133. Mandalay Channel Anchorage
133. Mandalay Channel Anchorage
Statute Mile 136.5
Lat/Lon: near 27 59.559 North/082 49.352 West
Location: found on the waters of the Mandalay Channel, south of unlighted daybeacon #16
Minimum Depth: 6-feet
Swing Room: sufficient swinging room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: good, except in strong northern or southern winds
Waste Pump-out Availability: Clearwater Beach Marina offers free mobile pump-out services on Wednesdays to boaters anchored within city limits. You must call (727) 462-6954 by Tuesday to reserve a pump-out. For more information go to http://www.myclearwater.com/contact/ContactData.asp?radiobutton=MarineMM
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Comments from Cruisers (4)
Because of strong westerly winds, we decided to take advantage of the protection offered by the principal Mandalay Channel. The route off the ICW was easy to follow, was marked well, with sufficient depths for vessels with up to six foot drafts. We anchored off the western banks, near the fixed bridge, in 15 feet of water. There was a fair amount of current coming through the bridge. Because this channel is used by fishing vessels during the night, the Coast Guard did come by to make certain boats were not anchored in the marked channel from the bridge. The wind gusted to 25 to 30 knots from the west during the night. There was very little fetch and with 100 feet of chain/rode, there was no threat of dragging. In addition, there were two city supported dinghy docks nearby to give access to Clearwater Beach and to a grocery store. This was a great anchorage with excellent protection from every direction, except the north.
David & Patty Power
S/V Two If By Sea
My boat draws 6′, any difficulty getting to this area following the channel from the Clearwater memorial bridge. I noticed there is an obstruction between marker 8 and 10.
Debra
We have been through there 6 or so times now. We draw 4′ and never have had a problem. The obstruction does not appear to be the issue. For what it’s worth, we have not noticed any fluctuations on the depth sounder when traveling over its charted position. The shoaling near R12 is a big problem, though. We were in the 5′-6′ range for depth. Better water is supposed to be on the inside of the No Wake Markers closer to shore. We were @ 30 ft just to the outside of the markers. The tide was @ +1′ MLW.
Scott
S/V Jolene
When passing marker number “12” on the way into the channel, the water dropped to 5 feet or so southwest of it. The tide was up about 1 1/2 feet. Is the better water closer to the marker?
Scott
S/V Jolene
You did not ask, but I will comment on the anchorages in the Mandalay Channel just north of the Clearwater Causeway Bridge. This is a really nice anchorage location. The entrance channel was well marked, easy to follow, and mostly quite deep. We saw one spot that was just under 7 feet on the way in (Tide was over 1 foot.) The one interesting difference from your guidebook and from the charts is that we did not find any shallow water near marker 14. We followed the official channel on the way in, but came back out well north of marker 14, with plenty of depth. I explored around marker 14 with a sounder and did not find much evidence of the purported central obstruction.
In any case this location was very nice. Almost unlimited room, reasonably well protected from directions other than southeast, quiet, and scenic.
I hope this information is of some interest and use to you.
Best regards,
Gene and Sue Fuller
Punta Gorda, Florida