St Petersburg to Captiva FL Route

[sailingmonika]

My husband an I are chartering a 40' Catamaran for 8 days, sailing out of St Petersburg and hope to make it down to Captiva, South Seas Resort before heading back. We have a 50' sailboat that we live on in the summer on the Mystic River. We are finding it difficult to plot a course for this passage as we want to sail, and not motor down the Intracoastal. Hurricane Irma also impact the more southern marinas. South Seas is open but has no restaurants open yet and only a cart for a bar. Of course we are also unfamiliar with the prevailing winds to know whether or not it will be favorable for our southern and then later direction.

If anyone has done a similar passage recently and knows which marinas, anchorages or moorings (which we know are lacking in this area) are easier to get into or out of, we'd appreciate the advice. We know Bradenton is pretty close but requires a long route into the marina, and we are no sure if we want to do that and just go for Venice on our first night. We leave the Vinoy in St Pete at 9 am.


Thank sall

[Shanachie]

First day, you have two choices: A longish day to Venice or motor sail via the ICW to Gulfport on Boca Ciega Bay and reach Venice on the second day.


Gulfport is a fun town with a free anchorage filled with rundown boats, so lock the cabin before you dinghy in to the city dock.


Go out Pass-A-Grille channel from Gulfport or take the south channel out of Tampa Bay if you are making the longer run.


Note that if you decide to go into Sarasota Bay, you are pretty much stuck with the ICW all of the way to Venice. The local governments do not dredge the channels, and they are dicey.



In Venice, with a large catamaran, you're largely limited to the Crow's Nest Marina, which has a side-tie dock running parallel to the inlet channel. Not cheap, but a decent restaurant/bar.


The current can be really strong in the Venice Inlet, so check your tide tables to avoid surprises.



If you have time and a small enough draft (under 5 feet), stop next at Boca Grande Channel for a night at Pelican Bay. Peaceful and undeveloped. Head southeast along the island in your dinghy to find a small bay often filled with manatees.



Anchor semi close to the ranger station wiped out by the hurricane.


Otherwise, you have a longish run to Captiva.


Always, always watch out for crab traps. The bulk of them are not on your route, but they tend to pop up in odd places. You don't want to have to dive overboard to cut a line from the prop shaft.


Have a good trip.

[sailingmonika]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply. the information is very helpful. We live in Gulfport during the winter so obviously we don't want to spend our first night there. If the weather is good we will head down to Venice. I'm going to share this with my husband who is plotting the trip and researching and I'll reach out if he needs more detail. thanks again.

[rognvald]

So, here's an option:
1.) St. Pete to the Manatee River anchorage. Excellent holding and protection. Good fishing. Quiet anchorage. About 4 hours from St. Pete and good fishing en route West of the bridge.
2.) Forget Venice on a cat. Where are you going to anchor? There's a little room in front of the yacht club that gets crowded this time of the year and more than 3-4 boats becomes a circus. The marina slips in the narrow entrance channel has a lot of current on the tides(tough docking) and is next to a loud bar(maybe you like that?) And, with a restaurant, there's always the possibility of visitors at night when you're asleep . . . rats.
3. ) So, from Manatee, sail to the intercoastal and spend the night on the hook at Bradenton Beach south of the bridge. There are several good anchorages and get up before dark the next morning and leave from the Long Boat Bridge for access to the Gulf. You then have 60 miles to sail on the prevailing winds until you reach Charlotte Harbor. You can anchor North or South of the inlet in clean water--usually sand/gravel bottom.
4. Next day, take the intercoastal from Charlotte Harbor to Sanibel/Captiva. I don't trust the passages between those islands due to fast currents and shifting sand when entering from the Gulf despite the fact you're on a cat.
That's what I'd do. Good luck and good sailing!
Rognvald