Little Pine Key - Big Spanish Channel

• Lat / Lon: N 24° 43.205' / W 081° 19.186'
• Description:

  This anchorage is about 4.5 miles North of Bahia Honda State Park. With winds coming from NW to NE you can find reasonable protection from Little Pine Key. Charted depths are accurate if not conservative for the area. Kayaking closer to shore found depths were a bit deeper than charted, but sea grass became predominant- please don't anchor in the sea grass. We anchored about a 1/2 mile from shore in about 8 feet of water for several days with steady Northerly (NW to N to NE) winds increasing to 30+ sustained with gusts to 40. This entire area is hard pan coral bottom covered with patchy sand/mud and sea grass. Our Manson Supreme 45 bit quickly. Subsequent diving showed it was not totally buried. Checking around, found the same hard bottom throughout the area. We are on day 3 at the anchorage and have been holding great in up to 40 knot gusts. One other catamaran came in shortly after us and is about 1/4 mile north and have also held throughout. Kayaking around the islands is nice here. Very healthy in the shallows with almost no trash or damage to the sea grass. There is good Verizon and GoogleFi service. Although our WiFi extender picks up multiple signals on Both 2G and 5G bands, none were open. This is a quiet anchorage with no services and no where close to land a dinghy/kayak.

  NOTE: Per Florida Statute 327.4109

  The owner or operator of a vessel or floating structure may not anchor or moor such that the nearest approach of the anchored or moored vessel or floating structure is:

  1. Within 150 feet of any marina, boat ramp, boatyard, or other vessel launching or loading facility;
  2. Within 300 feet of a superyacht repair facility. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term "superyacht repair facility" means a facility that services or repairs a yacht with a water line of 120 feet or more in length; or
  3. Within 100 feet outward from the marked boundary of a public mooring field or a lesser distance if approved by the commission upon request of a local government within which the mooring field is located. The commission may adopt rules to implement this subparagraph.