looking for ideas, short cruise out of Tampa area

[Tney88]

Hi, folks,

I have an opportunity to take in a fire service conference in Clearwater Beach, FL, in mid-November.  If I go, I will of course take in a factory tour at Hutchins.  But the Admiral and I were thinking maybe we should tack on a week of vacation as well, and charter a boat out of the Tampa area.  Any recommendations for charter companies, and any suggestions/ideas for a short (1 week or less) cruise out of Tampa? 

Terry Ney
CP-27 "Paradiso"
Veneta, Oregon

[Dave]

My home water (at least in the winter) is Sarasota Bay and have sailed in the St Pete area.  Thinking of anchoring or marina?  St Pete is a great destination.  Vinoy hotel is classic and has its own marina.  Short walk to museums and restaurants.  Further south is Bradenton, Anna Maria and Sarasota Bay.  Marina Jacks in Sarasota has both marina docking and mooring field and is right downtown.

Please let me know your general preferences and I'll be happy to provide some details.

[Jeff S]

Florida Gulf coast in mid November on a sailboat!  It does not get any better than that.  The first thing to always remember if new to sailing there is the shallow water.  Check on-line charts.  I recommend www.earthnc.com on-line viewer.  In my opinion, the best spent week would be island exploring along the Pinellas County coast.  From Egmont Key at the mouth to Tampa Bay north to the Anclotte Keys.  If you want to venture further, then head south to Cayo Costa.  You can enjoy great destinations, pleasant sailing and safe anchorages.  By that time of year, the temperature is still beach weather and the humidity is a non-issue.  Keep in mind, that larger boats with deep drafts could limit your itinerary. 

[cdflan]

Don't know what type/size boat you are looking for but at the small end, there are 3 companies that charter Hunter 29's out of St. Petersburg:
sailsimply.com
floridayachtscharter.com
boatbound.com
For itinerary - great little cove at mouth of Manatee River, hike and lunch on Egmont Key, then into Gulf up to Pass-a-Grille and into Boca Ciega Bay.  Funky little city of Gulfport with anchorage and slips opposite the city center and a municipal marina a bit further east with slips, power, fuel,etc.  Wander up inland waterway to John's Pass to wander around a bit.  Can go outside or continue on ICW to Clearwater city marina.  Further up coast is pretty little town of Dunedin and then Tarpon Springs although that would be a strretch for a week.

[Tney88]

Dave, thanks for the reply.  Generally we anchor out, with maybe one night at a marina if we want to get some local cuisine.  We'd be there for the sailing, not the land-side destinations.

Terry



My home water (at least in the winter) is Sarasota Bay and have sailed in the St Pete area.  Thinking of anchoring or marina?  St Pete is a great destination.  Vinoy hotel is classic and has its own marina.  Short walk to museums and restaurants.  Further south is Bradenton, Anna Maria and Sarasota Bay.  Marina Jacks in Sarasota has both marina docking and mooring field and is right downtown.

Please let me know your general preferences and I'll be happy to provide some details.

[Tney88]

Jeff, thanks for the reply.  Good to know that we're picking a good time to visit the area.  We do a lot of sailing in a lake with a lot of shallow water, but I will keep that in mind for both boat selection and course planning.  Sounds like this could be a good adventure for us!

Terry

Florida Gulf coast in mid November on a sailboat!  It does not get any better than that.  The first thing to always remember if new to sailing there is the shallow water.  Check on-line charts.  I recommend www.earthnc.com on-line viewer.  In my opinion, the best spent week would be island exploring along the Pinellas County coast.  From Egmont Key at the mouth to Tampa Bay north to the Anclotte Keys.  If you want to venture further, then head south to Cayo Costa.  You can enjoy great destinations, pleasant sailing and safe anchorages.  By that time of year, the temperature is still beach weather and the humidity is a non-issue.  Keep in mind, that larger boats with deep drafts could limit your itinerary. 

[Tney88]

Well, the boat selection has one variable we haven't firmed up.  If it's just the Admiral and me, a Hunter 29 would be a great option.  But the Admiral has an aunt and uncle in Florida that we may invite along, so if that happens we would probably move up to something in the mid-30's.  However, I appreciate the leads for charter companies, as well as the suggested itinerary.

Terry


Don't know what type/size boat you are looking for but at the small end, there are 3 companies that charter Hunter 29's out of St. Petersburg:
sailsimply.com
floridayachtscharter.com
boatbound.com
For itinerary - great little cove at mouth of Manatee River, hike and lunch on Egmont Key, then into Gulf up to Pass-a-Grille and into Boca Ciega Bay.  Funky little city of Gulfport with anchorage and slips opposite the city center and a municipal marina a bit further east with slips, power, fuel,etc.  Wander up inland waterway to John's Pass to wander around a bit.  Can go outside or continue on ICW to Clearwater city marina.  Further up coast is pretty little town of Dunedin and then Tarpon Springs although that would be a strretch for a week.

[dhgmco]

I keep my Com-Pac 23 in Palm Harbor, just above Clearwater. Happy to provide any local intel re: the west coast of Florida.
I know the Hutchins guys, and they have been extremely helpful with knowledge and parts this past 15 years.

If you need a boat for a day or two, let me know.

Don G.
Southern Cross
Com-Pac 23
Orlando, FL