Smokehouse Bay – Marco Island Anchorage
Lat/Lon: 25 57.416 North/081 43.818 West
Location: entrance channel cuts south from the Marco Island – Capri Pass channel between markers #12 and #14
Minimum Depth: 4 1/2 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 48 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Very Good

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19. Johnson Bay Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 25 59.952 North/081 44.569 West
Location: found on the charted deep water west-northwest of the Marco to Naples waterway’s unlighted daybeacon #14
Minimum Depth: 8-feet
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 40 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: good, but strong eastern or northeastern winds might be a problem

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20. Little Marco Island Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 00.305 North/081 45.539 West
Location: found on the channel running back south beside Little Marco Island, south of unlighted daybeacon #33
Minimum Depth: 6 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 40 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: excellent

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21. Rookery Bay Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 02.546 North/081 46.456 West
Location: lies on the charted 5-foot offshoot leading from the Marco to Naples waterway, to shallow Rookery Bay, opposite unlighted daybeacon #47
Minimum Depth: 5-feet
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good

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22. Gordon Pass Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 06.200 North/081 47.675 West
Location: found northwest of Gordon Pass inlet’s flashing daybeacon #13 5-foot minimum approach depths – 9-foot minimum depths in anchorage
Swing Room: virtually unlimited
Foul Weather Shelter: very good

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23. Port Royal Southern Offshoot Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 06.239 North/081 47.468 West
Location: will be discovered on the waters of the charted southerly offshoot of the large body of water, indenting the eastern banks of the Marco – Naples waterway, north of unlighted daybeacon #21
Minimum Depth: 5 ½ foot entrance depths – 7-foot depths in anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 48 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: excellent

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24. Port Royal Entrance Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 06.318 North/081 47.421 West
Location: found abeam of the toe of charted 7-foot water cutting to the southwest, on the large body of water, indenting the eastern banks of the Marco – Naples waterway, north of unlighted daybeacon #21
Minimum Depth: 5 ½ foot entrance depths – 7-foot depths in anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 48 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good, but could be a bit open to strong southeasterly winds

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25. Port Royal Northern Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 06.514 North/081 47.473 West
Location: will be discovered south of the charted split in the large body of water indenting the eastern banks of the Marco – Naples waterway, north of unlighted daybeacon #21
Minimum Depth: 5 ½ foot entrance depths – 6-foot depths in anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 48 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: excellent

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Naples Mooring Field
Lat/Lon: 26 07.907 North/081 47.605 West
Location: south of the Naples City Pier and west, northwest of marker #34
Minimum Depth: 6 feet
Special Note: mooring field managed by adjacent Naples City Dock – 12 mooring balls in field – we are told that half the field is usually available almost all the time for transients
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Good, only particularly strong eastern winds might be a problem

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26. Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field
Lat/Lon: near 26 27.360 North/081 57.021 West
Location: lies east of the 65-foot Fort Myers Beach high-rise bridge
Minimum Depth: 3.5 feet (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=91251)
Special Comment: call the Matanzas Inn dock at 239-463-9258 to request a mooring; shoreside showers and laundromats available for those in the mooring field
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good, slightly open to strong northwestern and southeastern winds
Waste Pump-out Availability: this mooring field offers free mobile pump-out service. Call Matanzas Inn, 239-463-9258 or 239-463-7776, or VHF Channel 16. For more information go to:
http://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=68

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27. Dixie Beach Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 28.000 North/082 03.101 West
Location: found off charted Dixie Beach, flanking the southwesterly shoreline of the channel bordering the eastern and northeastern shores of Sanibel Island, between unlighted daybeacon #4 and flashing daybeacon #5
Minimum Depth: 8-feet
Swing Room: unlimited
Foul Weather Shelter: poor, wide open to all but western and southwestern winds

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28. Punta Rassa Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 28.785 North/082 00.098 West
Location: will be discovered on the charted deep water of the approach channel leading to Punta Rassa, southeast of the high-rise section of the Sanibel Island Bridge and northeast of flashing daybeacon #6
Minimum Depth: 6-feet, but entry into this anchorage can be very tricky without the use of a GPS chartplotter
Swing Room: unlimited
Foul Weather Shelter:poor, fair weather and light airs anchorage ONLY

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29. Kitchel-Miguel Key Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 29.960 North/082 01.297 West
Location: lies north of the new, high-rise section of the Sanibel Island bridge, and near the southwesterly tip of Kitchel and Miguel keys
Minimum Depth: 7-feet, BUT entry without the use of a GPS chartplotter is not recommended
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 36 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: fair to poor; open to northern, southern and northwestern winds

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30. Punta Rassa Cove Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 30.271 North/082 00.654 West
Location: will be found on the deep water east of the gap between flashing daybeacons #13 and #14, bordering on the western reaches of shallow Punta Rassa Cove (north of the new, high-rise section of the Sanibel Island Bridge)
Minimum Depth: 6-feet
Swing Room: unlimited
Foul Weather Shelter: poor, protected ONLY from eastern, northeastern and southeastern winds

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Caloosahatchee River Anchorages (West of Fort Myers)

Note that the Caloosahatchee anchorages detailed below are arranged in a rough west to east geographic format

31. Glover Bight Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 26 32.282 North/081 59.820 West
Location: lies on the northeasterly reaches of Glover Bight, northeast of unlighted daybeacon #9
Minimum Depth: 7-14 feet
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good, but particularly strong southwestern winds might be a problem

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32. Bimini Basin Anchorage
Okeechobee Standard Mile 145
Lat/Lon: near 26 33.624 North/081 57.869 West
Location: found in the charted lake-like body of water named as “Bimini Basin,” on chart 11427, and lying just west of the “Cape Coral” designation on this same chart
Minimum Depth: 6-feet
Special Comment: some cruisers have reported poor holding ground in this anchorage
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good

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33. Whiskey Creek Anchorage
Okeechobee Standard Mile 140
Lat/Lon: lies near 26 34.644 North/081 53.915 West
Location: Whiskey Creek lies southeast of the Caloosahatchee River’s unlighted daybeacon #66
Minimum Depth: 4 ½-feet
Swing Room: TIGHT, sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 32 feet ONLY
Foul Weather Shelter: very good

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34. Hancock Creek Anchorage
Okeechobee Standard Mile 135.5
Lat/Lon: near 26 39.334 North/081 53.712 West
Location: found south of the northern turn in the Marinatown Marina entrance channel
Minimum Depth: 4 ½ feet
Swing Room: TIGHT, sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 32 feet ONLY
Foul Weather Shelter: excellent

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35. Lofton Island Mooring Field
Okeechobee Standard Mile 135
Lat/Lon: near 26 39.118 North/081 52.412 West
Location: will be discovered north of Lofton Island, which itself lies north of Fort Myers Municipal Yacht Basin
Minimum Depth: 7-8 feet
Special Comment: call Fort Myers City Yacht Basin at 239-334-8271 to request a mooring
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: fair, open to northeastern and southwestern winds

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