Best anchorages and harbours in Florida

Wisteria Island

Anchorage in Key West Bight, the historic harbour on the north side of Key West, with a mud bottom.

• Sheltered N, NW

Rodriguez Key

Reef anchorage off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, marked by a 45-foot lighted steel tower. Sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW, S

Cumberland island

Anchorage on the back side of Cumberland Island, the southernmost barrier island of Georgia, in the marshes between the island and St Marys. Sand and mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Gasparilla Marina

Deep-water marina in Placida on the Intracoastal Waterway, a few minutes from Boca Grande Pass into the Gulf.

Lettuce Lake

Free anchorage off the Intracoastal Waterway at Pompano Beach, Florida, set well back from the channel.

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

Robbie's of Key West Marina

Full-service marina on Shrimp Road, Stock Island, near Key West, Florida, with deep-water access on the Atlantic side.

Indian Key Anchorage

Anchorage off Indian Key, an 11-acre historic island in the Florida Keys near Islamorada, lying just inside the Hawk Channel passage south-east of U.S. 1.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Kennedy point marina

Marina on the Intracoastal Waterway at Titusville, Florida, set on the Indian River Lagoon directly across from Kennedy Space Center.

Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage

Marina and mooring field on the south fork of the St. Lucie River at Stuart, Florida, on the Okeechobee Waterway near the ICW.

Emerson Point Preserve

Anchorage off Snead Island at the mouth of the Manatee River, opposite the DeSoto Point anchorage in Florida.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Causeway Beach, Hutchinson Island

Anchorage off the northern tip of South Hutchinson Island, on the Indian River Lagoon near Fort Pierce Inlet, Florida.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Lake Boca

Sheltered lagoon off the Intracoastal Waterway at Boca Raton, Florida, with anchoring on a sand bottom.

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

Palm Cove Marina

Large marina and boating centre on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway at Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

Daytona Marina & Boat Works

Full-service marina and boatyard on the west bank of the Halifax River in downtown Daytona Beach, Florida, on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Green Cove Springs Marina

Working boatyard and marina on the St Johns River at Green Cove Springs, about 20 miles south of Jacksonville, Florida.

Conch Harbor Marina

Marina in the Key West Bight at the Historic Seaport, a short walk from Duval Street in Old Town Key West.

Longboat Key

Anchorage on the Sarasota Bay side of Longboat Key, a barrier island on Florida's Gulf coast.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW, S, SE

West Palm Beach

Anchorage in the Lake Worth Lagoon off downtown West Palm Beach, Florida, along the Intracoastal Waterway. Sand and mud bottom.

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

Crandon Park Marina

County-run marina inside Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, on the south-west side of the island facing Biscayne Bay.

No name harbor bay

Natural harbour inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, at the southern tip of Key Biscayne, Florida.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, S, SE

Spoil Island SL

Anchorage off a spoil island in the Indian River Lagoon near Fort Pierce, Florida, with sand and mud bottom.

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

Wisteria Island

Anchorage off the north side of Wisteria Island, an uninhabited spoil island about 600 yards from Key West, Florida. Locally known as Christmas Tree Island.

• Sheltered E, S, SE

Spoil Island

Anchorage off a spoil island in the Indian River Lagoon near Fort Pierce, Florida, with a sand bottom and shelter from wind in every quarter.

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

Key Lois

Anchorage off Key Lois, an uninhabited mangrove island in the Lower Florida Keys, south of Summerland Key. Algae and mud bottom.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Westshore Yacht Club Marina

Gated members' marina on Old Tampa Bay, on the south side of Tampa, with about 175 wet berths for vessels from 40 to over 130 feet.

Sea Love Boatyard & Marina

Working boatyard and marina on the south side of Ponce Inlet, at 4877 Front Street on the Halifax River.

San Marco Island

Mooring and anchoring area off Watson Island in Biscayne Bay, Miami, on the north side of the MacArthur Causeway, with sand holding and shelter from all directions.

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

Live Oak Point

Anchorage off Live Oak Point on the Halifax River, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, near Ponce Inlet, south of Daytona Beach, Florida.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, E, S

Vero Beach anchorage

Free anchorage in the Indian River Lagoon at Vero Beach, on Florida's east coast. Sand and mud bottom, sheltered from every direction, fresh water available ashore.

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

Cayo Hueso

Cruising anchorage off the north-west side of Key West, in the lee of Fleming Key and the Naval Air Station shoreline, Florida.