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Old 12-01-2025, 11:26   #1
Ldd
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NOLA to Tampa Bay

I am buying a boat in the NO area. I have decided to sail it back. Trucking is just toooo expensive. Prep boat truck boat re mast boat will be about 15K!!!
Thinking of getting to the intercoastal. Sail it and then do the last run to Tampa
Thinking I can do it for 5k or maybe less..
When to leave?
Places to stop?
Any info is appreciated
TIA!
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Old 12-01-2025, 18:32   #2
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Re: NO to tampabay

So, it would be helpful if readers of this post knew what location NO is. At least I do not.

Also, what is the boat and what sailing experience do you have?
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Old 12-01-2025, 18:37   #3
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pirate Re: NO to tampabay

That's what I wondered, can't be New Orleans so that just leaves N Ontario..
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Old 12-01-2025, 19:17   #4
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Re: NO to tampabay

I agree.
I messed up with the title. I can't figure out how to change it. I have contacted a moderator. Waiting for a reply.
Thanks
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Old 12-01-2025, 19:38   #5
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pirate Re: NO to tampabay

It'd be quicker to just say now, being as your here..
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Old 12-01-2025, 20:41   #6
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Re: NO to tampabay

Sorry,
I want to get the boat from Mandeville, LA. North of New Orleans to Tarpon Springs in the Tampa Bay area. Thinking of using the inter coastal where available.
Thanks!
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Old 12-01-2025, 22:53   #7
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Re: NOLA to Tampa Bay

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” or Looking to Crew" in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

I modified the title to make it clear that you meant New Orleans, rather than that you had a problem with something in TB.
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Old 12-01-2025, 23:34   #8
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Re: NOLA to Tampa Bay

It depends on the height of your mast. The various state ICW fixed bridges on the gulf coast can be as low as 50 feet.
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Old 13-01-2025, 03:57   #9
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Re: NOLA to Tampa Bay

We don't care for the ICW, too busy, too many drawbridges on a schedule. We try to avoid overnight sails.
An earlier post of mine:

We are currently in Key West via the AR and MS Rivers. From New Orleans, our anchorages and marins:
Rabbit Island, where the GICW meets the Gulf.
Gulfport Municipal Marina, very nice. $1 per foot
Petit Bois Island
Mobile Bay
Pensacola Bay
Destin
Panama City
St. Vincent Island SW of Apalachicola Bay
St. Pete to Cape Coral via GICW due to high winds
Ft. Myer's Beach to The Dry Tortugas (a Must see IMHO)
Marquesas Island
Key West
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Old 13-01-2025, 05:18   #10
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Re: NOLA to Tampa Bay

If your mast is less than 50’ you can take the ICW all the way to Carabelle.

If not, then you will have to go out via Pickens Pass (Pensacola). You can stop at Destin but the entrance tends to be very shallow. And if your mast is over 50’ you will have to go out again. Another stop is Panama City, but again if mast doesn’t allow, you will have to go back out until Port St Joe where you can go in via the Gulf Canal and take the ICW to Apalachicola and go from there to Carabelle inside the islands.

Carabelle is the last stop of inland ICW, from there you can short hop along the coast, Steinhatchee, Cedar Key, but the water is quite shallow. We always have gone straight across from Carabelle to Tarpon Springs and picked up the inland ICW again from there.

Suggest you peruse charts, go to Active Captain, and plan according to your draft and mast height.
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Old 13-01-2025, 08:06   #11
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Re: NOLA to Tampa Bay

You hop to Gulfport MS. Then you an take the ICW or sail outside to Pensacola. Then to Panama City and then to Carrabelle. Carrabelle is as close as you can get and now you have to overnight sail to the north end of the ICW near Tarpon Springs. You can skip some day be just leaving from Pensacola or Panama City. The biggest factor is going to be the wind direction and Gulf conditions for the last leg.
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Old 14-01-2025, 15:29   #12
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Re: NOLA to Tampa Bay

We've done this trip many times, with many different combinations of stops. Our air draft is 60' and we draw 6' so those are our limiting factors. For us, weather generally determines when we leave and how long it takes. PM me if you have similar requirements and I am happy to discuss.

Regarding $5k, that is dependent on how you travel. Our costs are typically a lot less than that for a trip from NOLA to Tampa Bay.
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Old 21-01-2025, 13:10   #13
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Re: NOLA to Tampa Bay

If you have sound boat and capable crew, no reason you cannot come out of Lake Pontchartrain via the Rigolets and get over to Gulfport (or Cat Island) and then go direct across to Tampa Bay. If you can time it with a cold front that is not a snorter, you’ll broad to beam reach the whole way in probably 20-25 knots tops with a lot of it in 10-15 knots. Reef accordingly. It’s a 350 mile trip from Gulfport to Tampa Bay so 2.5 days if you can average 6 knots.

We bought our boat in St. Pete and brought her across the Gulf to Gulfport in September 2022 and my wife and I have done several upper Gulf crossings from Gulfport to Port St. Joe (and vice versa). Pick the weather right and it can be a decent trip. If breeze or sea state is too sporty, coastal hop per above to Carrabelle and then over to Tarpon Springs ICW.
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