Best anchorages and harbours in South-west Florida

Seaplane Basin

Anchorage in the Seaplane Basin at the south end of Davis Islands, Tampa, Florida, with a mud bottom.

• Sheltered NE

American Marina

Full-service marina at Port Richey, on the Gulf coast of Pasco County, Florida.

Anclote Harbors Marina

Marina on the Anclote River at red marker 40 in Tarpon Springs, Florida, around 15 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico.

Anclote Isles Marina

Sheltered marina on the Anclote River at Tarpon Springs, Florida, directly across from the sponge docks.

Anclote Village Marina

First marina inside the mouth of the Anclote River, near Tarpon Springs on Florida's Gulf coast.

Apollo Beach Marina

Wet-slip marina at Apollo Beach on the south shore of Tampa Bay, with a public launching ramp and a yard for owner work.

Bay Pines Marina

Marina on the Intracoastal Waterway at St. Petersburg, in Boca Ciega Bay, with wet berths and dry stack storage.

Bayfront Yacht Works and Marina

Boatyard and marina off Little Sarasota Bay on Siesta Key, with deep-water wet slips and dry storage south of the Sarasota area.

Belle Harbour Marina

Small marina on the Anclote River at Tarpon Springs, Florida, with wet berths and dry stack storage.

Bird Key (E)

Anchorage in the Manatee River off Snead Island, near the entrance to Tampa Bay in Florida. Sand and mud bottom, shelter from all directions.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Bird Key Yacht Club

Private members' yacht club with a 42-berth marina on the edge of Sarasota Bay, at 301 Bird Key Drive, Sarasota.

Blenker Boatworks & Marina

Family-run repair marina at the mouth of the Manatee River in Bradenton, by channel markers 7 and 8.

Boathouse On Longboat

Covered dry-storage marina on the south end of Longboat Key, on Sarasota Bay, at 410 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Bokeelia

Anchorage off Bokeelia, the village at the northern tip of Pine Island, looking onto Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound on the Florida Gulf coast.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Bonita Bay Marina

Full-service marina on the Imperial River at the south end of Estero Bay, in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Bradenton Beach Marina

Full-service marina and boatyard on Anna Maria Island at Bradenton Beach, Florida, just off the Intracoastal Waterway.

Bradenton Yacht Club

Members' yacht club on the Manatee River on Snead Island in Palmetto, near where the river meets Tampa Bay.

Cabbage Creek

Mangrove creek anchorage off Little Harbor near Ruskin, on the east shore of Tampa Bay, Florida, on a mud bottom with all-round protection.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW

Caladesi Island State Park Marina

Bayside marina inside Caladesi Island State Park, on a barrier island off Dunedin, Florida, fronting St. Joseph Sound.

Cape Coral Yacht Basin

Municipal marina at Cape Coral on the Caloosahatchee River, beside the Yacht Club Community Park.

Cape Haze Marina

Marina at Marker 8 on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Rotonda West, on the Cape Haze peninsula of Florida's Gulf coast.

Casey Key Marina

Marina on Blackburn Bay at Osprey, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between Sarasota and Venice, behind Casey Key.

Cat Island

Anchorage in the Tongass Narrows near Ketchikan, southeast Alaska, on a rocky bottom and sheltered from W, SW and S winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Caxambas Park & Marina

Collier County public ramp at Caxambas Pass on the south end of Marco Island, Florida, with quick access to the Gulf and the Ten Thousand Islands.

City Of Belleair Beach Marina

Small city-owned marina of 20 berths on the Intracoastal Waterway at Belleair Beach, on Florida's Pinellas barrier coast.

Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina

Municipal marina of more than 200 berths at the foot of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway, on the barrier island of Clearwater Beach in Florida.

Clearwater Harbor Marina Yacht & Boat

City-run marina of 126 berths with concrete floating pontoons, on the mainland side of Clearwater Harbor opposite Coachman Park.

Clearwater Yacht Club

Member yacht club on Clearwater Beach, on the Gulf coast of Florida.

Coastal Ozona Marina

Marina at 139 Shore Drive in the fishing village of Ozona, Palm Harbor, on St. Joseph Sound near the Dunedin Causeway, Florida.

Cortez Cove Marina

Marina with wet berths and dry storage at the fishing village of Cortez, Florida, on the canal off Sarasota Bay.