Where To With 8-Days From St. Pete?

[TJR]

If you only had 8 days and started in St Pete and wanted to head south, how far would you go and where to? Assume the following:Cartalina 34, 25 gallon diesel tank, family of 4, early April timeframe.


Thanks!

[Doodles]

Dry Tortugas, Key West, Marathon.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by TJR

If you only had 8 days and started in St Pete and wanted to head south, how far would you go and where to? Assume the following:Cartalina 34, 25 gallon diesel tank, family of 4, early April timeframe.


Thanks!

If your length (8 days) is hard, I would not go for Key West. That requires a hardovernight sail, or you have to pull in some place like Shark River -- and the mosquitoes are BAD right now. It just hasn't been cold enough. I'm all bitten up right now from mosquitoes and typically I have no problem with them where I am.

When people in the Tampa Bay area talk about going down to the Keys and the Tortugas, they typically allow two weeks.

If you go down toward Cayo Costa there's LOT to explore down there, esp. if you're willing to get out of the sailboat and into your dinghy. There are a lot of little islands to explore and beautiful waters to sail in. You can pull in at Longboat Key (through Longboat Pass if you're on the outside. Terra Ceia Bay is off the Southeast end of Tampa Bay is beautiful. A lot of people like to anchor off Fort DeSoto Park, south of the tip of Pinellas Peninsula.

Or, you could go north to Tarpon Springs and Cedar Key but I would go south.

You didn't say what kind of crew you have. Sailing south to the Keys would be really tough with only one or two adult, experienced sailors.

Take an up-to-date chart and I recommend a chartplotter as well, as you can zoom in on a chart plotter and get important details about the depth of the water *exactly* where you are. All down the west coast of Florida -- where, there are no dragons, but there certainly are high spots where you wouldn't expect them.

[Triton318]

Brings back memories of sailing with the family when I was in high school. We lived in Bradenton and made many one-week cruises south. Cayo Costa -- I don't know what it's like now, but I loved going there. Great fun for the kids. Anchoring off Ft. Desoto and going ashore is fun too, if you've never been there. Have a great cruise!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, TJR.

See the Southwest Florida Anchorage Inventory
➥ http://www.flseagrant.org/anchorage/..._inventory.php

[TJR]

We would love to make it to DT, I'm not confident we have the time to get it in. The 8- day window is fixed because of work. I wish.

[TJR]

Rakuflames,

My crew is a wife and 2 sons (15 &11). My oldest can pull his own shift.


I do have a chart plotter. .


Can KW be reached from Shark River before the sun sets if you get out early enough?

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by TJR

Rakuflames,

My crew is a wife and 2 sons (15 &11). My oldest can pull his own shift.


I do have a chart plotter. .


Can KW be reached from Shark River before the sun sets if you get out early enough?

KW from Shark is a haul this time of year to be in daylight the entire trip.... IIRC like 70 miles.

+1 on Charlotte Harbor! With Cayo Costa, Cabbage Key, Useppa, Boca Grande, Burnt Store, and Punta Gorda... And about a zillion great gunk holes, it will waste a week just fine

[capn_billl]

It sounds like fun, my recomendation is to pick somewhere close, and branch out from there. You don't want the first trip to be a grueling 8 day beat to windward, and frantically running back to meet a deadline.

For an 8 day window, I would sail max 2 days, no more than 50-80 miles, (remember to stop for breaks, explore the area. Then drop anchor and snorkle, fish, etc... anchor within dinghy distance of beach...Spend 3 days of fun, then head back. with 1 day extra. Also since you went small going out you can press it to make up time going back if needed, hard sailing 80miles in one day is doable. Getting back in 3 days should be easy.