Anchorage Review for Morgan’s Island West

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 5, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Great anchorage off the St Helena sound. Excellent for staging in/out. Pretty and quiet. Maybe a few small fishing vessels will pass by. Some current. Anchored in 15-20kt NE/E with great protection. Had moved from South side of Morgan Island/Monkey Beach as tide/wind from NE/E will put boat sideways to wind and current, spin you round and pull backwards on bridle. Both times we've stopped we've been the only boat anchored overnight.

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Free Dock Review for Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz on Sep 22, 2024
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Dan and the entire staff/studens at Mid-Atlantic Christian are all welcoming and offer a wonderful dock and services to cruisers. So please - if you stay here, pop onto their website and make a donation to them or one of their great causes. They'll never ask or mention it, so thought I would. Click on the link in Admin Comments.

• WG Editor Comment:
  

  https://maritime-ministries.org/purpose-mission-vision/
  

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Anchorage Review for Mill Creek-Phoebus

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Sep 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a wonderful anchorage as you arrive or depart the Chesapeake Bay. Excellent wind protection NW to ESE. We spent 4 days here with winds consistently 15kt+ all days from the NE to E, with two days of 20-30kt+ winds. The anchorage was fairly smooth in the 15kt+ range and only a bit bumpy in the 25kt+ range. Extremely comfortable for catamarans. Some rocking for a small monohull that was closer to the bridge. We anchored to the East side of the channel, not to the west as per the marker. You can anchor anywhere between Fort Monroe/Old Point Comfort and the Tunnel approaches. As of 9/17/24 construction is still ongoing at the tunnels but noise was minimal. The dinghy dock is in excellent condition and makes for an easy walk to visit the Fort (a must) or to visit Phoebus, which boasts an architectural walking tour by phone (see sign by dinghy dock or around town). We saw at least one boat use the Old Fort Comfort dock, which we did not personally visit. There's plenty of room for dozens of boats here.

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Anchorage Review for Patuxent River - Mill Creek

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 21, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Beautiful location next to Myrtle Point Waterfront Park. Lots of trails to explore. Across from Stoneys at Clark's Landing and a short trip to Solomons. Great place to get away. The locals love it and you'll find many swimming in the anchorage or doing other water sports and hiking. A new favorite. Check out our post of hiking the park at https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02o9TkQEpRy4kboqnLKW2BB8TjN3Nfmxekp48YDJY1gWuaeLGdY9LWq8wjT9XnzYz5l&id=100063618668322

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Anchorage Review for Prentice Creek

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Pretty setting with easy in/out of the Chesapeake Bay. We anchored south of the marker and south in the cove but in the 10 ft section. Holding was excellent. Great wind protection from southerlies, but there is a definite side roll from the Bay. It's noticeable whether the Bay is calm or whitecapping. But not unpleasant. More like a baby being rocked to sleep. No place to land dinghy in Prentice noted. All private homes. Hughlett Point Natural Area Preserve is across Dividing Creek with a beach.

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Anchorage Review for Oriental Outside

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 16, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We typically have stopped in downtown Oriental when we can get on the free dock but couldn't find space this visit. Anchoring inside is always tight. So we tried the outside for a night. We found it from good to bouncy during the roughly 16 hours we were there. We all know the Neuse can kick up. Use this anchorage in settled conditions and you can always dinghy into town. For short overnights we prefer across the river near Lukeville.

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Anchorage Review for Manteo

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 16, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Great anchorage other than some of the larger powerboats arriving or departing at full speed. Most are respectful as the no wake zone for the marina starts about 100 yards after the anchorage. But not all so ensure you have things secured. Wind protection is good from most directions. Take dinghy to any of the finger piers at the dock leading to the lighthouse. You can't climb the lighthouse but there's a nice little exhibit inside so stop for 10 minutes. We've posted many photos of the anchorage/town and what to do on our FB page BreatheSailDive.

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Marina Review for Manteo Waterfront Marina

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on Jun 16, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great dock with access to the town of Manteo. 24 hour limit. Chris, the Dockmaster, was super nice. With heavy winds, gusting to over 30 knots and no other boats at the dock, he allowed us to stay an extra night.

Theres lots to do here. Highly recommend the Dare Arts Center, Rum Distillery, museums, parks, brewery, and El Shaddai restaurant. Greek restaurant in shopping center next to dock was good too. Instacart will deliver from multiple stores. We used the service and it worked out great.
24 hours here isn't enough so anchor out off the dock after!

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Anchorage Review for Ocracoke - Silver Lake

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 16, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

It's been 4 years since our last review in 2020 and we found Ocracoke to be rebuilt with many improved services. New homes, restaurants and stores dot the island. The anchorage was nice with several cruising boats and room for more. Only one "permanent" looking small sailboat moored directly in the center. Restaurants were good and lots of local artisan shops. Schools and library are new/redone. Library has local books for loan while you are there and also has book sale. The island is much busier traffic wise with cars, golf carts and bicycles. You can rent carts/bikes. Closest Beach is a long walk. Lighthouse is manned by NPS but not climbable. Definitely a great stop along the Pamlico route.

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Free Dock Review for Great Bridge Dock #2 (Chesapeake, VA)

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 16, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great well constructed easy in/off dock for waiting overnight on the lock. 48 hour limit. Nice walking paths. Town of Chesapeake is walking distance with various restaurants and stores. There's a Dairy Queen!! That's reason enough to stop!

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Free Dock Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 16, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Nice dock during normal tides, which we had. The dock itself is low so will be a big step down from boat. Dock floods in high tides so be aware. There is no one in the check in booth anymore. It's no longer manned. There was one boat there that obviously hadn't moved in months. Other spots all empty when we arrived. We spent an extra day with no other boats and no one stopped by. We left when 2 other boats arrived to ensure space for anyone else who arrived later. Unlikely anyone will kick you out but let's all be courteous at free docks to allow as many cruisers to benefit as possible.

Town is nice place to walk on Waterfront and in main streets. Lots of restaurants and stores to visit. There's even a Victron electronics dealer just a couple stores up from the dock.

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Anchorage Review for York River - Sarah Creek

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 15, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Anchored South of the marker at the junction of Sarah Creek and Northwest Branch across from the fuel dock. There's room for 3-6 boats here. We anchored at edge of channel and swung in depths of 4'7" to over 10 feet. Watch where you anchor based on draft. Pretty area. Great access to marina and across York River to Yorktown Historic Area. Beaches available on both sides of York River.

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Anchorage Review for Bight of Old Robinson - Little Harbour

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 13, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

The entire night is beautiful and offers opportunities for kayaking, snorkeling, and exploring. There are multiple blue holes, mangroves, coral throughout the area near the islands, and turtles, rays, etc.

Unless you draw less than 3 feet, you won't be able to get too close to shore. Pick the best area for expected winds. In winds less than 10 knots it will be pleasant. There can be some swell from the S and E. You likely may be the only boat in the entire bight. It's easy enough to dinghy from here to Pete's Pub/Little Harbour. Depths appeared pretty accurate to Explorer and Navionics. Proceed slowly the deeper into the bight you travel. We anchored between 1.6-1.8 meter marks just southeast of the WG anchor marker

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Anchorage Review for Tilloo Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 13, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a nice spot for N to SE winds. You can tuck in pretty far or stay out a bit. Plenty of room for quite a few boats. Expect some residual wakes from those transiting north/south to Tahiti beach area. This is a calmer place to be than Tahiti and you can easily dinghy up. We searched the anchorage for possible snorkeling. There are rocks in the anchorage close to the homes with their own docks and sea walls. No coral growth but lots of reef fish in the area. Bottom in the anchorage is generally sand and sea grass. Lots of turtles. Look for sandy spots. Beware of sunken debris including at least two long dock pilings, a cement mooring, and other tree limbs and rocks. Don't miss the old Far Side Castle Turret while you're anchored here. Cell service TMobile was 1 bar.

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Anchorage Review for Rudder Cay Beach

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 12, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We returned to Rudder Cut Cay just shy of 1 year from our last visit. We came in to 22 boats, the most we've seen by far. We had a turning of winds with some westerly. Between the lack of protection west and the current that flows more North to South, most of the boats in the anchorage were beam to the wind. Uncomfortable to say the least. 23 boats became 7 boats in the morning, but was back to over a dozen by nightfall. As the winds turned N-NE-E, the anchorage becomes more pleasant. Note that multiple tour boats come through to swim with the turtles, see the cave, the Piano Player and David Copperfield's Musha Cay. So be prepared for a few wakes from speedboats with tourists. We shot some video of the snorkel spots. You can view the video here https://fb.watch/qMpYmOMpet/?

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Anchorage Review for Fernandez Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 3, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Beautiful anchorage with deep sand, a gorgeous clean and quiet beach, and plenty of places to explore by dinghy, kayak, and SUP. Friendly resort with tiki bar (see separate reviews) on shore. We came into the anchorage with east winds of 15+ knots and found the anchorage to be quite flat with just a tiny bit of roll from the SE. Very comfortable. There were already 8 boats present, but still plenty of room in the northern part and no boats in the southern part. Other reviews have underestimated space in the anchorage. Easily 2 dozen boats would fit within the anchorage and larger cruising vessels can anchor outside. There was one mega-yacht, about 300 feet behind all the other boats. We found the depths to be conservative in Explorer charts and were able to go just beyond the dotted line near the .8meter mark and still have approx 2 meters at MLW.

By our 4th day here, winds had shifted further SE to about 150 degrees magnetic @ 10-15+ knots. All the monohulls left due to swell from the South. It was not uncomfortable on a cat, but certainly some side swell is present.Excellent holding in sand.

Nice grocery store with some local produce is 3/4 mile to the north.

Mangrove trails from the south portion of the bay are beautiful and lead to a blue hole.This is a fantastic anchorage and shore stop in easterlies.

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Anchorage Review for Palmetto Point Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This anchorage marker is not in the correct position.
Anchor in the bay port ormSB of the old town dock. Dinghy can be left anywhere on the beach. Nice area to kayak, SUP and swim. Small grocery a couple hundred feet up the road. Several restaurants too.

• WG Editor Comment:
  

  Icon relocated.

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Anchorage Review for Tarpum Bay Settlement

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We absolutely love the settlement of Tapum Bay. Excellent anchorage in SE to E winds. It's a very open anchorage so can become quite rocky in other winds. Be careful of the rock bar to the north. The rocks are visible at low tide but not high tide. It is shallow there!

The town had at least 4 grocery stores, two which are significant sized and prices were lower here than many items in the main grocery in Rock Sound. There's a well stocked hardware store (not marine) with excellent tool, electrical and plumbing selection.

Don't miss the beach swing. The beach cemetery to the north is historic.

So much to like. Here's some photos from our last visit:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Tarpumbay/permalink/10161439815588431/?

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Anchorage Review for Rock Sound Harbour (West)

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a great spot for westerlies. There is a nice beach for cruiser happy hours or to walk yourself and your dog during the blows. Depths are generally deeper than charted on Explorer charts. Work your way carefully towards the shore or stay out a bit. The choice is yours.

We had over 30 boats here during Feb 2024 westerlies with plenty of room for 100+ more. Great holding and always room make this a good place on Eleuthera to run for strong West winds.

Here's some photos of the anchorage and shoreline.

https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02BvjPihoqmQ1ftwg5XmEbmWNoVvRWedUaohL2Unp57717oADRNG9pafQP3uHv3xSEl/?

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Anchorage Review for Bennetts Harbour

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Wow. Spectacular anchorage, beach, and kayaking of Bennett's and Pigeon Creek. There's a couple restaurants, gas station and car rental.

We have multiple posts. Here's pictures of the beach and anchorage. Search our page for "Bennett's" and find addl photos and info on the area.
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid021iGS1ENVMmSLizNxkAkUd9fd6y2M3KHsmVw8C6GGg83E5chZPC4u28mDHki1rvQdl/?

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Anchorage Review for Arthurs Town

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Arthur's Town is where the North Cat airport is located, as well as the Comprehensive School. There are nice sports fields, bars and restaurants, and the locals are friendly.

Depths are in the 4+ meter range up to the rocky bar, which can easily be seen VPR, on charts, and satellite images. We anchored much closer to shore, just in front of Grammy's Bar. It's a great spot to look over the anchorage and have a drink.

Although you can land your dinghy by the old pier, we found it rocky and chose to go to the little sandy area by Da Smoke Pot to the South. Anchor on the sand flat between the shore and the rocky outcroppings.

We've posted photos and text at:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0acpkoWf8pXsb1awxmYUTUynAK572mzj5DbC8sFMdZb2VKbdMCDBdxVAEzP25qUrDl/?

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Anchorage Review for Orange Creek Settlement

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

In addition to our review, we have posted lots of photos of the anchorage, dinghy dock, and local attractions at: https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02RGA8BEUrKSXqpayC9vW4cQnY7LEx4myeyxHr2Bw2eWXqt5d3JgxqKW72gf5fNj3fl/?

https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid037SbKqxmcoDHrHQjizNVEvergepJmhiU6q36gyWLn8W23AnpmCMyMsiFDHDLTSvjkl/?

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Anchorage Review for Orange Creek Settlement

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 28, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

What a spectacular place! The beach runs over a mile before turning North at the Point, where you can continue to walk north. The sand is nice with few rocks. Anchoring in deep sand. Just find a depth that suits your vessel and stay away from the larger rocks. Depths are conservative and we anchored to the NW of the anchor mark at the shallow water - - - - on Explorer Charts.

The settlement is cute and the Creek is beautiful. Walk up Dicky Road for propane refills and trips to Little Fountain (the turtle pond). If you have bicycles keep going for another pond, caves, and blue hole. We've been told it's about 3-4 miles for those each way.
Good small grocery store across from dinghy dock with fair prices. Also laundry at the grocery.

The dinghy dock is tricky, but there is a sandy beach by the old conch shack just outside the creek that the dinghy can be landed at.

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Anchorage Review for The Current West

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 21, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a beautiful sand beach with lots of sand to set your anchor well. Depths are 2-3 meters. Excellent protection from easterlies, especially NE-E. Anchor in front of beach or north. Stay away from south or risk the current from current cut. Beach on the east side is pretty with lots of sand flats. Not much in town but locals are friendly. One small general store was not open during posted hours. A few churches and a post office/library.

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Anchorage Review for Cistern Rock/Bottom Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

You can anchor in most of Bottom Harbour Bay. Pick your spot depending on draft and wind direction. We found that charted depths are conservative and you can get closer to shore in several areas.

Cistern Rocks provides an Excellent Snorkeling spot with many juvenile fish, corals, anemones, turtles, rays, etc. Please do NOT spearfish here. It's within 200yards of shoreline and is a popular tourist destination.

Snorkeling by Whale Point in the channel also possible, with ruins of a dock housing large schools of grunts and other fish. Turtle grass is abundant.

At the mouth of the lagoon in the southern portion of the bay, you'll find large groups of green sea turtles that are super friendly and will come right up to your dinghy or to you in the water. Please do not feed them as it alters behavior and makes them much more likely to be struck by boat propellers. Be careful in the bay as there are dozens and dozens of turtles throughout.

It's a beautiful spot with several spots to go ashore and walk. You can even walk the 2 miles or so to Glass Window from here!

Visit www.facebook.com/breathesaildive and we've posted many photos from the various areas around the anchorage and on shore.

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Anchorage Review for Russell Island

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a good anchorage in Northerly component winds to visit Spanish Wells. Anchor anywhere along the shoreline here and dinghy in through the channel. Expect motor boats to come through the channel fast. Don't be surprised if you get waked in your dinghy and in the anchorage. Stay alert. The deep and shallow draft channels also run along the coastline here. Keep apprised of them when anchoring and give some room. Dinghy dockage is not clearly marked in town but you can tie up along the seawall or use Pinder's Supermarket dock. If you are using Pinder's, please go in and buy some items as a thank you for maintaining the dock!

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Marina Review for St George Cay Power Plant

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on Jan 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Very helpful staff. Just call or What'sApp ahead of your arrival and they will meet you at the dock. Recommend arriving closer to high tide and with a Northerly component wind if possible. They have diesel and gasoline at very good prices. Depths will be adequate for all private vessels as the big barges come here to fuel.

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Anchorage Review for Hatchet Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 31, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We just spent another 10 days in Hatchet Bay. Some cruisers miss all the things Hatchet Bay has to offer and go on to other prettier anchorages and settlements, but Hatchet Bay truly epitomizes Bahamian culture and life. The people are super friendly. Try the restaurants at Boaters Haven, Beach Pot, BJs Sports Bar, and Twin Brothers. You can have three larger meals, that taste as good or better, for the same price as what you'll find in Governors Harbor. Sure it won't be as fancy, but we sure enjoy it. Happy hour is usually 3 beers for $10 and normal $4 beers.

Don't miss Hatchet Bay Caves, Sweetings Pond, $2 ice cream at the laundry - and $3 wash and $4 dryers.

The beach on the Atlantic is beautiful and Hatchet Bay beach is fun to walk to. Interesting cemetery at the end of the beach.

It's more than a place to be stuck! Oh, and turtles frequent the anchorage.

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Anchorage Review for Great Sale Cay-Tom Johnson Harbour

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 7, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Tom Johnson harbor provides a great anchorage for W to N winds. It's an alternative to Northwest harbor or the north side of Great Sale based on wind conditions. We had N to NW winds of 25+ knots and the anchorage was very comfortable. We found depths were generally 2+ meters until within 100-200 yards from shore. Work your way in until depths match your draft. There's lots of nature here in the water. The mangroves are beginning to return but the destruction of Dorian is still evident.

For more on the anchorage visit
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0FEncZ2ChXaNa7Tnw8PaN358yAhhyQKjemiPSJByC1bZ8hFjJcLTs66p2yD1QGS9kl/

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Anchorage Review for Crab Cay/AngelFish Point

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 7, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

The anchorage is nice and calm in N to SSW winds. We would not recommend staying here for SW to NW winds. We anchored close to shore by the 1M mark in Aqua Map (Explorer Charts) and 1.5M in Navionics. We found water was over 2M in this area in deep sand. This is a good alternative to Foxtown or Allans-Pensacola.

Although reports, as well as photos from the anchorage make it look like a sand beach, it is a rocky shoreline from end to end. There is nice sand that starts knee deep within 10 feet from the shoreline and continues into the deeper water of the anchorage. We went to the "rocky beach" and found an overgrown dirt/grass road that was listed as a "trail" on several sites. The road leads east and then splits North/South. We followed the North road up to Angelfish point, with it's rocky shoreline overlooking Spanish Cay to the North.

For photos and more info, visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid029DXpsffHAohYzFmBCdqKrGsJW5kKKoUoaeHEB7n4b8Pe9yAF4UU3WFWyEzznzYaBl/?

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Anchorage Review for Nettles Beach

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Nov 1, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a great "remote" anchorage about 1.5 miles off the ICW. We were able to get within 600 ft of shoreline and still had 7+ ft MLW, so our anchor spot was much closer than the marked spot. We anchored in front of the mangroves. Excellent protection from NW to E winds. Excellent holding in muddy sand. Lots of wildlife here including many birds, fish, and dolphins. Excellent cell reception with TMobile. No open WIFI signals.

The highlight of this anchorage though is the easy access to two beach portals and nature trails. Just beach your dinghy on one of the sand beaches in front of the anchorage and walk across the street. Read more about the beaches and see photos here: https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0XgcBebiMmPmBBexZvWjkRrJFw3QsZDZtH2UPqMedp8k4TRcp5Scau8ggaeMJjXNwl/

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Free Dock Review for Lee Wenner Park Free Dock - Closed for Renovation

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 30, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 3

We found several boats that had been at the dock for between a week and a month and readily shared that no one stops to check. We were also told the area at night could be "kinda sketchy" at the dock. The "long termers" said they'd watch our dinghy, but we locked it here. There was some damage to the sides of the dock. We opted to anchor out in the Cocoa VIllage Anchorage just 150 feet off the dock. There were several ICW cruisers anchored and several longer term boats. There are also several boats that are sunk in the anchorage on the south side of the power lines. The village itself has lots of events, good restaurants, pubs, breweries, and many art galleries. There's also a magic shop that's fun and a pirate's museum/store. If you're a knitter or weaver, stop by Knit and Stitch. Lot's of yarn. The village is Worth the stop!

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Anchorage Review for Coconut Point South

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 30, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a great stop off the ICW, far enough away that you won't be bothered by wakes. Protection from N to SE winds. Excellent holding in thick mud. We cleaned our bottom here and were anchored in about 7' two thirds the way to shore between the WG anchor sign and Island Drive canal. We found both north and south deeper overall than charted from G17 past R22. Charted depths or slightly less just north of G23. There is a German Restaurant just to the north of the anchorage with a dinghy dock. We did not visit. Great cell service. No open WiFi. Beautiful homes along the shoreline. Plenty of room for lots of boats but likely you'll be the only one here. Crab pots were present but widely spaced and easy to avoid.

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Anchorage Review for Cowen Creek

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 22, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We anchored NE of the marker in the area on AquaMap charts marketed as 2.9'. We found 10-12 ft MLW within 75 yards of the shoreline here. Depths where the marker is placed were more in the 18-25 ft MLW range. We were here with NW/NNW winds, including a storm with winds of 35+ knots and held well. It is comfortable with N/NW winds. When winds changed to a more southerly direction following the storm and tide was in opposite direction, it got quite bumpy. Would not recommend if Southerly is forecast. When winds changed back, it was again comfortable. Did not see anyplace to land a dinghy. This is a good staging anchorage for going out Port Royal or if coming in late in the day. There were some local boats coming up/down the creek but was quiet at night. Someone has even left a WiFi signal open for guests.

NOTE: We snagged an unmarked underwater cable in this area. We were able to pull it off the anchor, but recommend anchoring before you reach the 2.9' ft section in slightly deeper water to avoid it. Tidal change here was about 7 feet.

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Anchorage Review for Swansboro Marker 45B

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a relatively small anchorage directly off the ICW. Anchor behind G45b out of the channel. We found depths 8-12+ ft mid-tide throughout the center of anchorage. Depths drop rapidly towards spoil islands. Probably room for three 40ft boats. We found we swung more with current than the wind. We had S to SW winds 10-15k.
Cell service for TMobile was 4 bars with a cell tower across the ICW. No evident place to go to shore here but cedar point wildlife boat ramp is just to the south across the ICW and the town of Swansboro with free day dock just a bit down the ICW.

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Anchorage Review for Pungo River - Pantego Creek

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Sep 26, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Belhaven is a cute town with an Ace Hardware, quite a few restaurants, and other small town services. The town provides dinghy docks. We anchored during our last visit in June 2023 between G9 and G11. It's close to the dinghy dock, but watch shoals here. We've also anchored by R12 where you'll find more open water. The town did have a "cruiser loung" but it was closed during our visit. Great stop off the ICW. TMobile service was good.

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Anchorage Review for Adams Creek - Cedar Creek (MM 187)

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Sep 26, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Great place for a stop on Adams Creek before you reach the Neuse River or coming off the Neuse. Overall good wind protection all around. Good holding in 5-8 foot depths. TMobile service was ok. Did not get off boat and no public areas were seen.

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Anchorage Review for Neuse River - South River

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Sep 20, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Our last visit was 2020 and we love this anchorage just as much as last time. Spent a few nights. First night on our own and the second had 5 other boats. There's room for hundreds here. Great stop but only landing area is Luken's Cemetery. TMobile was 1 bar. No WiFi. Natural beauty is what makes this a great anchorage.
See photos at https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02cEKrA7xV1aqhbqomWn1b1APiw8HRXjNZ2D37uGYLzSycxvi32qW6m3aDsxitoEkel/

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Anchorage Review for Carolina Beach-South

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a nice anchorage area just outside the mooring field. Beware of the shallow bars close to the grassy islands. Depths here generally in the 10-15+ ft range. As of mid May, several smaller monohulls appear to be residents and have longer than expected all line rodes. They swing quite a bit. The bottom here is soft mud. Backing down quickly is sure to end in dragging. It takes a bit to settle in here. If you're in a rush or not comfortable, recommend taking a mooring ball. The town is fun. Don't miss Britt's Donuts or Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn. Soul Flavor has also been excellent on previous visits. You have a True Value and Ace Hardware within a block of one another, a CVS, Publix, and Piggly Wiggly. All are close. There's also a thrift shop that donates proceeds to a local charity. A good place to offload good, but unwanted boat items. No books. There is an aquarium and a zoo within 5-6 miles. We did not visit. Fun relaxing beach town.

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Marina Review for Carolina Beach Marina and Mooring Field

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on May 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great mooring field with well maintained and clean mooring balls. Painters are always placed on top of the mooring by dockmaster. Make reservations through Dockwa. Response time is fast, but if you come in last minute, just put in the request and call the dockmaster. Upon confirmation, you'll receive an email with lots of information about Carolina Beach. Two nice dinghy docks. Public restrooms at both. Outdoor showers at beachside restrooms. As of mid-May, there is construction on the seawall at the south end of the basin near town. If you arrive late in the day, it's well worth trying out a mooring for a night before anchoring. You can watch the tides and see where the bars are in the anchorage areas. Anchors take some time to settle in the soft mud of the basin.

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Anchorage Review for Calabash Creek

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We stopped here for staging Little River Inlet in the morning. There were 4 boats and we and our buddy boat squeezed just north of Green 3. No more room And the steady stream of tour boats, fishing boats and locals came close to us all afternoon, some at speeds certainly not nice and maybe unsafe. A late arriving shrimp boat grounded/anchored themselves for the evening by the #2 Little River Daybeacon. Be careful not to confuse the two #2 day beacons. I did and touched bottom mid tide with our 4' draft. Definitely not one of our favorite anchorages along the ICW. No immediate shore access although we were told you can go up river to Calabash. T-Mobile was a poor 1 bar

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Anchorage Review for Griffis Park–Merritt Island

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Three years later and our review remains consistent. We were only here one night this visit. Lots of room for transients. There are still many long term boats and quite a few sunken vessels. Holding here is excellent and access to services very good. This is a great anchorage to stage going in/out at Cape Canaveral Inlet.

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Anchorage Review for Waccamaw River Oxbow G29

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We spent one night while transiting the ICW. The anchorage was pretty full with both transients and what appear longer term boats. Only two spots remained at the North and South entrances just off the ICW. We took North and our buddy boat took south. North had 13-15MLW and South 11-12MLW. Small local speedboats with big engines roared up and down the ICW over and over. Maybe practice for a race?? They did not produce any wake into the anchorage. At night it was peaceful with only thr flash of the G29 marker to indicate where you are. The bottom was soft mud and we were u able to back down without dragging. Fortunately winds were light and excellent protection. There is a small current that may turn you. No immediate shore access although there is a public ramp to the south and a marina about 1.5NM to the north. We did not leave the boat to report on either. Cell service was 1 bar with T-Mobile.

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Anchorage Review for Georgetown–North

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Georgetown is one of the oldest cities in SC and boasts more national historic homes than Charleston. But the anchorage does leave something to be desired. The paper and steel mills run 24/7 and if you are downwind, the smells are just not that nice. The bottom is soupy mud and your anchor will take quite some time to bury in deep. There is excellent wind protection from all directions and the towns multiple dingy docks make it easy to fog ashore to explore. People are super friendly, there are lots of restaurants and touristy shops. There are three ice cream shops that all compete with one another and a bakery. Watch your depths closely as there is lots of shoaling here. We anchored just West of the marker. There are multiple permanently moored boats that take up quite a bit of anchorage space.

For photos of Georgetown visit:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid06VH9xCJEQ5L3L1e5w3b6rXA6HgzB2A2KmeCwNKYaP8B4jp91RuBfSJiGhqFNZi3Kl/

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Anchorage Review for Basin Harbour Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 23, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We did not actually anchor here but slowly passed by to check out the anchorage area. Depths on Explorer seem accurate and we saw 5-6 meters within 2 hours of high tide. The bottom composition appeared to have sand, likely covering mark bottom. The actual basin looked open and the one private home there looks long abandoned. The anchorage outside should be fine in N to NE winds and the inside basin should provide shallow draft boats protection on all but S to SW winds.

We took a few photos as we passed by in April 2023:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0mQCq7efA6ariC9pqiB8Tc3yQJYxdk66ERSqjrUevPysy4qab7ABV1949C3bp4dqyl/

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Anchorage Review for Normans Castle

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 23, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Don't expect a castle or much in terms of ruins here. The anchorage is pretty and we found more sand here than some other Bight of Abaco anchorages. We found a bit of sandy beach near the anchorage, but still had to leave the dinghy out due to rocks. The only ruins we found were the pier ruins to the SE beyond the first point. It is shallow sand in that area and there are some pier debris in the water so watch your dinghy engines.

The island is heavily wooded in this area. We think you will need a machete or chainsaw to move inland and find any settlement ruins.

The highlight here were bottlenose dolphins that came up to our dinghy so keep watch.

There are no services here but you can easily get VHF reception to Treasure/Green Turtle/Manjack Cay areas
Here's photos of the anchorage and island:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02qBH9YyktyWr4HCe5kCUF8SEUHqPXrUEMHqWk6Y4jcnoFzNjDAiiyUWnWFtNWyDGBl/

Here's photos of the dolphins:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02E6hFuH3bT3bs6NpfxbbBorAvKjAbRwSvJXsNYpX5FWdH3p8yU6E37hAwQiusW3qtl/

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Anchorage Review for Sandy Point (Outside)

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 23, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Anchor anywhere along the west side of Sandy Point settlement based on your boat draft. Just avoid the area in front of the larger government dock. The dock just south of it is used to transport Disney workers so suggest anchoring South of it as well. We anchored about .2nm SE of the WG anchor mark. Explorer Charts are a bit conservative and you'll likely be able to get a bit closer to shore than depths indicated. The bottom is sand and Marl, but you should be able to get a good set.

We rode out 4 days here with winds from almost every direction, including part of a day of strong southerlies with sustained 20knots. Although bumpy, we found waves and wind direction were similar, so motion on a catamaran was fine. We did notice some wraparound from NE and SE winds where swell may not align perfectly with wind causing more rocking side to side.

As for the settlement, the beach is beautiful. You can land your dinghy on any part of the sandy beach. Walking up the government dock road you will find two small but we'll stocked grocery stores. Nancy's is the only restaurant in town. It's located on the beach between the two docks. Look for kayaks on the beach and you'll find Nancy's. There is no menu. Suggest calling or stopping in to see what she has or can make. The whole fried snapper was delicious. Shelling on the beach is excellent and snorkeling at Rocky Point at the southern tip is fantastic. This is a great stopover point, especially if winds are east.

Here's some photos from the anchorage and settlement:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0yrX7YrqSVSCSMQqHTXUjdhwtgyf43in2EoEUiKLVYS4jDhwPTd8vZ3nPD9k5HuLol/

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Anchorage Review for Rock Sound Settlement

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 17, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rock Sound is one of the major settlements of Eleuthera. This anchorage is close to restaurants, shops, grocery, and attractions such as Ocean Hole and Cathedral Caves. The town dinghy dock is super nice, but you also have dinghy docks at Wild Orchids and Frigate's. Please support these establishments as they've built these docks for the cruising community. Frigates is the closest dock to the grocery store at Market Place. Multiple small groceries are scattered throughout the settlement. Dingle Esso has a dock between the town dock and Wild Orchids. Diesel and Gas are available across the street. Come in at high tide for easier access to the dock. At low tide, you can tie your dinghy to the dock but it may be easier to just walk across the rocky beach than ladders with fuel cans.
This is a nice settlement to explore with very friendly people (and potcakes). Check out some photos from around Rock Sound during our most recent visit in January 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02ARqjLPx3LZ7Rrr3i28ECGGVn4QkKUSWhnCaxD5CG1axPvya5gJuD4iYDz3SZpVnUl/

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Anchorage Review for Rudder Cay Beach

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rudder cut is beginning to become a popular anchorage And was quite busy this year with boats spilling well into the deeper recommended cut. Boats transiting the cut should be aware of anchored boats in the "channel". The cove itself quickly shallows to less than 4ft MLW, so boats should use caution.

There is very good protection from N to ESE winds. As winds turn SE/SSE, there is some side swell that may present itself. The cay itself is private, but there is a nice beach in the eastern corner.

There is good snorkeling at the cave in the SE corner and David Copperfields Piano and the Mermaid Statue is close by.

Here's some photos from the cave/reef in the anchorage:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02e2VetgT5bMyysizZpcZCXKCbCiR5n7eVFCAhLFwEg64gk7mdgYdKkgechoXB9XTl/

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Anchorage Review for Little Farmer's Cay - Ty's Sunset Anchorage

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We anchored at Little Farmers North for the Regatta. This is an excellent anchorage to view the races from. It is a shallow anchorage with depths from about 4 feet to 6 feet at low tide. We found the area to be slightly deeper than Explorer Charts, but only slightly.

Protection from east winds is very good. Some chop as winds turn north or south. There is easy access to the beach or dock at Ty's restaurant. This is also at the edge of the airstrip. Expect a few planes daily. Farmers has a great history and the families that reside on the cay are friendly and welcoming. Cell service is good for ALiV and BTC.

Here's some photos from around the cay:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0APD18TuVTxX4YscppEW3K6xsH2jwPYUgrw7YT2k2C4Z9BeQNGamHJusv5q4mjgA7l/

If you want to see the regatta pictures, here's a link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bahamlandsea/permalink/2412794285569079/

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Anchorage Review for Black Point Settlement

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Black Point is undergoing some significant upgrades. Lorraine's Cafe has opened her new restaurant on the water. Not only is it beautiful, but the menu has been significantly upgraded as well. You can still get her Bahamian favorites, but think "Gastropub" menu and presentation. In addition, the SSCA just donated a Starlink to her. Now cruisers can get Starlink while dining.
The new marina has been built and hopefully will open soon. There is no fuel available yet, but the tanks and pumps are in.
A new town dinghy dock has been built and there are also docks available at Lorraine's, the laundry, BPYC, and Emerald Sunset. Groceries are available at 3 small stores and multiple restaurant options are present. Don't miss the blowhole.
Here's some pictures of the new dinghy dock, the Free Water fill for cruisers, and a few other things:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid06BLmKuakQyL2yfx8sjRjQeYbV9ert4Dfb9suCPArmwyuEJxkbgjAoM47nFCT5Pgcl/

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Anchorage Review for Bitter Guana Cay North

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Bitter Guana remains one of our favorite Cays in the Exumas. With Staniel Cay to the North and Black Point to the South, civilization is close by, but this secluded anchorage usually has few boats. There are no services, although cell service is good.

The only residents are the iguanas that will come up to greet you. Tour boats do arrive several times a day and some may not slow down until close to shore.

This is a Cay for exploring and hiking and beautiful views on both sides of the Cay.

We've visited twice this season and will surely be back during our next visit to the Exumas

Here's some photos:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02EPw6R8M4PY9f3ZWesMcsMJqVt2BqSSrUi4oqcvn2QN8xqAdcc7kZ7VLDBxyYRpEXl/

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Anchorage Review for Thunderball Grotto West

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is an update to our 2022 review. We spent two nights here in 2023. The current rips through the anchorage and we, and the other boats, were all spinning in circles. For the first time ever, our anchor chain actually wrapped around the anchor and formed a knotted mess. Here's a photo of what our anchor track looked like in 2 days.
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0tyedZ1mL7Y8p99W68P96X7mbSxiVYfJaYhpEANsjWWEgodvdWYZFW7mkji8qf1ftl/
That being said, this anchorage is close to Staniel Cay Yacht Club, the dinghy beach, and Thunderball grotto.
Here's some photos from the grotto:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02d1sg3myetZj5DA7afEar4CJ6hqpyQbneF1qfWXx69mMRMv27nxP8gaCc41PYmsR9l/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bahamlandsea/permalink/2437088863139621/
Aliv and BTC are present. Reception is good but networks are often slow due to the large numbers of boats and residents. Peak hours may become unstable.
Three Grocery Stores are close by, including the Pink Store, the Blue Store and Isles, which is by the airport. Between the three you can provision pretty well. The Pink Store has wonderful fresh locally baked bread many days.

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Anchorage Review for Big Majors Spot

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We've anchored in Big Majors several times during the 2023 season. Our anchor spots have been towards the North, but between the two WG anchorage markers. The entire Bay of Pigs has excellent holding in sand. Depths tend to be in the 2-4 meter range and are accurate, if not conservative, on most charts. This tends to be a fairly busy anchorage for the winter season, often with 30-70 boats. There is very good protection from the prevailing easterlies. There is some swell from the south as winds turn SSE. We have noticed current further north in the anchorage but usually, wind prevails over current.

There are two nice beaches in the northern section and pig beach to the south. It's about 1.75 to 2 miles to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club Dinghy Landing from the northern part of the anchorage. Aliv and BTC is present in the anchorage. We found them to be very very slow this year during most normal awake hours, likely due to network congestion caused by the large number of cruisers and residents streaming. Service improves in the middle of the night. Listen to VHF CH 68 at 8am for Cruisers Net. Many in the anchorage monitor Ch 68 and Ch 16 24/7.

Here's some drone photos of the anchorage looking at this northern section:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid0vRXG7Rm9Fxr9FaVNpCMM6oFHV4WTUFbB2FobMAQ7hUE9dNmGm3H3yNiHMuvmTWEMl/

There are additional photos of the area on our BreatheSailDive FB page including on land at Staniel Cay, the beaches, and snorkeling Thunderball Grotto, Smuggler Plane and South Reef.

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Anchorage Review for Pipe Cay Marina Channel

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 13, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Pipe Cay was once the home of a US Navy Decca station. Abandoned, the ruins still stand along with dolphin pilings marking a channel from the Tongue of the Ocean to a small cove where the deserted buildings of the station stand on the west side of the island. There is a concrete wall inside the cove that was the dock for ships.
The ruins can no longer be explored as a marina is rebuilding here and "No Trespassing" signs abound.

This remains a great anchorage with good protection from prevailing NE to SE winds. Some swell wraps around as winds turn SSE. Lots to visit here, from small coral heads to mangroves, to salt flats, and even an abandoned E is plenty of room for many boats in what is generally 2-3 meter depths. Shallow draft boats can push in deeper towards the mangroves just south of the marina channel. Aliv and BTC cell service reasonably good. Sand beach is accessible to high water line south of ruins. No trespassing signs posted. We saw a goat walking on the beach! For pictures, visit https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid021Z7YjApVUWDc2T9ozGsBbPFR6KvSaWpnnzNnnVret9R6HcuZ5tEb1BYreoX3kScQl&id=100063618668322

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Anchorage Review for Compass Cay-Rachel's Bath

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 13, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Compass cay anchorage is just south of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. Good in E to S winds, anchor in 1.5-3 meter depths depending on your draft. This anchorage is at the entrance to Rachel's Bubble Bath so expect some wakes during the day from tourist boats. Land your dinghy on the beach just south of the entrance to Rachel's. The little island to the North is private. Some surge will come to the anchorage with any northerly component through conch cut. This is an easy to manage entry/exit to the Exuma Sound and Exuma Banks. Cell service here is marginal. It's a short dinghy ride to Rocky Dundas and Cambridge. Here's some photos. Check our FB page for additional posts from Compass. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0ukRGyacR9jT1QNiRfZezPi3eQ1zq6jLF4GWE6MTQBtRLLtcSpGoujJETZAwfdeKil&id=100063618668322

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Anchorage Review for Palmetto Point Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 13, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We anchored in Palmetto Point Bay in mid Jan 2023. Excellent holding close to shore in 2-3 meters anywhere near pier ruins. Land your dinghy to thr west of the pier ruins along the beach. There are several stores along the road leading from the pier. If you continue across Queens Highway, you will reach North Palmetto. More stores, homes and nice beach with coral reef close to shore. 1/2 mile east on Queens Highway is Island Farm. Get there early for fresh hot cinnamon rolls and fresh breads. Be sure to walk around the farm and see how they grow everything. The family that owns the farm is very nice.
Here's a link to a Facebook post we made. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0egX7mqDrLb6SEBkqFdZfhYGoa3kpwKTUFJfck6WSjzzFvpLBQjYcjkVjBGL1Uo3Cl&id=100063618668322

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Anchorage Review for Ten Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 19, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Ten Bay is a beautiful sandy beach with a gentle sloping bottom that is shallow for the first 50 feet or so from shore. Anchor anywhere along the beach in 1.5-4 meters. Explorer Charts are pretty conservative here. We found sand on our first drop but a buddy boat hit scoured rock. There's so much room to anchor here. If you hit a hard spot, just try another.

You'll have great protection here from NNE through South winds.

This is a great place for a beach day, but it's also home of Ten Bay Cave, also known as the Bat Cave. It's worth a visit.

For pictures of the beach, cave , and directions to the cave, visit
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid021eSDTYojqG2hAsa7oiM2bJG2gJRZp7G5ytrwNWGP2rymbMoFVwbNeou5EAC6KTT8l/

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Anchorage Review for Governors Harbour - Levi Island

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 17, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Anchor anywhere from behind Levi Island, all the way to the sandy beach along Eleuthera Island. Anchorage depths appear to be fairly accurate in Explorer Charts/Aqua Map. There's plenty of room for shallow and deep draft boats. The anchorage affords decent protection from moderate NW/W winds and excellent for N through SE winds. We found holding to be very good in front of the beach in 6-9 feet of water.

The beach provides a great place to walk, is dog friendly, and is great for collecting shells and small broken coral. There's an old jetty and some ruins up by Tom's Rocks.

As you're close to Governor's Harbour, you can easily dinghy in and cell reception was very good.

This is a nice alternative to Governor's Harbour, especially for NW/W winds.

For photos of the anchorage and beach, visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02g7VEU9NHyQXwFAob4sTLPSksV5pJwJPUsj3Ex1N4jx9FCKW4ZM5N1v3WfehUXPeAl/

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Anchorage Review for James Cistern

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Unfortunately, as per prior reviews and intelligence, we also found anchoring at this location to be too difficult.

We tried 3 different locations, both north and south of the pier and found only rock. Our Mantus just dragged across the rock bottom, never finding any place to grab.

We had to move south to another anchorage.

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Anchorage Review for Governors Harbour

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 13, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This anchorage remains our most difficult, once again taking 5 attempts! Every other Bahamas anchorage has been on our first this year. Close to shore is hard scoured rock. Best holding seems to be in 5-6 meter depths. We enjoy Governours Harbour. Visit beautiful pink sand beaches, Cupids Cay, the Tea Kettle, Generations Farm Stand (across from primary school next to tire shop). The groceries are expensive here, even by Bahamas standards. The one on Queens highway seems to be significantly less. There's a hardware store, check out the library, etc. Hot Buns Bakery is new and we recommend the chocolate croissants. If you're around Friday night, the fish fry is a long standing tradition.

We have multiple Facebook posts from Governors. Here's one of them. https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02jpJTGcjUt6bGRCqwaKpB7TxTPvnxtgD7m6LAxkwepj447KnuEMEzybLg9d6pViJ4l/

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Anchorage Review for Alabaster Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 13, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Eleuthera. Anchor in sand in 5-10 foot depths anywhere near Cocodimama resort. Beware there are some cables buried in this area. A trip to the old navy base is in order. It's an interesting piece of history and the beach on this side is beautiful as well.

Alabaster is good in North to SE winds. In SSE winds the swell begins to wrap around the point and you may experience some rolling. The anchorage is not safe in westerlies. Cell service is very good with ALiV and BTC

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Anchorage Review for Hatchet Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 6, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Hatchet Bay provides excellent protection for all winds and is a great bad weather hole. Anchor in North or South ends of the bay. Just stay out of the channel to the main govt dock as several large freight and ferries come in weekly.

Farrington's Boater Haven in the South end has a beautiful well constructed dinghy dock. Everette and his family will make you feel welcome. Sit for a beer and Everette will likely pull out his guitar and play you some of his original Bahamian songs. He also has a small convenience store and you can leave your trash for $3 a bag. Please support Everette if you use his facilities. He's super nice and a big supporter of the cruiser community.

A newer boatyard has opened and has a 80 ton travel lift which they are building a basin for. They pull larger boats with a pulley system and huge inflatable rollers.

The Beach Pot restaurant is a short walk and has wonderful food and incredible views from their beachside picnic tables. Walk across the street to the bar for some beer.

Don't miss Sweetings Pond, where you'll find seahorses, nudibranchs, octopi, and many other sea creatures. And Hatchet Bay caves are pretty awesome.

Check out some of our posts to get a small taste:
Everette playing guitar
https://fb.watch/hUHfgmUBud/
Caves
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02Vfh9xeu2Z5kHEzpmuwZtfzckXU2cLZq3PUyFoEYYsxLvciVfLHiGMjH8uxay6H53l/
Sweeting's Pond
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02UkqQgZc7DsJ7xFvUCMSLScpKF1nqJ4nUWLzRzU6VqbmPgQ1rWa3oGFzz6NXHcoQRl/

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Anchorage Review for Gaulding Point/Twin Sisters Beach

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 1, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

A must stop anchorage. Obviously, Glass Window, Cow & Bull, and the Queens Baths are all must see attractions while here. The anchorage is full of nothing but deep sand. Drop your anchor wherever you like - just watch for the few pipes that have been somehow dropped around. You can easily spot them. The beaches are beautiful and lots of sandy areas to land the dinghy, so don't pick a rocky area. There's a restaurant/bar just past Glass Window Bridge and Daddy Joes just a bit east near Gaulding Cay. Daddy Joes just remodeled and looks lovely inside and out, but was closed when we stopped by. This is a great area to walk around and explore with breathtaking g views and crystal clear water. Cell/MIFI reception was excellent with ALiV and BTC/TMobile. This is a great stop before or after current cut going to/from Spanish Wells area. Check out photos of the anchorage at https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/pfbid02J4jj5Ak54kbnieDma16KzUDvZNxULAWx9CUrBK36aqupsJXajutzwitRxZMfoHa1l/ and check posts for several days after for photos from the area.

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Marina Review for Great Harbour Cay Marina

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on Dec 28, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great week at GHC Marina once again. Staff is fantastic and pizza night, grill n chill, and get togethers are once again happening. Steven remains the ever grateful host, taking cruisers where they need to go. Customs and immigration are friendly. Note that not all are able to give 6 months immigration. Several newer bikes were available. Weekly rate continues to pay 5 nights and get 2 free. Hot showers are available and the staff cleans them a few times daily, although the restrooms could use updating. Great place to check in.

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Anchorage Review for Fowl Cay-Berry Islands

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 28, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This was our second time visiting this anchorage. Just about a year later. Excellent anchorage. This time we had NNE winds in the 20s and we anchored on the northwest side of Fowl. There was significant current coming between Fowl and Hoffman's that put us at a 45 degree angle to the wind. It wasn't bad, but I'd recommend anchoring just E or SE of Fowl if wind is NNE to NE.

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Anchorage Review for Lake Santa Barbara

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 15, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We've been coming to Lake Santa Barbara for many years. We've never seen it so crowded overnight. There were 12-15+ boats. A couple seem to have taken up residence including a small sailboat dead center of the lake that has both a bow and stern anchor making it difficult for a good portion of the anchorage. Most of this anchorage averages 9-11 feet. The northern section where all the canals and bridge are is 18+ feet. On our first night a small boat came in playing VERY LOUD music until almost 2am. There's also now tour boats going through the anchorage - and cruisers are part of the tour, including how we "can live here as long as we want for free". Pompano Beach is becoming a bit more like Miami!

Cell service is very good and Xfinity wireless WiFi is available if your an Xfinity customer.

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Anchorage Review for Manjack - Crab Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Manjack Cay, also known as Nunjack Cay, is one of our favorites in the Bahamas! We spent over a week here on this visit. The residents are friendly and have built trails to the ocean, an art trail which we think is the best we've found, amazing reefs, mangrove trails, and lots of places to explore highlight this Cay. We saw dozens to well over a 100 green sea turtles each day. Most were juveniles. Expect to see rays, sharks, nudibranchs, seahares, jellyfish, and many tropical reef fish. Wind protection is good for all but westerly component winds. Holding is very good in sandy areas. There is lots of healthy sea grass here - try to avoid anchoring in the grassy areas. The anchorage is large and you can pick your spot all the way from the north to the south. The anchorage could hold dozens and dozens of boats. We had from 3-20 boats during the 8 days we were here in mid May 2022 and always lots of space for everyone. Close proximity to Green Turtle Cay allows for a day trip for supplies or a meal if desired and WiFi was good through ALiV MIFI unit. Here's a few of our photo albums from Manjack Cay. Check a few days before/after and you'll find more.
Snorkeling the Reefs:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/418005620330057/
Art Trail:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/417998450330774/
Mangrove kayaking and snorkeling:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/418011180329501/

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Anchorage Review for Powell Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Powell is a beautiful Cay with lots of beach and trails to find your own private spots. There is plenty of room in the anchorage for more boats than will ever visit with depths decreasing as you move closer to shore. There's a spot here for everyone with shallow to moderately deep drafts. Good protection from N and E, we found some swell coming in as winds turned toward SE but very manageable. There are hiking trails, but beware of poison wood. There's quite a bit growing here. We kayaked around the island and found little coral, but lots of rocky areas. The sunken barge in the NW corner always is visible and provides a good fish haven. This is a very easy snorkel for children or anyone who doesn't want to fight currents or swim a lot. You'll likely find crabs, small fish, small conch, turtles and rays in the surrounding sea grass. We had WiFi through our ALiV MIFI. For photos around Powell, check out https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/423114543152498/

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Anchorage Review for Allans-Pensacola West

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a beautiful anchorage for nature lovers. We stopped here in late May 2022. There's lots of room for plenty of boats. It provides good protection from North and East directions. Beware as you head east as areas do become shallow. I snorkeled much of the cove and the bottom is full of mounds with a 1-2 foot difference. There are rays, turtles, sharks, and upside down mangrove jellyfish. Much of the bottom is sea grass with scattered areas of soft sand. Your anchor will dig in deep in some of these sandy areas. The shoreline is mixed ironshore and sandy beaches. It's a short dinghy ride to Guineaman's Cay where you can find good snorkeling along the wall. We received cell signal on our ALiV MIFI. We did experience more bugs around sunset here than most other anchorages. For photos of the anchorage, visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/424409586356327/.
For photos of the reef visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/424539846343301/

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Anchorage Review for Fox Town

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We anchored about .3nm NW of the anchor mark in depths approx 2.5 meters in late May 2022. Getting close to town becomes rocky with spotty holding. Fairly good protection from South winds, but as this is a fairly open anchorage, expect chop as the winds increase. Forxtown has a grocery, several restaurants, fuel, and friendly residents. It's a good stop to/from Great Sale Cay for crossings. There is a nice town dinghy dock. For a few photos of the anchorage, visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/425101706287115/

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Anchorage Review for Fox Town

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We anchored about .3nm NW of the anchor mark in depths approx 2.5 meters. Getting close to town becomes rocky with spotty holding. Fairly good protection from South winds, but as this is a fairly open anchorage, expect chop as the winds increase. Forxtown has a grocery, several restaurants, fuel, and friendly residents. It's a good stop to/from Great Sale Cay for crossings. There is a nice town dinghy dock. For a few photos of the anchorage, visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/425101706287115/

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Anchorage Review for Lynyard Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 11, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Lynyard Cay is one of the few larger cays in the Abacos that remains undeveloped. This is a large area for many boats to anchor so don't crowd your neighbor. Depths vary from 6-20 feet so there's a place for most boats. Beautiful beaches are on both the Sea of Abaco and Atlantic sides. A picnic table, fire rings, and other cruiser leave behinds can be found on at least one beach and are visible from the anchorage. Sea glass may be plentiful on the Atlantic side. Snorkeling here is an option, but only if conditions are favorable.

It's roughly a 2 mile dinghy ride across to Little Harbour, where you can visit the caves, foundry, lighthouse remains, and Pete's Pub. There's also good easy snorkeling in the Bight of Old Robinson in shallow waters with lots of sea grass and small rocks/corals.

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Anchorage Review for Lighthouse Bay - Hopetown (Outside)

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 11, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

A nice anchorage protected from any winds with an easterly component. This is a great alternative if you don't want to take a mooring ball in Hope Town or if all the balls are taken. Lots of sandy spots with excellent holding. Easy dinghy ride into Hope Town. Several public dinghy docks are available in town. There are wakes during the day from small boat traffic coming in and out of the channel, but none at night. Views of the Elbow Cay lighthouse are spectacular. Cell service was excellent.

Drone video of anchorage:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/409863744477578/

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Anchorage Review for Marsh Harbour

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 11, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Marsh Harbour was decimated by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. We arrived to a busy harbour that can hold a large number of vessels. Several Navigation aids are in place but do not all correlate with current Explorer or Navionics charts. Entry is easy for cruising vessels with depths accurately portrayed on charts. Only several sunken vessels remain and they are not in the main anchorage area and are clearly marked. Protection from wind/waves is very good. Marsh Harbour is the third largest settlement in the Bahamas and should be treated like any other large city. It is the only place we have seen dinghy's locked at the dinghy dock. The dock is new and in excellent shape, but surrounding buildings were destroyed. A large garbage bin is at the end of the dock. There is no charge. There is a memorial to those that lost their lives in Dorian very close by. Only one restaurant named Colors is open on the water currently. Food and service were good. A second dinghy dock is available at Conch Inn Marina for a $10 landing fee. The employees there are wonderful and will help you in any way possible and keep watch over the dinghy's. There is a car rental on Bay Street just to the east. Cars and vans were in good condition. It's a short walk to downtown where you will find additional restaurants, auto supply, hardware, gift shops with local crafts, etc. The grocery is the largest we found in any of the out islands and was extremely well stocked.

Drone video of Marsh Harbour anchorage:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/410675187729767/

Photos of Marsh Harbour and surrounding areas:
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/411465730984046/

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Anchorage Review for Conception Island-West Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Conception Island is off the beaten path with no cell/WiFi services. The anchorage has plenty of room for many boats and holding was good. Protection is mainly from easterlies here and expect some swells to enter if not in the Lee of the island.

The mangroves are worth exploring and we saw dozens of turtles. We explored the reefs on the north side of the island extensively. Unfortunately we found most of the reef dead with relatively few fish. Disappointing as it's a protected Bahamas National Park. Touring the island on foot is nice as well.

The island is a bird sanctuary and breeding ground. Dogs are not welcome during breeding season.

For a drone view of the anchorage, visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/390167719780514/

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Anchorage Review for New Bight

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

If you make only one stop in Cat Island, it should be here to visit the Hermitage. Unfortunately weather was not with us with winds clocking West, where little protection on Cat exists, so our visit to the island was short. This is a great anchorage overall with plenty of room for lots of boats. Beach your dinghy in any sandy area on the beach. In front of the police station works well.

The Hermitage is a short walk up the road. For photos see https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/388047469992539/

There are several restaurants/bars on the beach just to the North. The blue shack even has ice cream!

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Anchorage Review for Half Moon Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Little San Salvador is owned by Carnival Cruise Lines. During the day, it's a busy stop for thousands, but at night, the few cruisers who stop here own the bay. There's excellent cell service through ALIV and BTC. We did not go ashore. The water was crystal clear and you can swim around your boat. This is a great stop between Cat and Eleuthera.

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Anchorage Review for Governors Harbour

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

As others have reported, anchoring can be a challenge. We tried close to shore in front of the dark patches and could not get our Mantus 55 to set. We moved back a few hundred feet more towards the center of the basin in about 15-20 feet of water. We set well here and had no issues during an unexpected storm that saw 360 degree wind shifts and 35 knot gusts. Several other boats dragged with multiple boats reporting they had their engines on and two moved during the storm to new spots in the anchorage. Beware of being too close to the sea wall.

There is a significant tide change and dinghy's can get stranded on the rocky shoreline. Plan your excursions or leave your dinghy far enough from shore during low tide. Or take a kayak or SUP.

The town has beautiful Victorian homes, the famous Friday night fish Fry, the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve, old Club Med Ruins, and lots more. It's worth the possible hassle of anchoring s few times.

Check out https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/395019269295359/ for a post of some Harbour. Several additional posts can be found on the BreatheSailDive page for Governor's Harbour.

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Anchorage Review for Thompson Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 31, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Thompson's Bay is one of the more protected/popular bays on Long Island. With easy access to the settlement of Salt Pond, you have an excellent grocery/liquor stores within walking distance of Basils dinghy dock, which is the T-dock. There is a free garbage drop in the cement enclosure just outside the gate on the left. Please bag all trash.

A bit to the north you can dinghy to the gas station to fill diesel and gas. You can bring your boat too, but reported depths during low tide can be less than 4 feet. We did not use this dock. The govt dock is a huge cement structure. We would not recommend tying a dinghy there. There is a beach at the cultural center just south of the govt dock where you can land your dinghy.

We rented a car from MR Fox at Seaside Car rental which is two minute walk from dinghy dock. Very nice team there and car was very clean. Saw about 6 cars. Most are pretty small. Call ahead a few days in advance if you need something for more than 4 people.

On the NW side of the bay you'll find Tiny's Hurricane Hole. A great bar and restaurant with two cottages for rent. The couple who owns it is from California. Excellent conch fritters, hamburgers, pizza, pulled pork, etc with large side servings, at a reasonable price. They have a great protected dinghy dock - BUT BEWARE… at low tide you will need to row In by hand over the coral bar. Slow down as you approach the protected wall about 75 feet out. We and multiple dinghy's hit our prop coming in during low.

Don't miss the following:
Hamilton Caves https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/382702810527005/
Deans Blue Hole
https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/382685903862029/
Adderly Plantation https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/382728873857732/
Columbus Monument https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/382715497192403/
Shrimp Hole and Church https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/382649663865653/

There's so much to see and do on Long Island. Definitely a must stop.

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Anchorage Review for The Monument/Hamburger Beach

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 25, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Monument Beach anchorage is one of our favorites in the Georgetown area. Access to the beach is within feet and the anchorage stays deep until close to shore. Beware of the channel directly adjacent west of the anchorage. The large supply ships use this almost daily. They will run aground if you anchor in the channel so please beware of where you are. The channel is clearly marked on Explorer charts. There is excellent hiking all along Stocking Island. Water aerobics, cross fit, concerts, etc are often held at Monument Beach or at the Chat N Chill a short distance to the south. The anchorage is excellent in N to E winds and a great place for a blow. We've also been here for SE, S and westerlies. Only a slight roll in SE and acceptable in S with winds up to 20knots. We were here for westerly component and not bad at all, but winds were less than 10-15. Cell service is excellent for ALiV and BTC and only limited by number of cruisers watching Netflix! Closest dinghy dock on the Georgetown side is directly across at Augusta Bay dock. Of course Lake Victoria and downtown GT are just a bit further south. There's good snorkeling on the Exuma Sound side on the rare days that winds are from the West.

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Anchorage Review for George Town - Goat Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 13, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Very good alternative in SE winds or just for a visit to NAPA store or Smitty's grocery. Beautiful sandy beach, clear water. Easily accessible to Georgetown.

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Anchorage Review for Little Bay - Great Guana Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 13, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We spent the last several nights here and will spend several more. Wind has been 15+ knots from ALL directions. In SE, there is significant roll, but tolerable. In South to West winds, there is no protection and expect 3 foot plus waves in anything over 10-12 knots. Bucking Bronco! In NW/N/NE winds you have excellent protection and bay was flat with winds gusting in the mid to upper 20s. There are two beautiful sand beaches on the North shore and a castle on the West! Beach to the south is preferred for dinghy access and appears to be pet friendly. It is possible to walk to BlackPoint from the anchorage, but I would recommend using this for storm protection from Northerlies and moving to BlackPoint for shore access. There is easily room for 25+ boats spread out and could accommodate double if needed. Mobile access was good on both ALiV MIFI unit and 3 bars on BTC. No WiFi.

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Anchorage Review for Williams Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 7, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

May be the Best anchorage in the Exumas. We spent 10 days in February 2022 at Williams Bay. Lee Stocking and the surrounding cats provide wonderful opportunities to explore, hike, check out ruins, snorkel, find some conch if you like, and relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery around you. You won't find stores, so bring what you need. The anchorage had 15-25+ boats every day. This is a great stop to/from Georgetown. Cell service was acceptable for both ALiV and BTC. No WiFi. Please be respectful when on island as it is private and access was "not restricted" by anyone on the island. If you visit the ruins on the north end, please do not tie up to the dock as it is still in use by the owners. Cruisers and tour boats frequented the trails but we found that the island was litter free except for what washed up on shore and many cruisers collected the trash into nice piles and buried some. We will definitely be returning. Maybe even this season. For some drone video of the anchorage visit https://youtu.be/reFxZ6Hzmmk
For pictures of the island visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/357493963047890/

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Anchorage Review for Thunderball Grotto West

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 16, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a super convenient anchorage for visiting Staniel Cay, the Pigs, and Thunderball Grotto. We anchored to the East and North of the marker in area indicated as 1.2 to 1.4 meters on Explorer charts. We found depths to be deeper than charted, but they do fall off. Proceed with caution. There's lots of sandy areas to choose from. There's also a good amount of sea grass. Water is clear so look for a good sandy spot. Dinghy docking beach at SCYC is just to the west of the anchorage. Some swell with E-NE.

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Anchorage Review for Cave Cay South

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 16, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

The channel outside Cave Cay is quite deep. We were able to get quite close to shore and the beach and drop the anchor in about 7-10 feet of water in deep sand. As the boat pulled back, we were in over 20 feet. There were some large yachts anchored in the channel. We were able tomexplore the Caves by kayak and SUP, and paddled into the marina, which was empty, but for 1 boat. The marina is likely the most protected in the Exumas and has floating docks. It's a beautiful area with nice sandy beaches, but all were marked in multiple places "private property". It's a good stop for a day/night, but do to limited shore access to explore, I'd recommend moving to Musha/Rudder cut/Darby Cays as close alternatives with multiple anchorage possibilities. Cell service was very good for ALiV MIFI and BTC. For pictures of the anchorage and Cay visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/350920553705231/

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Anchorage Review for Oven Rock

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 16, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Oven Rock has quite a bit going for it. Obviously, there is Oven Rock itself, but the beach is nice with a mix of sandy and rocky. areas. To the north side of the beach, take the path to the large cave system. Hint, at the split go up the hill to the right and the cave is there. If you take the trail to the left, you'll reach a beautiful crescent beach on the Exuma Sound side. For some pictures, check out https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/349587917171828/
For a drone overview of the anchorage, visit https://youtu.be/Hu-kaaIV8mY
The Settlement of Little Farmer's Cay is a short dinghy ride and worth a visit. We enjoyed lunch at Ocean Cabin and Trey is quite fascinating to speak with.
Holding in sand is excellent, but you can't get too close to shore or it becomes rocky. There's a bit of current, but not bad. Swell can work it's way through Little Farmers Cut in SE winds. Recommend moving To one of the coves just to the North for S-SE winds. Cell service was good for both ALiV MIFI and BTC using TMobile. No WiFi. Pets are fine on the beach and their were several vessels with dogs on the beach.

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Anchorage Review for Great Guana Cay - Issac Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 9, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We originally were headed for Oven Rock, just under 2NM to the south. However, there were 9 boats there and there was a significant swell with the SE winds that were causing the boats to rock. We came back to this anchorage which we shared with two other cats. There was less swell and rocking here than near oven rock. The beach is pretty and pet friendly. Cell was good with BTC and ALiV. Snorkeling around the rocks there was some fish and a bit of coral.

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Anchorage Review for Black Point Settlement

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 9, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Black Cay Settlement is a town of roughly 150 full time residents. A place where cruisers can outnumber the residents. The anchorage is large and can easily hold dozens and dozens of boats. Protection is good except from the West. The western portion of the bay is extremely shallow and provides a nice beach and sand bottom. The town itself has several small groceries with a nice selection of goods. Fresh produce after the mail boat arrives. There's a school, medical clinic, church, laundry, and several restaurants. Scorpios was very good and we loved Lorraine's. Don't miss her cruisers buffet - fresh fish, ribs, chicken, coleslaw, rice and beans, Mac and cheese, pound cake, pineapple and watermelon. Wow. And then stop in Lorraine's moms house right behind the cafe. You'll walk into her kitchen for the best bread in the Exumas. The people are friendly. The blowhole is certainly worth a visit. Cell is good for ALiV and BTC. The restaurants have WiFi for guests. Trash at the govt dock is by domain. Trash by the govt offices across the road is $5 a bag. There are several dinghy docks available in town. No fuel is currently available but a large fuel dock is under construction on the NE side of the bay. A nice stop!

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Anchorage Review for Bitter Guana Cay North

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 3, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Beautiful. That's what this anchorage is about. With a gorgeous sand beach, a protected iguana habitat, cliffs, hiking, caves, and spectacular views, it's one of our Exuma favorites. Anchor anywhere in the cove in NE-E-SE winds. There is sometimes a bit of a swell in winds 20+, but no current. We rocked a bit at times, but not bad. There's plenty of room for several dozen boats, but since it's located so close to Staniel and Black Point, there tend to be more day boats visiting in the mornings than cruisers.

Cell service is good for BTC and ALIV. No WiFi or other services. There are NO PETS allowed on the island and it is posted on the beach.

The hike up the cliff is easier than it looks and is marked by Cairns both below and up top. Several spectacular areas on the Exuma Sound side will be found with crashing waves.

Our favorite spot is about mid island. There's a beautiful sand beach and rocky cliffs. If you've heard of Rachels Bubble Bath, this is much better.

It has now been named, Mermaid Monica's Mere. And yes, there are mermaids. Here's the photos to prove it: https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/344944310969522/?d=n

For photos of the anchorage and island, check out: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.344272951036658&type=3

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Anchorage Review for Shroud Cay Moorings (FREE)

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 3, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

The mooring balls are well maintained and the park rangers come through daily to collect fees if you don't pay online. Beautiful anchorage and easy to get to. However it is terrible in West winds, even in the 10-15 knot range. Between the waves coming in from the west and bouncing off the rocks on Normans, you will rock and roll 100 degrees plus as a monohull and hobbyhorse if you're a cat. We had a beautiful time there prior to west winds, but one of the worst nights ever in west winds. Cell service ok for ALIV and BTC

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Anchorage Review for Allen-Leaf Cay Central

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 3, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

The highlight of Allen's and Leaf Cay are the Iguanas. This is a fine first or last stop in the Exumas crossing from/to Nassau. The iguanas are somewhat aggressive here and the tourist boats frequent, often speeding through the anchorage. Their is a strong current that dominates boats even with winds of 20+. Boats swing widely during opposing current and wind. Please anchor with enough distance. During our visit, there were 18 boats in this area and it was very tight. Late arrivals well after dark circled around for almost an hour before moving to the northern anchorage. Pets may not be brought ashore here. It is a nice area to kayak with multiple landing areas.

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Anchorage Review for Norman's Cay - McDuffs

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 3, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Norman's Cay is a private island with an airstrip and a large marina under construction. This anchorage is protected from East winds. There is room for many boats as you can anchor all along the beach. Deeper draft a bit further away and shallow draft can get close. Depths were deeper overall than charted. Be aware of the few coral heads in the anchorage and anchor far enough as not to damage them with your ground tackle. They make for nice snorkeling. Cell service is good. No WiFi. The restaurant is open for lunch. Dinner requires reservations. We did not eat there. Masks are required on the island as of 1/2022. You will be asked to leave if you don't have yours, even outside.

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Anchorage Review for Fowl Cay-Berry Islands

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a stunning anchorage area close to Hoffman's Cay and the Blue Hole. Depths in the area vary and will accommodate most boats. As the route to Hoffman's was quite shallow, continuing to that anchorage should only be considered with shallow draft boats and during high tide. It's a short dinghy ride from Fowl and a great jumping off point to Nassau. See our drone video of the area at https://fb.watch/aHTCJbNw-A/
For photos of the blue hole and ruins, visit https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/334260395371247/

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Marina Review for Highbourne Cay Marina

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on Jan 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Beautiful marina and property. We only stopped for fuel and to drop trash. The dockhand was very pleasant and helpful. The fuel dock is to Starboard as you enter the marina. Easy approach, but please watch for the sharks as you enter. The marina store is well stocked and includes a small grocery with fresh produce. Expensive but everything was clean, fresh and beautiful. We will put this marina on our list as a place to stay and treat ourselves on a return visit.

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Anchorage Review for Long Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This anchorage is a good alternative to Highborne Cay if you want to be a bit more secluded. We found decent protection from easterly component winds up to 15 knots. Depths were at least as charted throughout the area and were primarily sand with light sea grass.

The bay after the small rocky Cay in front of the the anchorage and Long Cay has crystal clear water and several sand beaches. There can be significant currents. Look for nesting Osprey on the small Cays.

Snorkeling in the area is nice but beware of currents. The area between Lobster Cay and Spirit Cay has coral that breaks the surface, but currents can be strong enough to pull you through the cut!

The closest shopping and fuel is at Highborne Marina. It's pricey, but if you need something, worth the stop.

Aliv and BTC service is excellent at the anchorage and video calls were able to be made from our ALiV MIFI.

We enjoyed this anchorage and will certainly keep it on our list for return visits.

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Anchorage Review for Norman's Cay - McDuffs

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

A beautiful anchorage with room for many boats. Protection from SE to N. The SE to S section is a huge sandy beach. Behind the anchorage N to NW, you'll find coral and rock lined walls. Our 55lb Mantus anchor dug deep into the sandy bottom. Winds were SSE and light for our stay. Here's a photo of the anchorage https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/336925581771395/ Dinghy around (or through the marina cut for a shortcut) and visit the sunken drug smuggler airplane. It's a great snorkel. See our photos here: https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/337045238426096/ Depths appeared to be deeper in the anchorage area than on Explorer and Navionics charts. We saw 3-3.2 meters mid tide near the marker. There is one mooring ball by McDuffs restaurant that a catamaran tied to while we were here. McDuffs requires reservations and is not always open. They answer Ch 16. Based on radio traffic, they will be opening a market in the coming months. There are no WiFi signals, open or closed. Both BTC and ALiV cell service was good with 2+ bars. There are several patches of reef in the anchorage area. Great to snorkel on. Please anchor far enough away so you don't damage them or wrap your ground tackle around them. Recommended anchorage.

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Anchorage Review for Snake Cay/Panton Cove-Great Stirrup Cay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 14, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Great Stirrup Cay is owned by Norwegian Cruise lines and is private. They patrol with ATVs and guard dogs. Cruisers are not welcomed on the island. The anchorage itself is pretty, but also rather small, depending on draft. Anchor within 150 feet of shore for most boats. We saw 5-6 foot depths at low tide in the anchorage, deeper coming in. Just a couple hundred feet further away from the cay gets very shallow quickly. This is one of the few anchorages with protection from West to North to East winds. We were here with 25+ gusting 35+ from W-NW and saw just minor chop and little current. One other sailboat was here and appears to be on a mooring. For a drone view of the anchorage and short history, view our Facebook post at https://fb.watch/axDmRegy6e/

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Marina Review for Great Harbour Cay Marina

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on Jan 14, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

We spent a week at GHC Marina in January 2022. The marina has fixed concrete docks. The staff receives 5+ stars. They are responsive before and during your stay. Hail them on 16 VHF and they will assign your slip. We emailed a couple days before. Weekly and monthly discounts are available and make the marina reasonable for the Bahamas. GHC doesn't look like it's changed much in the last 20 years and has a very relaxed vibe. Customs and immigration come right to the marina to check you in and the process was simple, even during Covid times. We did use Click to Clear and they had all our documents. Have your health clearance printed or a photo on your phone. The marina WiFi is spotty.. sometimes it is good and minutes later no connection. The staff took a group of us to Bullocks Harbor to the liquor store to get ALiV SIM cards. 2 one speed rusty bikes were available. Bathrooms were maintained a few times daily. King is a fantastic asst mgr and dockhand and will help any way he can. The harbor master, Steven, his daughter, and Consuela were all nice and accommodating. Cruisers, both transient and long term were all super friendly. Definitely a worthwhile stop.

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Anchorage Review for Elliott Key

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 30, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We have been coming to Elliott Key in December for the last 8 years. We spent 6 nights this time. We tend to head south of the anchorage marker to be further from the day boats. The scenery and solitude at Elliott is why we visit. Kayaking, SUP, swimming, snorkeling are all great with lots of juvenile fish, rays, sharks and birds. Unfortunately, there are more and more rude boaters playing loud music. Christmas Eve a group of 4, that grew to 8 powerboats, had a party that kept everyone up within 1-2 miles until 4:30am. We picked up anchor and moved as far as we could but still found ourselves in Studio 54! Miami anchorages and anywhere a powerboat can get within 2 hours has become an area where good manners, respect for no wake zones, and anchoring etiquette is often forgotten.

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Anchorage Review for Lake Santa Barbara

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 12, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is one of the best anchorages for a stop between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. There is always plenty of room, with good depths for all boats that transit the ICW. Coming in the Hillsboro Inlet, you'll go through the inlet bridge which opens every 15 minutes, then head south on the ICW, through 14th Street bridge and Atlantic bridges, which open every 30 minutes, but are timed perfectly at 15 minutes apart. You can anchor anywhere in the lake, but we prefer the NW corner as there are fewer boats coming in and out. If you go under the small Rt 1 / Federal Hwy bridge at the SW corner of the lake you can follow the canals. On the South side of SE 10th Court, there's a large shopping center with Walmart Grocery, Dollar Store, Bealls Outlet, Pool Store, Joanne Fabrics, Massage Envy, and multiple restaurants. A Publix and Marshall's is also walking distance south in another shopping center. There are various Marine Facilities here as well for any service needs.

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Anchorage Review for Lake Capri Yacht Basin

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 12, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Very well protected small basin that is right in people's backyards. Unfortunately with depths of 18-20 feet throughout, there's really only room for 1 boat in bad conditions, which is the only time I'd recommend this basin. Just south of Atlantic Ave bridge you'll find Lettuce Lake and Lake Santa Barbara with plenty of room for many boats. If you do anchor here, shore access can be found to the North at Alsdorf Park, where you can tie along the seawall for several hours as noted on the signs.

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Anchorage Review for Palm Beach Currie Park

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 10, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

If you want to get away from all the boats in the typical anchorages just to the North, then head down to Marker 8 and anchor just south and east. Watch out for shallow areas between markers 7 & 8. You'll have fewer boat wakes here because less traffic and boats are primarily going on the western side vs both east and west a bit north. A lot more room here. Also think there's less current.

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Anchorage Review for Lake Boca Raton

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 4, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, knowing this anchorage is a huge local hangout on the weekends. After almost a decade of living within 10 miles of here, we had never anchored here. Hundreds of partying boaters were packed in the center of the lake, where low tide brings knee deep water. Surrounding the center on all four sides is navigable water. We anchored within 70 feet of the mark on the map and found 11 feet at low tide!!! Coming in from the North side of the ICW, we saw no less than 7 ft MLW. During the day you'll find lots of loud music. It is a no wake zone and within the anchorage the vast majority respect it. Holding is excellent with protection on all sides. There is little to no current/swinging in this part of the anchorage. Across from the anchorage is the The Boca Raton, a hotel resort around since the 1920s. You can get a slip for the night for $5.50 a foot (if they can accommodate you ). Of course you could stay at the resort. Current rates in Dec 2021 start at $1,010 ++ a night for a double room. Verizon WIFi is present but you'll likely need an extender to get decent speeds. TMobile was 4-5 bars. Silver Palm Park is on the West side right next to the Palmetto Park Bridge. Lots of restaurants and shops along Palmetto. Recommend Rebel House for something a bit different. Also Tao foot spa is very nice. Good place to walk your pet. Enjoy our drone footage of the anchorage at https://fb.watch/9HSaQf3rmN/

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Anchorage Review for Peck Lake

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 2, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Peck Lake is an excellent stop when heading North or South on the ICW and is close to the St Lucie Inlet as a jumping off point. Lots of wildlife with excellent kayaking in the mangroves and access to a beautiful unspoiled beach right in the anchorage. We anchored a bit North about 200 feet from shore and saw 6-8 foot depths low tide in this area. There are some wakes from motor yachts on the ICW during the day, but super peaceful at night. Check out our drone overview of the anchorage at https://fb.watch/9FedGQZgFG/ . And photos of the anchorage and beach at https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/303518301778790/ . There is good TMobile cell service. No WiFi. Parking lot to town is 2 mile walk South on the beach. 3 mile walk North to Inlet park.

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Marina Review for Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on Aug 18, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

We have been at Sunset Bay Marina for almost 3 months at the time of this review. The marina and mooring field is situated within walking distance of the cute town of Stuart, Florida, known as the sailfish capital of the US. It's about 7 miles up the St. Lucie River from the St. Lucie Inlet. Sailboats and other underpowered vessels should transit the St. Lucie only under calm conditions and recommend going near high slack tide. Coming up the river, there are two opening bridges within 100 feet of one another. The railroad bridge is usually in the open position, the bascule opens every 30 minutes.

The marina staff is very diligent and helpful. They host pre-hurricane season preparation meetings, check on boats regularly, ensure everyone has insurance, and maintain the property well. The bathroom/shower/laundry facilities are kept clean. There is a big air-conditioned lounge with big screen tv, tables, and library, which is regularly used by those on the moorings to escape the summer heat. The electric service at the docks has been very reliable and voltage is stable. WiFi is excellent and fast throughout the entire marina and mooring field if you have an extender. Cell service is ok for T-Mobile and Verizon. There are free loaner bikes for those staying at the marina. It's a short ride to many shops, grocery stores, boat supply stores. The two restaurants on-site, Gilbert's Coffee Bar and Sailor's Return are excellent. Gilbert's hosts live music for Friday happy hour with local microbrews available and has some amazing coffee drinks each morning. Sailor's Return has a wonderful menu, loyal following, and live music EVERY night! Parking can be tight around dinner, especially when a popular band is around. But there's valet parking, which always means you can get a spot if you have a car. There are parks on both sides of the marina. Stuart is a great place to spend some time. Many end up staying much longer than expected! You can see many of our pictures from Stuart and the surrounding towns at facebook.com/breathesaildive

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Anchorage Review for Dinner Key

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 20, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We spent over a week in the mooring field. The anchorage has many long term boats, but there appeared to be some room for those wanting to anchor. Up the channel is the Dinner Key Marina and a crowded dinghy dock. Those anchoring are asked to use the public dinghy dock beyond the marina dinghy dock. As of May 2021, the marina is partially open and lots of construction on Piers 1-3 ongoing. We arrived for our COVID vaccine #2 and found two Walgreens and a CVS within 1.5 miles. Lots of shopping, nice library, and Fresh Market all within walking distance. The marina office is in a large blue building on the second floor. There are large restrooms with many showers. We didn’t use them but appeared clean and saw cleaning people constantly when on shore. The laundry room has large commercial machines for $1.50 wash/dry. Each machine holds the equivalent of two loads. A great deal. WiFi at the office is very fast. Key cards are provided to mooring field customers for both and password for WIFi. In the mooring field don’t expect WiFi. We were able to get a very slow speed sometimes through the marina or an open hotel. Best to go onshore though. Cell service for TMobile was 1-2 bars and Verizon 2-3 in the mooring field. Following our COViD vaccines, we stayed due to persistent E To NE winds from 20-30+ knots. This is a very exposed mooring field and anchorage. The bay had waves over 2 feet and made for multiple rough days. Recommend if sustained winds are forecast in excess of 15 knots to go across the bay to hurricane harbor or marine stadium, or even all the way east in the Bay near Rickenbacker Causway. This makes for one loud rough anchorage in high winds anywhere but from the NW. Unless you have the desire or need to go to Coconut Grove, there are other anchorages that may be more suitable, especially in windy conditions.

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Anchorage Review for Gilbert’s

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 14, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Anchor near Gilbert’s resort, watching for the sandbar between the channel and anchorage. Don’t cut this short or you will run aground. You can actually anchor almost anywhere in this basin. We’ve actually anchored all the way north with North winds. Near Gilbert’s is protected from North to east. There are some boats and jet skis that will come around but much less than across near Downtown Key Largo where it’s nonstop. Dinghy to Gilbert’s for a meal and play by their beach. Or go across the channel to Blackwater Siren, another little dive restaurant. Check out their coconut onion rings! Kayaking is good all around the basin and up the mangrove channels where you will see manatee in winter months. WiFi is available at Gilbert’s Tiki Bar. Cell service is good Verizon, TMobile, Google Fi. Gilbert’s sells diesel and gasoline. Stores are far from this location.

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Anchorage Review for Upper Matecumbe Key Inside

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 14, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Absolutely one of our favorites in the Keys. We’ve been coming here for 9 years. We spent 6 weeks in Jan/Feb 2021 and came back in May 2021 to say hi to friends we’ve made. This is an interesting anchorage. Many long term live aboards and there is always somebody dragging when the strong northerlies come through. But there is plenty of room here. You can go close or far and feel free to head east in the bay. You don’t need to bunch up here. Lorelei’s is a treat with awesome breakfast, happy hour specials, good food, and live music. Don’t miss Michael Trixx magic at sunset MWF. Lots of great restaurants you can walk to. Docks at restaurants for dining only. Dinghys can be tied at the dead end street in the mangroves. There is laundry mat about a 1/2 mile down the road. Gasoline is available at coral bay marina and diesel/gas at world wide of sports. Coral bay will allow you to fill water with fuel purchase or sell to you inexpensive if you don’t have a watermaker. Library and library park is next to coral bay. You can land a dinghy or kayak here too. Cell service is excellent. WiFi is offered by several restaurants. Great place!t

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Anchorage Review for Rachel Key East

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 14, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We returned here following our March 2021 visit for another 3 nights. Again, we were the only one in the anchorage. Good protection from Southeast to Northeast winds. Their was some chop with 20knot east winds and no protection from northerlies. We anchored a bit closer in and found 4.5-5.5 during low tide. We were able to use an open WiFi signal using an extender. Cell service was excellent. We explored a bit more and you can land a dinghy at the end of 61st street. There are also some abandoned docks in the back of the bay as well as the bay just to the West, along with another dead end street where a kayak or dinghy could be tied up. This is close to Publix and restaurants. There are also several marinas to the west that have restaurants with tie up facilities. Water here was super clear and beautiful place to swim.

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Anchorage Review for Smokehouse Bay

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on May 14, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a very protected anchorage in a nice neighborhood next to a high end marina. There are dinghy docks at the marina that may be used. Do not lock your dinghy. It is safe (many cameras and security) and they will cut your lock if you use one. There are several nice casual restaurants and stores. You can easily walk to downtown from here. One of the restaurants provides free WiFi with email registration. There is a dinghy dock for the grocery store which is past the marina and under the bridge. Beautiful grocery. Awesome place to reprovision. This is an easy place to be and extremely quiet. Cell service is excellent. Want to live in a neighborhood for a few days again. Well here’s your chance.

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Anchorage Review for Matanzas Pass

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 27, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We spent two weeks in the mooring field in April 2021. Reservations are now made via Dockwa. The Matanzas Inn and Marina will accept the reservation and you will receive several emails with confirmations, information on the mooring field and information on Ft Myers Beach. The mooring fees are very reasonable and include access to the new dinghy docks under the west side of the bridge, clean shower rooms, a nice laundry room, and WiFi. We found the WiFi to be inadequate and very slow, whether on land or the boat during most awake hours. The WiFi is faster overnight. Cell service is excellent for all major providers. The beach is just a couple block walk and many other beaches are a dinghy ride away. Lots of shells on all the beaches. Restaurants are plentiful and good. The balls in the field all appear to be very well maintained with no hard growth on them. There is a strong current that runs through the mooring field and the current will often run counter to the wind. When this happens the ball will be pulled back on the boat and bang on the hull. There’s a Publix on the beach trolley stop or it’s a long walk. Beautiful new library just opened in Feb 2021. There’s also a bus that will take you a few miles to the Walmart, Walgreens, Dollar Store, ALDI, etc. All in all this is a great stop for relaxing, shelling, eating, provisioning and just having fun.

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Anchorage Review for Key West - Wisteria Island Northwest

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We stopped for a night on the way to the Dry Tortugas. There is every type of boat from the smallest least maintained to brand new 50 ft catamarans to 80+ foot mega yachts. All anchored closely side by side. Winds are only 10-15 from the SSE. Calm spot for the night but as most review, it’s kind of a free for all with some interesting characters. Did see FL law enforcement checking boats and stickers as we came in. Decent cell phone signals.

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Anchorage Review for Saddlebunch Harbor

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Apr 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Beautiful easy to access anchorage from the Hawk Channel. Great place to stop before Key West. Mangroves are beautiful for kayaking. Dinghy to Geiger Marina and Restaurant for a typical good Keys meal. Fresh fish, burgers, etc. Fuel and ice also available. WiFi was picked up with extender but connection was not maintainable. Cel service was good for Verizon and Google Fi. Room for approximately 5 or so boats. Anchor near Mark. We were two 40 foot cats and a monohull came in after. It becomes very shallow as you head in further. A strong current 2-3 knots comes through. You’ll likely find yourself reversing with the current even in 15 knot winds. Great stars at night!

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Marina Review for Safe Harbor Marathon

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz , Breathe, on Mar 31, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

We spent the month of March at Marathon Marina and enjoyed our stay. The facilities are clean and well-maintained. The beautiful heated salt-water pool is certainly a highlight. The on-site restaurant, Lazy Days, is very good with daily happy hour specials. WiFi reception is excellent with repeaters set up throughout the marina. WiFi is typically good, but does slow down during prime time evening hours when many are streaming. Slip renters were friendly and we made quite a few new friends here. Excellent fuel dock. Pumpouts 1x weekly at your dock space. Walk to many restaurants. Publix/Winn Dixie/Walgreens are about 2.5 mile walk. We'll definitely return on our next trip to Marathon.

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Anchorage Review for Little Pine Key - Big Spanish Channel

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 9, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This is a great place to wait out Northerlies. We spent 4 nights with winds blowing into the 30 knot range. Clear water with bottom of sea grass and mud over hard coral base. Don’t expect your anchor to fully bury, but we held well through the winds with wind shifts of 40-50 degrees. Expect to reset with large wind shifts. First few nights we were one of two, but as winds forecast to subside, about 5 additional boats came to stage to head NW through the channel.

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Anchorage Review for Rachel Key East

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Mar 9, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Nice anchorage that you likely will have to yourself. Anchor in 5-7 feet of water based on your draft. We spent 4 nights here with winds 15-20 from North and then switching to East/SE. Good protection from E and S winds. There are several marinas to your west with restaurants. 61st Street appears to have a boat ramp where dinghys can be left. We kayaked around the mangroves and headed east to pretty Joe rock. Nice area with good wildlife. Curry Hammock State Park is just a few hundred yards away.

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Anchorage Review for Upper Matecumbe Key Inside

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

It's easy to get comfortable at this anchorage! We've been coming here for 7 years and have been here for over 2 weeks now. The anchorage has about 10-15 permanent liveaboards or semi-derelict boats. There are also multiple sunken or half sunken boats. Be especially careful of one wreck about 2 feet under the surface at approximate position 24.55.29N 80.38.06W. A lobster pot with a small boat fender is close by. This is a dangerous wreck to navigation. Here are some underwater photos of the wreck: https://www.facebook.com/BreatheSailDive/posts/4194137280613580 . On any given day in winter season, their are typically 3-10 visiting cruisers, most of whom stay 1 day to a week or so. Cell phone service for Verizon and Google Fi are excellent. We've been told the same for other service providers as well. Free Wifi is available at Lorelei restaurant while you are dining. They have free dockage while you are at the restaurant, but request you do not leave your dinghy there for long periods of time. We've found them to be very nice if you eat/drink and need to run a quick errand. There is a free public boat ramp to the west of Lorelei that you can leave your dinghy at for longer periods. Just tie up to the mangroves. Going further west, in the canal by the marinas, you can find diesel and Rec90 gas. You can also purchase inexpensive potable water if you don't have a watermaker. Water in the anchorage is clean if you do make water. There also is a park just past the marinas, where you can land your dinghy/kayaks. That is where the library is. Shopping and restaurants are all close by. West Marine is a 2 minute walk. A Dollar Tree and CVS are about a mile East and Publix about 1.3 miles East. To the west, a small grocery store is closeby, as well as Bass Pro/Outdoor Sportsman. Kayaking, snorkeling and fishing are all excellent in this area. The locals are friendly with lots of arts and crafts stores. Don't miss Seaside Glassworks - you can even take a class! Two breweries are also within walking distance. The anchorage is calm and clear with winds from the east/south/west. As the Florida Bay is large, Northerly component winds bring a significant chop to waves. That being said, holding is excellent and none of the more than 25 boats in the anchorage last week dragged during sustained winds of 25-30 knots with gusts of 40 knots.

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Anchorage Review for Sexton Cove

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Good anchorage for winds E to SW. This quiet cove is usually overlooked for the more popular anchorages near the Marriott and restaurants, or to the Northeast at Gilbert's. This cove is usually empty and is surrounded on land by nice homes. Anchor anywhere in 5-8 foot depths. There are a few canals and boat traffic is pretty limited to homeowners coming in and out. We sat well with excellent holding in South/Southwest winds of 15-20 knots. Cell phone service was excellent for Verizon and Google Fi. No available open WiFi signals. There apparently is a place to tie a dinghy down one of the canals in mangroves, but we did not venture out.

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Anchorage Review for Long Arsenicker

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 22, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We really enjoy the Arsenicker Keys. Anchor only on the south side in 5-7 foot range. Watch your depth sounder here as several shallow areas near cuts and close to shore. Depths on North side are shallow, but beautiful for kayaking Or SUP. Channels on sides are deep close to shore for first 5-15 feet but then get very shallow sometimes breaking surface. We’ve spent quite a few nights here over the last 7 years with 3 in December. We were the only boat anchored here which is typical. Very few other boats come, maybe a few small fishing skiffs. It’s far enough from ICW that few boat wakes make it to the Anchorage, but you can see them pass by.

You can not land on the islands so not pet friendly.

No WiFi but cell service was good for Verizon and Google Fi.

A good amount of wildlife. Great place to get away.
Check out our post on Facebook/breathesaildive for photos of the key.

https://www.facebook.com/1231123270/posts/10224543358431385/

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Anchorage Review for Elliott Key

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Dec 22, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

We love Elliott Key Anchorage and have been coming here for 7 years. We just spent 5 nights in December and had a great time. Weekdays see few daytime boats and even fewer overnighters. As you are less than 10-15 miles to Miami boaters, it is a frequent day trip on weekends. And there will likely be someone with loud music. But again nighttime is wonderful. We were only boat some nights with maximum 7 and everyone was spread out by a football field length or more.

Water clarity is often excellent but can get churned up. 2-3 feet close to shore. We anchor in 7-8 feet with excellent holding. Look for sandy patches and try to protect the turtle grass. We don't anchor to close to minimize bugs. It is a no wake zone east of the buoys so stay within the zone. Most, but not all boaters respect it. Unfortunately not a lot of park ranger patrols, but they do stop people every so often. Much of this area is hard bottom covered by sand and grass with scattered sponges. There is not much of a tide swing here - usually within a foot. Some current runs parallel to the shore from Sands Cut.

There is no WiFi here and cell service is spotty for Verizon and Google Fi.

The island is about 7 miles long and has wonderful wildlife. Be sure to pull out your SUP or kayak and explore the mangroves and beaches. On a nice day, kayak out sands cut to the ocean. You can go to the park entrance to the south and land your dinghy or board. There are nice walking paths. Bring bug spray!!

We've documented our trips to Elliott Key on our BreatheSailDive Facebook page. Feel free to check it out. And here's our snorkel photography post of what we saw, including a pipefish in less than 3 feet of water!

https://www.facebook.com/289883317705682/posts/4134829186544390/

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Anchorage Review for Hobe Sound G49

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 31, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

This Anchorage is in front of large homes in an expensive Jupiter golf community with docks and quite a few large motor yachts. There's room for probably 3 god sized boats. We were the only ones here and anchored in 10-12 feet of water. Winds were 15+ out of the NE and this area provided good protection. Anchor as far north as possible. You'll see a minimal wake sign to the south. Many boats respect this zone but quite a few 'start or end early' and push wakes into the area. And there was blaring loud music by several rude boaters even at night. And some of the land based neighbors had what sounded like a domestic battle for a couple hours. Live reality TV! The 'blue wall' is a waterfall infinity pool. We didn't see anything special at night. At least you didn't pay $5mm for one of the waterfront homes - rent here is free lol. Verizon and Google Fi was great. And we did pick up free FloridaWifi. This is an ok overnight stop for winds from North/NE, otherwise we much prefer the Anchorage in Hobe Sound next to Jonathan Dickerson State Park.

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Anchorage Review for Harris Saxon Bridge G45

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 30, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Stopped on our way down south. Quite a few boats anchored to the north near the bridge and "long term boats" to the south of this spot. We shared area south of marker with 3 other boats for the night. We came in pretty close to shore, near the little 'river/stream' and saw depths of 9 feet plus. Far enough away from ICW that wakes we're not bad. Close enough to town to dinghy in if you want. Good cell service in both Verizon and Google Fi.

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Bridge comment on SR 312 Bridges

Comment by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 15, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'

Passed under bridge showing 62.5 feet 25 minutes before am high tide on 10/15/20. Cleared with our 61 foot mast.

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Anchorage Review for Carolina Beach-South

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Oct 10, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'