Is 5' draft too much for Tarpon Springs area

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

I wanted to stay a few days in Tarpon Springs enjoying the Greek restaurants this winter so I called a marina to ask about a reservation. Nice lady essentially said that Tarpon Springs was not good for a sailboat with 5' draft. She suggested Clearwater or south. Should I scratch it off the list of places to visit?

[Polar Opposite]

Yes, you should scratch it. I just came up the ICW off Anclote Bay, and large swaths of the bay were problematic with a 5' draft. Proceeding up the river to Tarpon Springs would have been asking for trouble.

[sailjumanji]

Go to Clearwater, take a taxi. That's what we did, because cat space at tarpon springs was limited.

[belizesailor]

Been a while, but I used to keep a boat in Tarpon Springs that drew 5.5'. You do have to pay attention, but unless something has changed drastically in recent years it is do-able.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by EmeraldCoastSailor

I wanted to stay a few days in Tarpon Springs enjoying the Greek restaurants this winter so I called a marina to ask about a reservation. Nice lady essentially said that Tarpon Springs was not good for a sailboat with 5' draft. She suggested Clearwater or south. Should I scratch it off the list of places to visit?

Click over to Active Captain, register (for free) if you are not so already, and use the charts display in the Interactive Cruising Guide (i.e. "Live Map" tab) to view the area and comments by other users/cruisers. Some areas in St. Joseph Sound are a bit "skinny" but it would appear that a 5 foot draft shouldn't be all that much of a problem, even in the River.

FWIW...

[Ocoast]

There are plenty of boats that draft over 5‘ using the Anclote River to Tarpon Springs. You will be fine if you stay in the channel. There are large commercial boats using the river daily.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ocoast

There are plenty of boats that draft over 5‘ using the Anclote River to Tarpon Springs. You will be fine if you stay in the channel. There are large commercial boats using the river daily.

+1. The river itself is no problem...its the shallow bays outside, but the ICW is well marked.

[denverd0n]

Getting into and out of certain marinas may also be a problem. It is possible that the particular marina you called is one of those. As others have said, though, while it will take careful planning and maneuvering, 5' is not impossible in the Tarpon Springs area.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Ocoast

There are plenty of boats that draft over 5‘ using the Anclote River to Tarpon Springs. You will be fine if you stay in the channel. There are large commercial boats using the river daily.

Bingo, I have been there several times and stayed at the City Marina right downtown and I draw 5'. Old Marina, poor docks, but right downtown just past the old sponge docks, 100' walk to the Restraunts.
No problem at all. Come in from the North of Anclote key though, I tried the South route and turned around when I bumped bottom.
Coming up the ICW from Clearwater is easy too.
There is less than 5' in the turning basin right at the very end of the channel, but it was soft mud, so no problem getting out.

[Scout 30]

When you come in from the Gulf stay well south of Anclote Island till you pick up the ICW. If you love white sandy beaches anchor off the southeast end of Anclote where the lighthouse is & then dinghy into the beach & walk around to the west side. Or you can anchor at 3 Rooker which is the next island to the south. After Honeymoon Island to the south is Caladesi Island which is a state park with a marina that is a great place to stay this time of year. East of that is the Dunedin Municipal Marina with transient slips & a bunch of great restaurants within walking distance. After that head over to Clearwater Beach & stay at the marina there. All kinds of stuff going on. I'd walk over to Frenchy's Restaurant for some She Crab soup & a grouper Rueben. This is making me hungry!

[kelbylinn]

Our 42' GB draws 5' and we did fine there a couple of years ago. We did have to wait until 1/2 tide going up to get into Turtle Cove Marina. We came in the South side of Anclote, and it was a bit scary and kind of confusing marker wise. Don't know about the North entry. River was fine as noted above by staying well in the channel. Great place well worth the anxiety getting in!

[Scout 30]

One thing to be aware of is that the Municipal Marina is quite small. I was there a couple of days ago & it was full.

[hseaton]

My, my what heresay and old wives tales will do to make people miss one of the most interesting places on the Gulf side of Florida, maybe all the cruising grounds. Let me start by saying I have had a boat in Tarpon Springs for the last 15 years. I am the Harbor Host for AGLCA in Tarpon Springs and welcome members, or ANY boaters, wanting to visit a "little bit of Greece in the USA".... NO passport required! I also go when I want, where I want with a 53' MY with a 5' draft. Yes, I'm careful, just as everybody should be on this coast, because it is more shallow but if you stay in the marked channel you should have no problem. If you look on Active Cpt'n and locate Turtle Cove Marina, I can tell you that a month ago there were about 10 large sailboats docked there and currently there is one with a 5.5' draft thats been there for 2 months. At the City Docks there's a 42' Hunter now! Yes, they normally move on high tide but without problems. BTW, Cat space at TS is never a problem if I know you're coming. I recently accommodated several 36'-44' quite easily. Another fact about TS is it's a soft bottom (another way to clean muscles off if you're cheap)! You can have excellent fresh fish at Rusty Bellies (they have their own fleet) and family Greek restaurants are the way to go as opposed to larger tourist ones on the sponge docks. No doubt you can ride the smelly old Trolly and yes the City Docks are not pretty but there are 8 other marina's around and I know them to be quite adequate. If you need service there are several good yards for repairs and many boat owners from the Tampa/Clearwater area bring their boats here for service because of the reasonable rates. Commercial shrimp fleet boats come here for regular service and they have more than a 5' draft. Last holiday season 8-10 people left their boats here for a month and traveled home for Christmas. There are new dog parks 1/2 mile away if you have pets and a 38 mile bicycle path all the way to St Pete Beach at the lower end of the peninsula. If anyone would like more specific information, you can always (24/7) call me at 727-593-7623. I live on my boat at Tarpon Landings Marina. I handle questions weekly from AGLCA members and will be glad to help any mariners. I begin my own LOOP in March '17, so I'll be out for awhile but my phone is always on. Hope to see you soon!

[Scout 30]

I agree, you can certainly do this & should not miss it. It's gotten touristy but it's a truly historic Greek fishing village that still has a lot of authentic Greek character. Be sure & watch this before you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR6FApI1VlU

[hseaton]

Great movie Scout30, history of TS is interesting including the potato salad at the bottom of the Greek salad here and why it's there! Never know unless you've been here! Sorry I missed you. I'd much rather be back there instead of watching snow flurries in E TN tonight, along with 25-30 mph winds!