Cruising tips - sarasota to galveston

Next month I plan to run my recently purchased 42 Grand Banks from Sarasota, FL to Galveston, TX. Will run up Florida ICW or outside to Tarpon Springs, then make waypoint to north Panhandle as far west as I can, Panama City to Pensacola. Then take ICW rest of way to Galveston. I am a new cruiser and will have a Captain with me but Captain has not done this one before. I have read through Waterway Guide - Southern 2013 and read through one blog from cruiser who did this one in 2009. I'm thinking this will take about 16 days if weather cooperates. Any tips/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

We have done the trip several times always as a cruise so we have not been in a hurry as a delivery would be done. If you check Gumbo's blog on the link below you can read our experiences. We usually leave and enter at Government cut in Apalachicola to or from Tampa Bay or Tarpon Springs in Fla. We have made the trip from Houma to Houston / Galveston and back once It is not in my Blog but I do have the points we used as stopovers on the ICW I can give to you.
If you have any questions you can contact me stwillett at aol.com

If you have full confidence in your recently purchased Grand Banks, then you can cut from Anclote Key (outside Tarpon Springs) straight over to Apalachicola, weather permitting. At Apalachicola you can get into the ICW and head West. Steve can tell you more about that than I can, since it is his stomping ground.

If you do not have full confidence, then head up north from Anclote Key to Steinhatchee (I stopped overnight in the Florida Barge Canal when I did it last time, but a faster boat can make it to Steinhatchee in one day). The Sea Hag marina at Steinhatchee can handle your boat on an outside 'T' slip, but it is the only marina there which can do it, so you will want to check with them ahead of time.

From Steinhatchee you can make it to Carrabelle in one day, with a transit slip at The Moorings marina, then on over to Apalachicola the next day. Or, if you prefer to anchor out, just go inside behind Dog Island at the West end, and anchor in the cove there. Plenty of water and good holding.

Kind of a deserted run, now, and not good cell phone covereage. Also lots of skinny water if you head north from Anclote Key, so have charts.


John

Tips for Sarasota to Galveston

Thanks John!

JESSEDIVER49 said:

Thanks John!

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You are more than welcome. Be sure and ask if any more questions on it. And have as much fun as you can stand!

Apalachicola

A MUST stop as there are a couple of great WF resturants.