icw lowspots- st pete to naples

[c2cSailor]

I'm cruising 6ft draft and would like to know troublespots st pete to venice. I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Thanks. We have hit bottom twice so far.

[BlueWaterMD]

I don't know of any specific low spots along the ICW there. What I can say is that the channels along the way are VERY narrow. Often you can see a shelf where the channel has been cut. If you stray outside the channel by even a few feet you risk hitting bottom. When I came from Naples to Tampa, I got stuck in the mud 1 time around Anna Maria. I only draft 2 1/2 feet, so I can't say how a bigger boat would do. It is a very senic trip, but there are a lot of bridges and you have to motor most of the way. I think it took me about 3 days. If I had to do it again, I would take the gulf route. Don't think I would want to be in the gulf tomorrow however. Small craft advisory.

[millenniumman]

From St Pete to ICW at Anna Maria Sound easy, just don't hit the Big Bridge. Coming into ICW @ Anna Maria stay in the center of the channel when possible. South of Anna Maria inlet to Sarasota Bay is a bit tricky. It's not so much that the channel is shallow but that it isn't always where it's supposed to be & it's narrow. Be particularly cautious between the Anna Maria Bridge and the Cortez bridge. Do no steer by your GPS/Chartplotter. Every thime I come through here I see someone on a sand bar, which are constantly shifting. Past Cortez to Sarasota Bay, no real surprises just the usuall ICW issues. From Sarasota Bay to Little Sarasota Bay is very narrow in spots. Particularly around Phillipe(Sp?) Creek & Stickney Pt area. Also a lot of private nav aids which can be confusing. Just make sure your following the correct channel. Down to Venice no probs. Around Venice wide well marked canal. Down to Lemon Bay no real suprises. I usually go outside from there to Charlotte Harbor & Keys so no real help from venice to Naples on ICW.

[svHyLyte]

Two difficult spots to be aware of are the channel on the southeast side of Jewfish Key just south of Longboat Pass and the Ringling Bridge in Sarasota.

At Jewfish Key the channel has become fairly shoal and you'll need to proceed carefully favoring the east side of the channel to the extent possible. Some floating bouys have been added that may be of some help. At Ringling Bridge there have been reports of debris from the destruction of the old bridge in the water between mid-span and the first pylon on the west side of the channel. Several boats have reported damage there and I don't know if the area has been improved. Note too that the lights that are suspended from the underside of the bridge hange down a good 5' or more. We barely missed banging into them on our first passage under the new bridge.

FWIW...

[c2cSailor]

The wx was horrible even on the inside. 28kts w 35 gusts and 4-6ft seas. Cold front overtook us. We had to use dive masks in the cockpit and had to anchor in the channel for an hour.

[albe1066]

Hi,

There is a website that tracks problems and issues encountered by people traveling up and down the ICW. The address is Cruiser's Net. It is a very active and useful source of information. The site also has information about fuel prices, marinas, anchorages ...