New Entry Channel Markers to Maximo Marina, near Western Florida ICW Statute Mile 115
Maximo Marina is on the charted canal cutting into Boca Ciega Bay’s southeastern shores, east-northeast of unlighted daybeacon #14. Our thanks to Skipper Burnham for this excellent report.
The Maximo Marina on the east end of Boca Ciega Bay at Gulfport, Florida is accessed by a long channel that has just recently been remarked by new unlit daymark pilings which prevents deep draft boats from running aground as they enter Boca Ciega Bay when leaving Maximo Marina and turn north to go to the Gulfport City Marina. These unlit daymarks are not on any charts or chart plotters and the western most pair of the 3 sets of unlit daymarkers, green#7 and red #8, extend into Boca Ciega Bay as far as the pair of markers, #14 and #15, just to the south or them that mark another channel coming from Tampa Bay. Green #15 is a lighted marker, red #14 is unlit.
The real confusion comes from the fact that the daymarks on the channel to the Maximo Marina, the northern channel, have the even numbered red daymarks on the right (as they should), and the southern channel coming from Tampa Bay, has the red marked pilings on the left as you approach the southerly channel from the west. The two unlit red daymarks that mark the two channels are less than two tenths of a nautical mile apart and look identical from a distance. Until chart plotters are updated, cruise carefully after dark on the west end of Boca Ciega Bay.
David Burnham
Larry,
The photos of the new Maximo Marina entrance channel day markers I took yesterday did not give enough detail to be useful. However, I am sending you this Google Earth image of the approximate locations of the new markers so that you can compare this image of the east end of Boca Ciega Bay with your charts.
David
Click Here To View the Western Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Maximo Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Maximo Marina
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