Paradise Found?

We are new to Florida, presently in Stuart. Florida will be home now. We haven't seen much but have wonderful images/memories of Aqua blue, clear waters we occasioned upon in Miami and on the Gulf coast. We are looking to find home at a marina with mooring balls where we can also tie up at a slip or be hauled for periods when we are not there. Our needs/desires are:1 clear water
2 mooring liveaboards 3 access to slip or hauling while gone, 4 proximity to healthcare, food, land based attractions.
Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions
Bob and Kathy

really clear water limits you to Miami and south but you may not like the moorings off dinner key or KW. I don't think would leave my boat un attended in those places. Without a full year contract slips can be hard to find. Everyone wants to be therein winter and disappear in summer, not a good business model. Certainly JAX, MIA and TPA have attractions and medical

The gulf coast is protected in many areas by barrier islands which translates into not clear water at the moorings in many cases. That being said, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, and Southern Cape Coral is a very nice area with reasonable costs, extensive boating facilities, plenty of shopping, good health care providers, and IMO the best international airport in FL. The barrier islands provide wonderful cruising opportunities with many outlets to the Gulf.

Ted

I have always like Tarppon Springs north of Tampa.....

You want to stay on a mooring while on the boat, and be hauled out or in a slip while you are gone, right?. As others have said, the latter isn't going to work, because you would have to pay for a slip and a mooring or pay through the nose for short term.

But consider this for the SW coast of Florida: Take a mooring at Ft Meyers Beach while you are on the boat. FMB is a great location with white sandy beaches a couple of blocks from the dinghy dock and all of the civilization- restaurants, health care, etc that you may want.

Then when it is time to leave, move your boat about 55 NM west up the Okeechobee Waterway to Glades Boat Storage and have it hauled and stored in their secure, surge protected storage yard.

The moorings at FMB are $16 per day or $276 per mo. On the hard storage at Glades is $3.60/ft plus a couple of bucks a foot for in and out. Can't beat the prices.

SW Florida is a great place to cruise and Key West is only a long day away.

David

Bob and Kathy: I've been over several times but haven't caught you at the boat. I have to agree that SW FL is the better deal. Nicer cruising grounds and up here around Longboat Key, it gets darned clear some days. Plenty of health care. Tampa Airport is 1 hour away, SW FL International is 1.5 hrs.. Moorings in Sarasota, haul out and storage is 1/2 hr. away, although not surge protected.

For many folks the east coast is for the M>M <(marina to marina) cruising folks.

The ability to anchor out in a nice quiet spot is far easier on the west side.

Like everything boating its a personal choice as to what you prefer.

Why not come over to the Bahamas. Green Turtle Cay has everything but the medical care, which is a short ferry and taxi ride away.

Sarasota

great mooring field

great sunsets

many restaurants walking distance

grocery store in walking distance

free local shuttle service

I've been racking my brain, trying to think of something north of Miami that has those particulars you mentioned, but to stay in the US and have clear water, I think you're going to end up in the Keys. Otherwise the Bahamas, like Tingum mentioned.

Living for six years in Key Biscayne, one simply adores the clear water, but as much as we loved it, with everything else that goes with living in the Miami area, we're glad not to be there anymore.

healhustler said:

Living for six years in Key Biscayne, one simply adores the clear water, but as much as we loved it, with everything else that goes with living in the Miami area, we're glad not to be there anymore.

Click to expand...

My family used to vacation at Key Biscayne in the 50's and 60's. It was a beautiful place then. The whole south end of the island was an undeveloped coconut grove. It was a fun walk along the beach from the Key Biscayne hotel to the lighthouse. The waters were clear and beautiful and I remember swimming with baby barricuda. There was a restaurant called the English Pub in the middle of the island. Very unusual architecture for Florida at the time.

About 10 years ago, I went back to see the island and I wanted to cry. The hotels and motels with golf courses were gone and in their place were condos and maybe a high rise hotel or two. The coconut grove had died from white flies or some other disease and the south end of the island looked like hell. It was a state park and struck me as being rather dirty. Life changes and not always for the best. I don't think I ever want to go back but this mirrors so much of Florida.

If you are willing to expand your horizons a bit the St. Pete area has everything you ask for except clear water, some real hurricane hole marinas and plenty of haul outs.. I don't get the attraction of being on a mooring full time.

Thanks for all the replies, very useful. We keep recognizing that the Gulf coast is the choice for us based on suggestions. We can "visit" the clear water when we want. We really liked the Tampa Bay/Sarasota area when we went by land dinghy (Honda Pilot).
We like the freedom of a mooring ball but recognize the benefits of a slip.

Larry, sorry we missed you! We should be around, this is home. We might have been out kayaking? Would love to meet you

Again, thanks for all the great advice.
Bob

Kaylic,

Where do you stay in Stuart? We are in Stuart as well--Sunset Bay Marina.

Howard

Stuart Landing Marina

Guys! I found it! I found Pariadise!

Paradise Michigan. I'm not sure it's what you had in mind.

That's a real fantasy killer!!

Greetings,
Michigan apparently has it all...