Longer term Florida Anchorage Suggestions Near Grocery Stores?

[catalystcat]

A couple of things

Most of the ones I mentioned are not "formal" anchorages. But, they are occupied regularly.

If you have a high mast (>64') you can't get to many of them. (I can't either with my current boat). Sorry if I missed that.

You can get to Manatee Pocket/Stuart and to the ones on the Indian River near Titusville and the ones near Cape Canaveral. BTW - if you don't like Manatee Pocket, there is an anchorage at Hooker Point. Not nearly as protected. But, pretty easy to use.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by catalystcat

A couple of things

Most of the ones I mentioned are not "formal" anchorages. But, they are occupied regularly.

If you have a high mast (>64') you can't get to many of them. (I can't either with my current boat). Sorry if I missed that.

You can get to Manatee Pocket/Stuart and to the ones on the Indian River near Titusville and the ones near Cape Canaveral. BTW - if you don't like Manatee Pocket, there is an anchorage at Hooker Point. Not nearly as protected. But, pretty easy to use.

That’s OK. The less formal the Anchorage the better actually. I prefer that.

when you look at an anchorage, I’m usually the last boat all the way out at the end. I might even be around the corner out in the open water.

thanks for the tip about the mast height. The air draft. I’ll look carefully when I am evaluating the anchorages. A lot of limitations, but I think it will still be worth it with this rig in order to be able to transit open water quickly and easily.

Thanks again.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Americat3014

This may be the wrong side of Florida, but people anchor out on both sides of Welsh Causeway in Madeira Beach. There is a Publix/McDonalds dock on the mainland (better veggies) and a Winn Dixie on the island. You can have packages sent to my house and I will deliver them to the boat. You may have to prove the boat is capable of moving to the FWC, but many boats have been there for a year or more. There is a small marine store in town or you can catch a bus to West Marine.

Actually, you’d be surprised. I like that side of Florida. I like it better. Much more laid-back. The people typically have better values. Sorry. I’m probably offending half of Florida right now. Ha ha. but the west coast of Florida is just nice in my opinion. I enjoy the laid-back atmosphere.

I took a look at Madeira Beach the other day when I was looking through. It looked like a nice spot. But I wasn’t sure if they would let you stay a couple months.

This is an ideal location for me. And all of the Shoreside facilities sound great. And holy cow, that is the nicest offer I have ever seen. Thank you so much for offering that. packages are the one difficult thing when you are actively moving with the boat. And they are very much necessary when you are still building the boat. There always is some item or another that you can’t find in the marine shops or wherever. And you need things to move quickly because you are in the middle of an enormous project. so thank you. I definitely have some interest in this idea.

as a bonus, you would be 100% getting a spot on this winter cruise for the forum that I am trying to put together on the boat. The day sail. So long as I can get this rig on and get the boat together, I plan to extend an invitation to everyone that played a part in my threads. We will go out for a sail on the boat and see what it can do. We'll try not to tip it over. Ha ha.

[Americat3014]

I don't think they can do anything about people anchoring there as long as the boat can move under sail or power. They won't allow someone to attach a little outboard on a derelict boat and say that makes it seaworthy. The Sheriff Dept is working hard to remove abandoned boats.
Please don't pump your waste overboard or have a goat on your boat. We had one of those and the owner would wrap the goat waste in plastic and toss it overboard. I collect garbage that I find floating when checking crab traps and goat poop really smells after a day or two of floating in the sun. Or, maybe I was just hoping it was goat poop and not something else.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Americat3014

I don't think they can do anything about people anchoring there as long as the boat can move under sail or power. They won't allow someone to attach a little outboard on a derelict boat and say that makes it seaworthy. The Sheriff Dept is working hard to remove abandoned boats.
Please don't pump your waste overboard or have a goat on your boat. We had one of those and the owner would wrap the goat waste in plastic and toss it overboard. I collect garbage that I find floating when checking crab traps and goat poop really smells after a day or two of floating in the sun. Or, maybe I was just hoping it was goat poop and not something else.

Ok. that’s good news. I should have the rig on and everything will be working of course motors and steering by the time I get to an anchorage.

And wow. that’s just gross. I hope it was goat poop also.

it just adds insult to injury to put plastic in there with it. Wow.

most likely I would be using a composter (dessication) head again. I currently have a porta potty. But it’s not in the best repair. And once out to anchor, it will be much more difficult to empty the porta potty than a composter, which I could hopefully find a proper trash can for in the vicinity.

[Chotu puts on heat reflective firesuit for the possibility of flaming feces wars starting over composter/dessication vs holding tank proponents]

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Great. All my cheering for Titusville probably just filled it all the way back up. Ha ha ha

I was there in April and there were 6 boats in the mooring field and maybe another 3-4 anchored just outside. Plenty of room.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by zboss

Palm Beach / Lake Worth is a good place to hang for a while. Closer down to the bridge is good but you will switch back and forth with the strong current and the wind often blows in such a way that you end up doing circles around your anchor. So either anchor well away from someone and put out a stern and bow anchor or get a mooring. You will have access to the Palm Beach sailing club for a fee with a place to safely leave your dinghy and also receive mail. You are a bike ride / scooter away from a few very nice groceries and marine supply stores.

The weather can be quite fierce certain times of the year and it can be dangerous to get off your boat when the wind is blowing strongly against the peak current.

PBSC is now like $40/day with a minimum of 3 days! I know they have longer term deals, but its still pretty expensive.

[twofingerpoi]

I moved my sailboat to Titusville marina to weather hurricane Ian. The mooring field should have plenty of openings. Westland marina is a good DIY yard if you need to haul out. There is a grocery store and shops within walking distance.

SR518 Eau Gallie causeway is a good anchorage especially on the northwest side near Squid Lips. The public library is next door with free wi-fi and a dock that you can dinghy to. There are also beach options to dock. Thrifty Produce is your best bet for veggies but it's not walking distance but cheaper than Publix.

[theBigKahuna]

One note on Dinner Key mooring (Biscayne Bay), the field is unprotected so a big blow, esp E or NE will have your rock and rolling quite a bit, but a number of boats will precipitate that and anchor at one of the keys and as mentioned one has a very accessible Publix.

All that being said the field is $$$ reasonable and anchoring is free. The marina's pretty good there, dinghy dock, big laundry and decent grocery options. A bike could be very helpful

[Happ]

While I can’t suggest any place in particular you might consider getting a folding bike. I have one with a small rack on it. I have a Yeti pack to keep things cool during transport. This can at least extend your range and open up your possibilities.

[kapnkarl]

Following

[JimmyDarci]

Titusville mooring field last winter was 1/3 empty. First come first serve. Usually calm and we felt safe. Stores around there and nice facilities for a good price.

BTW… great spot nearby for anchoring away from everything for a few days at a time. Super sheltered spot just north of there next to the RR bridge. (SW and SE sides are both 8+ ft deep along the RR causeway. No other boats and we enjoyed a week of repairs and rest, using the mooring field for occasional resupply. This was one of the most protected and tranquil spots on ICW). This is two miles from the mooring field and one of our favorite spots from Florida to Maine. Can use this spot in conjunction with the mooring field to save money and feel like you are away from it all - while still being close by.

[CaptainGeo]

North end of Lake Worth,or Melbourne anchorage if you want to be a bit further north

[team karst]

Max B bridge keeps you out of the Titus. muni mooring, correct? SB from Ponce you can't get there either. Brevard County has the most 65' bridges that I can think of. You can only go around 3 miles south of the inlet canal at Port Canav. North, you can hit Titus., but not the large mooring field.
Maybe suprisingly, the most congested FL sites tend to have drawbridges. Palm Beach, Broward. But, to finish off PBC, you can't go under Riv. Beach bridge, just N of the large inlet.

Unless you want close(r) access to the Bahamas, etc. I suggest NFL, maybe St Aug, but you can't go but a mile or two N of the inlet. South a bit further to at least one yard with 25' beam capability. Where I am currently stuck.

fyi: $30/day at st aug muni mooring (day rate). Hardish to find lower $ alternatives there.

[squarpeg]

This is an old post but I will add another location just because I am so familiar with it. I have stayed at Fernandina Beach Florida for the last 12 years. For what the original OP was looking for it might fit the bill. The Pro/con. So the pro is that there is an endless amount of room to anchor any size boat. The holding is good. I have never heard of people being hassled there for length of stay and there are some permanent people out on the hook. There is dingy access if you pay $20 week. Safe. If you want to pay $50 a week you can use the showers, laundry, captains room, wifi there. Probably get wifi with a booster at anchor if you are not too far out. The dingy dock is at the town marina which is in town. The town is a tourist spot, tons of restaurants, bars, music. 200ft from the dingy dock. The marina itself is nice enough but expect to pay north of 1k for dock space. There is also a mooring field $500 a month I think they have a 45ft limit on boat size. In terms of food. There is a farmers market on Saturday right down town..Now the cons, I think you are going to need a car if you are working on a boat and needing groceries frequently. The town only has tourist shops. The positive thing is there is no parking restrictions in town, none. I keep my car right in the parking lot at the marina. Sometimes if it is full you have to move to a side street. So having a car there is not an issue. There are a number of large grocery stores maybe 2 miles away. There is a small west marine store 3 miles away, next to lowes, and a home depot maybe 5 miles away. You don't even need a good car. I had a crappy one I just leave in FLA, since they have no inspections and you are only ever driving it a few miles. Just a suggestion. The other con and it is a big one is you are next to two giant paper mills. They are loud and if the wind happens to blow your way, which at some point it will. You may decide, like me, it is a good day to get off the boat and find something to do. Another con is it is cold there in the winter. You will need some heat in the boat to be comfortable on "some" nights. Other thoughts, there is fuel at the marina. There are two other marinas on the island but you can't work on your boat at either. Although St Marys Boat yard is only about a 35 minute run up the river. That is a large DIY yard. If you needed to haul you could go there.