What a good description of one of the finest municipal marinas I have ever reviewed in my 34 years of cruising guide authorship. As Captain Pica notes, cruisers should NOT overlook a winter stay (or any other time of year, for that matter) at SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. Want to know why? Read on!

I am amazed by the number of cruiser “snow birds” that skip St. Petersburg Municipal Harbor (an approved live aboard marina) as a “wintering over” port. I guess 5 miles up Tampa Bay is too far off the GICW for many. We and several of our fellow cruisers have found it to be a real nugget of a spot to winter over. If you like beautiful waterfront parks with walking and bike paths and all the conveniences of City amenities you would like St Pete. You are in the easy walking middle of a vibrant big little City surrounded by an urban waterfront park hosting numerous activities all winter long. Easy walking to a major college, Nice Publix 3 blocks from marina, nice air park, the largest farmers market on the Gulf, Salvador Dali Museum, Chahuly Collection, glass hot shop, art classes, Mahaffey Center for the performing Arts, other museums, Vinoy Hotel, a large shopping Cinema Complex, many, many shops, quality restaurants, Sports arenas e.g. Tropicana field, 6 blocks from a major medical complex. etc., etc.etc. Permitted parking is available for marina residents convenient to the docks which are secured and have camera surveillance. Pump out boat service included in dock fee. 50 cent trolley ride to beaches. 20 car mins from Tampa International Airport.
The only draw back is that it can fill so requires some planning.ahead although the Harborage is another option only 6 blocks away. St Pete also has many highly skilled boat repair technicians because of it’s history as a boat building venue. A Yard is available in Salt creek where major restorations can be done.
The winters are very mild but water too cold for me to swim in but hardier souls do swim. Temperatures are very pleasant and cold snaps unusual. Oddly we puzzle over the lack of bugs that had us leaving the boat open many times? Not a complaint for sure
Joe Pica
Carolyn Ann GH N-37

We couldn’t agree more! Downtown St. Petersburg, with its dozens of sidewalk cafés and its easy-going style, is the closest thing to a European city a cruiser will find on this side of the pond. And St. Pete Municipal Marina is right in the middle of it all! We’re as happy as clams to be here for the winter.
Jody Argo and Rick Schroath
and Skipper
SV Moment of Zen

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The huge St. Petersburg Municipal Marina (A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR) guards the western shores of Tampa Bay, in the heart of the city’s downtown business district. This is, quite simply, one of the best city owned an operated marinas I have ever reviewed.
And, if that’s not enough for you, there are myriad (and superb) dining attractions within walking distance, and lots of other local attractions.
You can’t go wrong by coiling your lines at St. Petersburg Municipal Marina!

Suggest . . . the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. I have my boat there; they are great people and you are close to downtown and very easy to get to the Tampa Airport.
Thank you,
Bob Dersham

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Twin Dolphin Marina - Click for Chartview

Twin Dolphin Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, sits perched on the southern shores of Manatee River, just short of the Highway 41 Business bridge.

Stayed here for a few days in 2010 on our way to the Bahamas. Really, really nice with a great location and great amenities. Only problem was we really didn’t want to leave!
R Holiman

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Kim’s Marine Canvas is at 277 75th Ave. St. Pete Beach.

While we are on the subject of St. Pete Beach, I just have to share http://www.KimsMarineCanvas.com
Kim Osborne stiched a custom boat cushion for us and the craftsmanship is of the very best quality.
If you are in the St. Pete Beach area and in need of canvas or repairs you can call Kim: 727-418-0579.
I’ll send the Editor a photo so you can see for yourself.
David Burnham

Harborage at Bayboro Marina - Click for Chartview

The Harborage at Bayboro is a very large marina complex, located just south of even larger St. Petersburg Municipal Marina (A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR), at the western tip of the Bayboro Channel, west of Tampa Bay’s marker #S. There is an on-site restaurant, but it is not nearly as simple to walk to all of downtown St. Petersburg’s many restaurants and shops from this facility, as is true from St. Pete Municipal Marina. Nevertheless, the Harborage is a superior marina that many cruisers will thoroughly enjoy!

We have kept our boat at Harborage Marina for the past 8 years, and are now liveaboards. We have a nice mix of seasonal, occasional and liveaboard boaters. We love the floating docks, great swimming pool, on site restaurant and many other amenities. We are within walking distance of downtown St Pete but much quieter than the Municipal Marina. Bayboro Harbor is very well protected and has easy access to the bay. We do not have as much rocking during rough weather as our friends @ other downtown marinas.
Highly suggest you check it out.
Susan & Joe Chilberg
Set Free ’88 Monk 36

I had three consecutive annual contracts in Harborage until October 2007, I was leaving on a 12 month offshore cruise in May 2008 and asked if I could have an extension until then. This was refused on the grounds that ‘ we only do 12 month contracts’ and at some inconvenience I had to relocate for six months. I had never been in arrears and had caused no `trouble’. I completed a transatlantic circuit and you can be sure that I put every one I met who expressed any interest in western Florida in the picture about this and can only hope that this marina now adopts a more customer friendly policy.
David Watkins, s/v `Swift `, Palmetto.

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St. Petersburg Municipal Marina guards the western shores of Tampa Bay, in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, FL. There are many dining possibilities within walking distance.
This is one of the best managed, large municipal marinas it has been my privilege to review over the last 30 years, and they are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR.

St Petersburg Municipal Marina is one of the largest liveaboard “approved” marina and offers the benefits of being downtown and within walking distance of all needs and attractions. Keyed gates secured with 24X seven security and cameras. dedicated parking,keyed mail box, etc, etc, etc,.. Plus the St Pete area is a wealth of boat technicians from it’s boat building eras.
What is amazing about St Pete is it’s vibrancy of venues, events, shops, restaurants, museums, performing arts, sports venues, large
hospitals college, etc., etc. etc. I all our cruising we find it to offer the most at a great price point.
Joe Pica
Carolyn Ann

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Snead Island Anchorage - Click for Chartview

Snead Island Anchorage lies along the broad band of deep water northeast of marker #11 in the Manatee River.

Very large anchorage with good depth for large boats. We were able to come in here after dark in a 68′ cruiser.
James Carroll

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Magnuson Hotel Marina Cove - Click for Chartview

Magnuson Hotel Marina Cove lies in the charted, water tank shaped cove, immediately east of the northernmost extreme of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and causeway.

Great little marina, two pools and hot tub, tiki bar and good restaurant. Not much within walking distance. Very reasonable rates, fills up on weekends. Entrance channel a little shallow in spots at low tide, not too bad though if you go slow. Keep left around red at entrance, then ease back to the right.
Cambren Davis

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Riviera Dunes Marina Resort - Click for Chartview

A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!, Riviera Dunes Marina Resort occupies a mostly uncharted harbor along Manatee River’s northern banks, just east of the easternmost of three bridges crossing the river at Bradenton and Palmetto (near charted Craig Point).

While the basin that the marina is located in is not charted, it is not large enough to require charting. The shallowest water found is the channel to the basin. Our boat is in this marina and normally has over 15′ of water under her. The marina is well maintained, the staff is great, the location is excellent.
Rob Homan

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Twin Dolphin Marina - Click for Chartview

Twin Dolphin Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, sits perched on the southern shores of Manatee River, just short of the Highway 41 Business bridge.

Stayed at Twin Dolphin again this year for three nights, and as usual, the service was outstanding. The pool and Jacuzzi is a welcome change of pace from cruising and the occasional anchoring out. This is a top-notch facility with very helpful and courteous staff. Will repeat next year.
Manuel Farinas
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Recommendations of this type from fellow cruisers make for some of the best information you can get!

Call Dan Matos, marine engine surveyor (239-461-0366), and Steven Berlin, Accredited Marine Surveyor (239-466-45440 , They are both from Ft. Myers. Reported to be one of the best in Florida. We used them both on our new (new to us) Heritage East 44.
Good luck,
Ron on “Meander”

We have used Dan on two occassions. He is VERY GOOD, thorough and you can have confidence you are getting the best rests
Mary Anne Osborne

St. Pete Municipal Marina - Click for Chartview

St. Petersburg Municipal Marina – A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! – lies west, northwest of Tampa Bay’s flashing buoy #3. Enjoy this very complete on-site description of this large municipal marina in downtown St. Petersburg.

Claiborne, as you asked a couple of weeks back as we left the Keys, here is a report on St Petersburg Municipal Marina. I will not recap the many published statistics on depths, etc, etc.
For the newbie to this area (us), it is important to understand that the entrance is just a bit tricky because this marina is located in the Central Yacht Basin between North Yacht Basin (known locally as Vanoy Basin) and
South Yacht Basin, where the St Petersburg Sailing Center is located. The St Petersburg Municipal Pier sticks a goodly distance into the bay between North (Vanoy) Basin and Central Basin; so there is little confusion about
the difference in those two basins. However, there is a “Y” in the channel as you enter the breakwater to the Municipal Marina which allows a right turn into the Central Basin or a left turn into the South Basin . The
sometimes noisy local small aircraft airport is located immediately to the south of South Basin but was not a nuisance at the transient pier.
By the way, the “upside down pyramid” which has long marked the end of The Pier is scheduled to close very soon and be demolished. A grandiose design has been offered up, but there is local dissention about what will ultimately grace this area.
Further confusing to the newbie is the fact that there are three separate landside marina entrances to their three separate piers (each with an office at the locked entrance), and the St Petersburg Yacht Club also resides in
Central Basin. The long transient alongside-tie pier is part of the North Entrance pier structure and is quite easily seen once you enter central basin. You just angle right about 30 degrees to enter the basin from the
breakwater entrance and then dogleg left about the same and look for the long pier.
Piers are fixed, and tide is a couple of feet. We had to step on the handrails of our GB-42 at low tide in order to get aboard. Power was adequate with 30- and 50-Amp plugs at each pedestal. A limited cable TV service was provided, but was essentially worthless due to the poor channel selection.
Potable water tasted good with no hint of sulfury “beach water” we encountered in marina near the coast.
The northern portion of the basin is subject to the effects of easterly wind. We had some light winds from that direction during a part of our stay and rocked gently. Strong easterly winds might make it uncomfortable.
We were not certain how long we intended to stay while awaiting a Gulf-crossing weather window to get home to the panhandle so we decided to sign up for a week, which the staff said they would rebate if we left early.
The weekly “slip rate” before taxes for our Grand Banks 42 was $283.08 or a bit less than a dollar a foot per day while the daily rate was about 2 bucks a foot. Since my wife fell ill with a stomach virus and was out of commission for several days, we ended up needing at least four days, and by the fourth night, we were ahead of the game had we been paying a daily rate.
The facilities are very clean and well kept without any of the usual rust and grime one so often sees in marina bathrooms and showers. The staff is friendly and helpful – ignore the one negative comment on Active Captain,
except for the warning about strong easterly winds the guy must have encountered.
We find the downtown area of this small city to be almost European in atmosphere with cultural, dining, and shopping clustered close to the marina amongst buildings in which people also live. The nearby college probably has something to do with this. In previous trips up and down the west coast of Florida, we were busy getting to some place else and ignored this place, but it really should be a destination in any trip by here. It is easily accessible from the ICW by simply running under the causeway of the Sunshine Skyway bridge to Bradenton and following the well-marked channel a few miles up the bay.
There is a trolley stop outside the entrance to the north piers of the marina and 50 cents (25 for folks over 55) gets you aboard. It connects with buses which will run you all the way to the beaches and even Tarpon Springs.
Rich Gano
Calypso (GB42 Hull # 295)
Panama City area, FL

Click Here To View This Facility’s Full Listing of Services on the Western Florida Marina Directory

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Well, any good words, particularly when they apply to a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, are welcome, even if brief!

We have stopped at St. Petersburg marina a couple of time and enjoyed it.
Steve Willett
Monk 36, Gumbo

Click Here To View the Western Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For St. Petersburg Municipal Marina

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