These Florida inlets don’t handle big ships and thus aren’t as wide or deep, but are nevertheless perfectly safe for the transit of small craft in normal conditions. Thus, the entrance to the bay has all the navigational accoutrements you would expect of a harbor catering the Navy and would be difficult for most boaters, but when the seas are calm, the pass is very accessible for smaller boats. The carriers that are used to train Navy flyers have historically been berthed in Pensacola. Pensacola is the home of naval aviation in the United States. The final big-ship entry point into Florida waters is the entrance to Pensacola Bay. On the other hand, its width and relatively shallow water depth may allow moderate to strong winds to cause rougher sea conditions than one might expect. Joseph Bay does not have a narrow inlet to constrict tidal flow, it’s unlikely that dangerous currents will occur here and create any serious dangers for small boats. It isn’t an inlet at all, just wide open water, albeit with a ship channel marking the way to Port St. It’s really the only big channel in Florida that you have to worry about a south wind creating any serious chop. Andrew Bay with the Gulf of Mexico handles big ships carrying a variety of products from the wharves at nearby Panama City. It’s deep, but narrower than Southwest Channel. Even less well-marked is Passage Key Inlet, the southernmost of the three routes into Tampa Bay. At about 17 feet, it is plenty deep for pleasure craft and you won’t have to share the road with big ships, but it isn’t well marked. The first and best of the two choices is Southwest Channel, running just south of Egmont Key. But there are two other ways for small boats to get into and out of Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay is by far the biggest ship port on Florida’s West Coast, with a big-ship channel called Egmont Channel that is wide, deep and well-buoyed. For pleasure boaters, Boca Grande Channel opens the door to Charlotte Harbor where you’ll find dozens of marinas in Punta Gorda and Burnt Store. You don’t see so much ship traffic anymore. The first real big-ship channel you come to moving from south to north on Florida’s west coast, Boca Grande Channel was a major port of call for ships transporting phosphate mined from central Florida. Government Cut may be the best inlet on Florida’s east coast for pleasure boaters, but I’ve still tacked back and forth off the cut waiting for daylight so I could eyeball conditions before entering. Given the amount of cruise and cargo ships that pass through here, the main danger is not giving them enough room. This is the last major inlet on the east coast, leading boaters into the thriving port of Miami. Pleasure boats are thick in the inlet on good days and some very large ships, both cruise and cargo, use it, too. Wide, deep and well marked, this inlet takes you into Fort Lauderdale, the heart of luxury yacht country. It’s also a great jumping-off point for anyone heading to the northern parts of the Bahamas. It’s a major staging for pleasure boaters since Lake Worth offers extensive anchoring spots near the inlet. Lake Worth InletĪlso known as the Palm Beach Inlet, its short entrance and deep water make this an easy inlet to use. I’ve had to put in there unintentionally in the past when a scheduled rocket launch from nearby Kennedy Space Center prohibited any boats from entering the launch hazard area. Port CanaveralĬruise ships, Navy vessels and lots of fishermen use this deep and well-marked inlet. There’s a Coast Guard station near the mouth of the river that can provide advice about conditions. Give them a wide berth and everyone will be happy. The biggest danger is from the large cargo ships that come down the winding river. Buoys and range lights help mariners stay on the proper course. The channel is deep and well marked with long jetties extending to sea. This river has long been used for heavy commerce and for military vessels. Now, as long as you stay clear of subs coming and going, it’s a relatively easy passage, well marked and deep. Navy built a nuclear submarine base at nearby Kings Bay, Ga., and undertook extensive work dredging and marking the St. The river marks the border between George and Florida and its currents flow fast. Because they are wide and deep, tremendous volumes of water flow through them and, as a consequence, the adverse conditions created by wind-against-tide can extend considerably into the ocean or gulf.įlorida Inlets are listed from north to south on the east coast, then south to north on the west coast. They are deep, wide, well-marked and often protected by jetties (which can be their own source of danger in bad weather or low visibility). These are considered all-weather (by big ships, not little boats) channels from the ocean that ships can safely use.
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