The message below is copied from the AGLCA mail list I concur with the USCG (see below). There are some definite 4-foot MLW soundings IN THE CHANNEL at the Swuannee’s entrance from the Gulf.

I would not recommend entering the Suwannee River. We did it once and ran aground. Another looper ran aground and destroyed his impellers. The entrance is generally about 3 feet with some spots as low as 2.3 feet. See the attachment which USACE says is not to be used for navigation.
_http://pillar.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Operations/Branches/HydroSurvey/survey/06-05
9.pdf_
(http://pillar.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Operations/Branches/HydroSurvey/survey/06-059.pdf)
The ballad of the Suwannee River. The original entrance is marked on the chart as West Pass. Boaters now use a new entrance, known locally as McGriff Pass, and the USACE no longer maintains West Pass. It is now only good for kayaks. It took an Act of Congress, HR1992, to transfer responsibility from West Pass to McGriff Pass formerly known as Wadley Pass. Next followed years of public hearings. The residents of the tranquil village of Suwannee are reluctant to see a concrete jungle like many other parts of Florida. Another group is concerned about damage to fragile sea grass. Friends of sturgeon are worried that dredging will interfere with passage of sturgeon on their way to traditional spawning areas up river, Manatee are on our side. A deeper entrance channel will make it easier for them to migrate upstream each winter. Florida Department of Environmental Protection finally issued a permit in October, 2007. A site has been selected to dispose of the dredged spoil. Plans are now underway to prepare the site prior to actual dredging. Stay tuned!When dredging is complete, the Suwannee River will become the preferred stopover for loopers on the Big Bend. It is exactly halfway between Carrabelle and Tarpon Springs. The river is wide and deep for 20 miles to Manatee Springs State Park. In the meantime, if you want to explore the Suwannee then rent a houseboat from Millers Marina (suwanneehouseboats.com).
Alan Lloyd
Author, Great Loop Navigation Notes
_www.NavigationNotes.com_ (http://www.navigationnotes.com/)

Again, you’ll get differing `opinions’ and experiences, but FWIW’¦
When I was in the planning stages of my ¼ loop (St. Louis to Tarpon), I drove to Coast Guard Station Yankeetown on the Withlacoochee and spoke with the Officer in Charge about the different channels on the Big Bend. (I’m in the CG Aux) He (strongly) recommended avoiding the Suwannee channel(s) altogether and looked at it as best navigated when one has lots of local knowledge. My 23′ boat draws about 3′, much like the 25′ and 27′ patrol boats at Yankeetown, but the Coasties run that AOR (Area of Responsibility) all the time so I thought they were worth listening to. I have property on the Suwannee that I would like to explore by water, but I suppose that means launching my PWC (Sea-Doo) from a local ramp, upriver.
When we made the crossing (June 2008), we had planned to run straight across, but left late from Carrabelle and hit an infamous Florida Summer afternoon thunderstorm. I looked on the GPS and `found’ a little-mentioned port and channel ‘“ Horseshoe Beach, about 18 miles south of Steinhatchee. Luckily it was at higher tide but I called `anyone familiar with the Horseshoe Beach channel’ on the VHF and Sea Tow came back with reassuring advice for running it. There was a marina there ‘“ but closed on Sunday, and closing permanently. There is a local diner ½ block from the water with the best shrimp I’ve had in my life (or maybe we were simply hungry). There are no other significant services and the closest town is not close. I only mention Horseshoe because that seems to be where channel navigation becomes dicey when heading south (though I’ve personally never navigated any other Big Bend channel).
CAPT Rick Rhodes, in his book ‘“ Cruising Guide to Florida’s Big Bend, has more detailed info on these channels and virtually every channel south of Horseshoe ‘“ including private channels. Between his recommendation, a high tide, and VHF calls to Sea Tow or BoatUS, ALL channels seem navigable during the right time of day and/or right time of year. (Gulf waters are departing for the winter’¦) The U.S. Coast Pilot Vol 5, Chapter 5 also has general information to help you make your decision.
Kitty Nicolai

Yesterday we transited to Suwannee River again arriving two hours before high tide and found plenty of water except perhaps just past the entrance to McGriff Channel (this is the only passable channel) where we had only six feet of water. We came in slow but once past the channel its deep and beautiful. Much of our passage was in heavy fog but we could see the crab pots easily and two other small fishing boats on the radar. Seems like a good place to wait out the storm.
Michael & Jana La Porte
m/v SECOND STAR

To my eye, Sea Hag Marina has always appeared to be the best equipped facility for cruising size craft on the Steinhatchee River. Of course, other marinas here do offer transient dockage, but, for my money, Sea Hag is the best choice of the group. Looks like Captains Tom and Mary agree (see below)

We stopped at Sea Hag Marina in late May on our way to Tennessee. We tied up to the first T dock after refueling and had 30 amp power for our 43 Viking DCMY. It was very tight getting into the fuel dock and we would say the marina is really designed to accommodate smaller boats. However the T dock was more than adequate for our needs. We did not find the condition of the docks to be unacceptable. They were not fancy but they were adequate. We had an oil leak on one transmission cooler and had to lay over for a couple nights. The marina staff were very helpful, arranged for the repair and took care of all of our needs. They have a couple of golf carts available for guest use and we took advantage to re-provision at a local market. The staff and people in the marina were friendly and provided a warm reception for us and others. We would go back to Sea Hag if we were in the area.
Tom & Mary on M/V Persistence

Click Here To View the Western Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Sea Hag Marina

There are some GOOD cruising tips for cruising the shallow waters of Florida’s Big Bend region in Todd and Branda’s note below. Wise cruisers will take heed!
Also, this is the second time we’ve had word here on the Cruisers’ Net about shallow depths on Cedar Key’s Northwest Channel. Clearly, this is getting to be a marginal passage for all but the shallowest draft vessels.Greetings All,
Just finished up the Gulf crossing this past week, for the 5th time, and wanted to share 2 bits of information.

First off the diesel yesterday at Miller Marine in Apalachicola was $2.75 tax included, that is exactly $2.00 less than we paid at Ft Pierce, FL this time last year. YAHOO!
Second. For those of you thinking of going into Cedar Key, FL be aware of shoaling on the northern route (Northwest Channel) into Cedar Key. We draw 3′-10″ and we bumped over the bottom at mid-tide between Red #22 & Green #21. If in question your best bet would be to go into Cedar Key via the southern route, what they call the “Main Ship Channel”
Todd & Brenda Lanning
Life’s2Short

Sorry to hear that Captain Becky did not have a good experience at Sea Hag Marina. According to my earlier observatons, this was the most appropriate Steinhatchee River facility for cruising size craft. Most of the others were more or less devoted to smaller powercraft.

OK got into Steinhatchee around dusk tied up at Sea Hag..no power on the docks running gen tonight..docks are falling down. Know why you have had no postings about tis area..When we get settled in St. Marks and get back to the house in Keaton Beach..We will drive over here and speak to the Marinas.
Becky

We stopped at Sea Hag Marina in late May on our way to Tennessee. We tied up to the first T dock after refueling and had 30 amp power for our 43 Viking DCMY. It was very tight getting into the fuel dock and we would say the marina is really designed to accommodate smaller boats. However the T dock was more than adequate for our needs. We did not find the condition of the docks to be unacceptable. They were not fancy but they were adequate. We had an oil leak on one transmission cooler and had to lay over for a couple nights. The marina staff were very helpful, arranged for the repair and took care of all of our needs. They have a couple of golf carts available for guest use and we took advantage to re-provision at a local market. The staff and people in the marina were friendly and provided a warm reception for us and others. We would go back to Sea Hag if we were in the area.
Tom & Mary on M/V Persistence

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s Western Florida Marina Directory Listing For Sea Hag Marina

I have copied the discussion below from the Net’s “Ask Your Neighbor” page (/ask_your_neighbor/ask_your_neighbor/), and the AGLCA mailing list.
North of Anclote Key, there is no protected intracoastal waterway along the so-called “Big Bend” region of Florida. Cruisiers have a choice to follow the coastline around to the Panhandle (staying WELL offshore), or cutting the corner and heading directly for Carrabelle, Panama City or some other port of call. The advantage of the so-called Big Bend route is access to the rivers along the way.
However, note that Captain Tug’s vessel (see below) is very shallow draft. Some of the Big Bend rivers featue entrance channels with only 3 to 4 feet of depth (others are deeper). Care must be taken!

My little boat Adventure is too small and too slow to safely make the jump from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs. Has anyone out there actually cruised along the entire (or at least part of) the Nature Coast? Where are the harbors? Facilities? My boat with her centerboard up draws only 9″ of water. Could I take shelter in a small river or creek? If so, what is the approach like? Does the Nature Coast get pounded really hard by waves from the Gulf?
Thank you for your time.
Tug Buse

We did entire Big Bend twice and made the crossing from Clearwater Beach to Carrabelle once. The best crossing may St. Marks to Steinhatchee, which is about 44 miles of Gulf plus 12 miles of rivers or channels on both ends. Yes, you could anchor in the rivers easily and they twist and turn such that no Gulf waves get in after the first 2 turns or so. We went in a big boat, but the nature coast is really much more suited for smaller boats due to draft and marinas that can’t handle a big boat.
The approaches at the major rivers are well marked and buoyed channels and many of the smaller inlets are marked by “private” bouys maintained by locals. At 9 inches draft, you can go anywhere you want. The rather long river cruises from the gulf to the towns and marinas are very interesting.
Steinhatchee, Crystal River, Yankeetown, etc. all have passable marinas. From Tarpon Springs on South, the marinas are all very nice (and more expensive).
One comment of note: The “Nature Coast” should really be called “The Biting Bug Coast”. There are hoards of “sand gnats” that bite and leave itchy welts. They’re almost unbearable about an hour before sunset and at sunrise. By the time you get to Clearwater Beach and Sarasota, there are NO bugs at all. You can leave your boat open with a light on all night and not attract one bug. If you do that on the nature coast, they’ll drain you dry. Bring a bug net for your bed.
Doug Shuman

Tug,
How little is your boat? I plan a fall cruise in my O’Day DSII from Cedar Key south to ?. Any suggestions for the small boat cruiser?
Phil Capper

Northwest Channel is one of two passages that serve touristy Cedar Key, located in Florida's Big Bend region. There has always been a shallow section of this cut, but it looks as if more shoaling has occurred since I was last there.

The Crystal River is the southernmost of the readily navigable "Big Bend region" streams. It is a beautiful body of water with, as you will see below, at least one good marina, and a fine anchorage.
I copied the text below from the Net's "Ask Your Neighbor" page (/ask_your_neighbor/ask_your_neighbor/), which was, in turn, copied from the AGLCA mailing list.

We'd like to stop at Crystal River for a day on our way down to Sarasota from Mobile, having heard that it's fun to swim with the manatees there.  I understand from a prior thread that the Twin Rivers
Marina is very shallow at the entrance (we draw 4.5 ft.) so where is a good place to stay?  Anchoring out is fine. Has anybody done this?
Advice would be appreciated.
Doug Shuman

We anchored in the Crystal River during our first cruise – see

http://www.jonahs-whale.com/Site/Shake_Down.html

There is a Google map you can zoom into which shows exactly where we anchored. It wasn't manatee season as we were there in mid-summer, but beautiful nonetheless.
Jo Stanton
Jonah's Whale

Twin Rivers Marina is not convenient to the town of Crystal River.  Continue three miles further up Crystal River and you will find a deeper alternative to Twin Rivers Marina, viz., Pete's Pier Marina or Kings Bay  anchorage.   We were there this time last year and arranged for  the dive shop to give us a pontoon tour round Kings Bay to see the  manatee.   Golden Lilly Tug docked at Pete's last month.  They  have a 4' 7" draft and said at low tide the boat was still rocking!
Alan  Lloyd
Great Loop Navigation Notes
_www.NavigationNotes.com_ (http://www.navigationnotes.com/)

There was enough water at Pete's Pier and in Crystal River for our 4.7 draft, however, you need to plan your entrance and departure to be around midtide for Shell Island which is near the mouth of the river. When we came in from the Gulf, [Tow]Boat/US heard us and the 2 other boats we were traveling with on our radios, and told us to wait an hour before navigating into the river at Shell Island. When we left Pete's Pier, we also had to gauge our departure so that we had enough water at Shell Island. [Tow]Boat/US was very helpful for local knowledge.
Barbara Benjamin
Golden Lily – Nordic Tug 42

If you don't already know it, let me be the first to tell you, the Big Bend region of the Western Florida coastline (north of Anclote Key to Carrabelle and Dog Island) is not served by any sort of intracoastal waterway. So, you must choose to either cut the corner, or, staying WELL offshore, follow the Big Bend coastline around. If you choose this latter course of action, Capatin Doug's plan below has REAL merit!

Steinhatchee isn't much, but it's a good place to go to get across the gulf 70NM or so.  Then a nice cruise day is to go from Steinhatchee to Yankeetown.  Yankeetown is a teeny sleepy town, very non-touristy and not much to see, but the 10 mile trip up the river to Yankeetown is really very interesting.  The river is 10 to 20 ft deep all the way, with interesting narrow bends and changes in scenery from salt marshes and palm trees at the gulf followed by hardwood forests overhanging the river at every turn.  Then you go to Crystal River the next day. It's only 10 NM or so and you get there for lunch, swim and watch manatees that afternoon and you're ready to go to Tarpon Springs the next morning.
Doug

I copied the very useful discussion below from the AGLCA list. Crystal River is one of the southermost of the Big Bend River, found north of Homosassa River. Note the data about shallow water at Twin River Marina. I join with Captain Alan below in recommeding that cruisers continue upstream to Pete’s Pier Marina, or try anchoring in Kings Bay.

We were told there was enough water to come into Twin River Marina, however, boats sit on the bottom at low tide. Any boats with a draft over 3.0. will have a problem. I always ask about draft and channel clearance, and was told no problem. That has not been the case.

We draw just 2’10” maybe 3′ when fully loaded and would concur that spots can be a bit shallow. We commented a number of times going in, that big boats would have a hard time getting into Twin Rivers Marina. Even at our depth we stirred up some mud. Take care as it sure is worth the effort to be able to swim with those Manatees. For me one of the high lites of our whole trip.
Clare

Continue three miles further up Crystal River and you will find a deeper alternative to Twin Rivers Marina, viz., Pete’s Pier Marina or Kings Bay anchorage. We were there this time last year and arranged for a pontoon tour round Kings Bay to see the manatee.
Alan Lloyd
Great Loop Navigation Notes

We’re docked at Pete’s Pier Marina. Good to be off the Gulf while the next system moves through. We planned on staying just one night, heading to Clearwater this morning, but the system is moving through faster than the forecast indicated last night. The staff here are great. This marina is in walking distance to town, had a wonderful meal last night at Cody’s. Enterprise is right around the corner too.
Denny and Karen
Another Option

Click Here To View the Western Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Twin Rivers Marina

Click Here To View the Western Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Petes Pier – Kings Bay Marine

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Get any four cruisers together, and you’ll get six opinions about how best to cross the Big Bend region of Florida, between Apalachicola or Carrabelle, and Anclote Key (or Clearwater). For those of you not familair with these waters, there is NO protected intracoastal waterway serving this portion of the Florida coastline. So, the decision is whether to cut the corner and head straight for Anclote or Clearwater, or follow the Big Bend coastline around, staying SEVERAL miles offshore to avoid the long shelf of shallows that run out from this part of the Florida coastline. There are those who believe passionately in one or another of these plans.
I have copied the discussion below from the AGLCA list in hopes that others thoughts may aid you in your own decision!

You are correct that many cruisers leap across the arm pit in a single bound. From Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs is 170 statute miles. For most this translates to an overnight trip. If you do not wish to go overnight, or like me, do not have the range, it is better to do shorter runs with more stops.
The first leg is from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee, 85 miles. From there it is 120 miles to Tarpon Springs.
I recommend an intermediate stop at Crystal River. The entrance to Crystal River can be shallow but if you draw less than 4.5 feet it is doable.
Best to avoid Homosassa River and Suwannee River unless the latter is dredged before the date of your trip.
These are the routes are described in my book .
Alan Lloyd

The “Big Bend” is a very nice part of the trip and missed by too many loopers rushing for unknown reasons. It’s an “old Florida” pace and style. Wait for good weather to go from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee, next day go the sort trip from Steinhatchee to Yankeetown, because the deep narrow river trip up to Yankeetown is really cool. Then go 20 miles to Crystal River to see the manatees, and finally go 55 NM to Tarpon Springs.
Doug Shuman