Destin Harbor

[Group9]

Originally Posted by zeehag

the entrance to the channel into destin has a very fast current with tides. there is a narrowing at the opening jetties--we stayed away from the right hand side, as there was obvious shoaling at low tide. keep engine runnng in high rpms or you will be affected badly by the current. hard left into this channel behind the jetty.
to gain access to bay--hard right hand turn into bay, stay closer to the restaurants as the shoal will grab ye.
we went in for a few days in 2009--was lovely and there was difficulty provisioning as there are no readily available markets. is purely tourist and party life there--pretty and lots of places to eat and drink. lovely homes with docks and some small marinas with schooners and other nice boat porn to see when you dinghy around inside the bay.
no moorings, tho--we anchored. there were 3 boats of us--one 37 seidelmann, one 45 hunter, and one 55 hunter.

The problem is, I don't think that is a natural pass. If I remember right, it was dredged out when Destin was first being developed and that's why it so stubbornly keeps trying to revert to it's natural state.

[zeehag]

i donot know when it was dredged but they have commercial interests using it with need for depth, so it is staying open, somewhat. keep to port side and make severe turn to port when just into the channel--is a continuation of icw and only goes to gulf. very very fast current there...stbd side is almost showing its shoaling, but port side was open.
then into bay---use port side --hard turn to stbd, just keep to port or ground--the hunter 55 grounded on way into bay as he remained on stbd side with small power boats on beach. stay nearer to the restaurants as the fuel dock is deep water, and next to the restaurants.

[tamicatana]

Zee,

I live near Destin and travel there frequently and find your description confusing. From Gulf-ward, the bay is Choctawhatchee, and is accessed by continuing under the bridge, slight bear to port. The harbor is Destin, and one turns to starboard to access the harbor.

see here:
Chart 11385

zoom in to lower rightmost of the two maps for Destin Harbor

edit: here's a pic

[Group9]

Originally Posted by zeehag

i donot know when it was dredged but they have commercial interests using it with need for depth, so it is staying open, somewhat. keep to port side and make severe turn to port when just into the channel--is a continuation of icw and only goes to gulf. very very fast current there...stbd side is almost showing its shoaling, but port side was open.
then into bay---use port side --hard turn to stbd, just keep to port or ground--the hunter 55 grounded on way into bay as he remained on stbd side with small power boats on beach. stay nearer to the restaurants as the fuel dock is deep water, and next to the restaurants.

That's was the channel that day. It doesn't mean it will be that next week.

I've gone through it a lot of times in center consoles and other power boats. I've never wanted to get in Destin Harbor badly enough to take a sailboat in.

[zeehag]

tami--we didnt use bridge--we were 55 ft tall,mast, so we went into the opening in the breakwall south of destin harbor--with the buoys and current....where the pirate ship boat went nightly. we only had 4 1/2 ft draft, but 55 ft mast.....


gotta say i would not attempt it in my formosa--isnt a good entrance -- glad i was able to go when i had the shallow draft option.

[tamicatana]

Group9,

if you think Destin is bad, don't ever try the St Augustine area ;-) holy cats. Getting into the Camachee Cove Harbor at full tidal bore was one of the hairiest experiences I've had in regards current. St John river was pretty wacky, too

[Group9]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

Group9,

if you think Destin is bad, don't ever try the St Augustine area ;-) holy cats. Getting into the Camachee Cove Harbor at full tidal bore was one of the hairiest experiences I've had in regards current. St John river was pretty wacky, too

I've never been there, but it sounds hairy.

One of the scariest things I did was go out of Big Sarasota or Longboat Pass (It's been so long I can't remember which) in Florida right after a tropical storm (in the days before chartplotters, I only had a Loran), and about halfway through, realized that all of the markers had been moved by the storm (some of which were in obviously shoal water), and I didn't have a clue where the channel was , or if there still was one.

[xsboats]

As a resident of St.Augustine , who runs both St.Aug. Inlet and Destin Pass daily aboard large , deep draft wooden sailing vessels , I find the currents to be worse at Destin than St.Aug. Forum members should feel free to pop by and say hi . I'm the master aboard the Schooners "Daniel Webster Clements" and "Blackbeard II", Scott

[spraygun]

Was just there a few days ago.beautiful water.