The following questions, observations and advice come from our friends at America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association’s Forum. If you have local knowledge of depths in the discussed areas, please share! Venice Inlet intersects the Waterway at GICW statute mile 58 and Boca Grande Pass at statute mile 25 (see/155359).

We are in Clearwater preparing to head south early next week. We have heard reports of boats running aground in the ICW channel through Lemon Bay and have been advised to exit the ICW at Venice Pass, returning at Boca Grande Pass. We would prefer to stay in the ICW due to timing issues with the longer run offshore. But do not want to run aground with our 6′ draft. Has anyone passed through that area recently and noticed any additional shoaling issues beyond those already posted?
Carolyn Chancellor

Be aware the a sustained east or west wind has a bigger effect along the coasts of Florida than the tide (moon effect). A sustained easterly wind will lower the water level along the Florida Gulf coast approximately 2′, and conversely. Be aware of the wind conditions even MORE than the tide tables. Also, much of the coast of Florida is sand, therefore moves substantially in every storm.
John Harris

One thing you need to do if you go down the ICW is pay very careful attention to the markers and ensure that you do not drift out of the channel; keep looking backwards not just forward. We’ve seen lots of boat aground simply because they weren’t paying attention. It only takes a few feet in the wrong direction to find sand.
Tim and Valerie O’Neil

Good point on the east wind. We cruised from the Bradenton area to Venice yesterday with a gusty ENE wind. Sarasota Bay was really choppy but we saw depths as charted along our course so long as we stayed carefully in the channel.
The Blackburn (swing) Bridge (MM 63) is on a maintenance schedule – not sure how long – and is only opening every 4 hours. Someone added a note on the Active Captain bridge description a few days ago, which we had not seen. Fortunately we only had to wait about 20 minutes to pass. With a 9′ closed height, all looper boats need to time their arrival. Openings are at 8, noon, 4 and 8 only.
Carolyn Chancellor

We are safely in Fort Myers at the City Yacht Basin. Thank you to all who offered their insight and recent information! In summary, we were very careful to stay in the channel and had no apparent bottom bumps or groundings. When we lost focus and strayed to the channel edge, the depths came up quickly.
I would echo lots of the advice we received for others following our wake:
STAY IN THE MARKED CHANNEL
Look both ahead and behind to stay centered between the markers
Make note of shoaling posts in Active Captain and other crowd-sourced resources for advice on which side to favor if you are centered in the channel and depths start getting shallow.
Contact local tow services for recent updates on conditions. AGLCA Harbor Hosts can provide contact info.
Talk with local boaters who have recently arrived at marinas along the route; they may have just transited the stretch you are beginning and can provide the most up-to-date depths, especially if they have similar draft to yours. Marina harbormasters may also be aware of shoaling issues nearby.
Watch tides and wind.
Check bridge schedules, especially maintenance schedules, to time your passage. Many of the bridges have limited deep water outside the channel to wait for an opening.
Make sure you know your air draft and your comfort level in clearance above your air draft. Use binoculars to check clearance gauge at the starboard base of each bridge. This records the current clearance at the lowest point above the water. Maximum clearance will be 3′ – 4′ more at the center, but the bascule bridges arc sharply and, if your boat is wide, you need to plan accordingly.
In narrow areas (lots of them), best to have two sets of eyes at the helm to monitor depths and course.
Safe travels to all who follow in our wake! Touch base if you see us along the waterway.
Carolyn & Robert Chancellor

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Venice Inlet

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Boca Grande Pass