be Sarasota, where your will find Jacks Marina and a large harbor with mooring balls and room to anchor outside the mooring area. Sarasota is a beautiful town to explore walking up the hill about 1/2 mile to town.

Heading south from Sarasota on the ICW you pass behind Siesta Key and then reach an ocean inlet at Venice. Exiting to sea here, it is 25 nm to the next inlet Boca Grande into Charlotte Harbor. Running north into this harbor you will find Brunt Store Marina, and then the town of Punta Gorda. Both of these are wonderful spots to visit. You can anchor off Punta Gorda if the winds are calm, otherwise a dock is available at Fishermans Village. 10 miles south of Punta Gorda is Burnt Store Marina, a boaters and golfers paradise.

Returning south to the ICW you will find Pelican Bay and Cabbage Key, both a must stop and explore area with great anchorages and lots of protection.

The next stop south on the ICW would be Fort Myers Beach. The town has plenty of mooring balls for $15/night 2014, and pumpout services on the balls. S few blocks walk from the dinghy dock is a great beach town and a beautiful white sand beach of about 2-3 miles long. What a great beach to access from your boat. One of the best.

The next stop south would be Marco Island, where you can anchor in Smokehouse bay or take a dock at the marina in the same bay. From here you can walk into town where you will find cafes, starbucks, Publix grocery stores and a very modern upscale town center. What a great spot this is.

From Marco, you can take an overnight trip to Marathon in the Florida Keys, or you can stop half way there in the Everglades and drop the hook in Little Shark River.

These are the stops we have used along the west coast of Florida. Here is a simple Google Map of the area.