98. Little Bayou Southerly Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 43.325 North/082 37.903 West
Location: will be discovered hard by unlighted daybeacon #17
Minimum Depth: 5-6 feet, but even a slight mistake to the west can land you in 3 feet of water
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 32 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: good
Rating: 
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
99. Little Bayou Northern Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 43.455 North/082 37.952 West
Location: lies immediately southeast of unlighted daybeacon #21
Minimum Depth: 5 to 5 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: good
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
100. Big Bayou Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 44.358 North/082 38.129 West
Location: lies about mid-way between unlighted daybeacons #14 and #16
Minimum Depth: 7-feet, but the bayou’s entrance channel can be very difficult for anyone without specific local knowledge
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 36 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: good
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Big Bayou is suggested as an alternative anchoring spot to Vinoy Basin. However, I have looked for but not found definitive information regarding anchoring restrictions in Big Bayou. GIS map indicates Big Bayou is within the St. Petersburg City Limits so I presume ordinance 23H would apply. Does this mean anchoring here is prohibited for cruisers and if so, what are the prohibitions? I cruise year round and am considering St. Petersburg as a destination in 2014 primarily because it is rarely affected by hurricanes.
101. North Yacht Basin Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 46.538 North/082 37.765 West
Location: found on the waters of the northernmost basin of the principal St. Petersburg waterfront, north of the charted “Municipal Pier
Special Note: This anchorage is, as of later 2011, early 2012, being converted to a mooring field, and all anchored vessels have been asked to leave. There is still a pay-for dinghy dock available in the harbor’s northwest corner
Minimum Depth: 9-feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
This can be a very rough anchorage when the wind is out of the NE-E and blowing 15K or more. The incoming wavelets bounce off the surrounding concrete bulkheads and set up quite an irregular chop. Otherwise, a great anchorage close to lots of downtown activity and if you are lucky an outdoor concert or event.
102. Coffeepot Bayou Outer Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 47.494 North/082 37.050 West
Location: found on the waters of the deep offshoot makes off to the north, just short of Coffeepot Bayou’s easterly entrance
Minimum Depth: 10-feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good except with strong southern winds in the offing
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
103. Coffeepot Bayou Inner Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 47.487 North/082 37.521 West
Location: will be found between the charted island and the 7-foot fixed bridge
Minimum Depth: 5 ½ to 6 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: Excellent
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
104. Smacks Bayou Outer Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 47.954 North/082 36.445 West
Location: found at the intersection of the northern and southern branches of Smacks Bayou
Minimum Depth: 10-feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 40 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: fair, open to eastern and southeastern winds
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
105. Smacks Bayou Mid Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 48.030 North/082 36.509 West
Location: lies abeam of the small, correctly charted, 6-foot offshoot that cuts to the southwest
Minimum Depth: 8-feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 30 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: good, except in strong southeasterly winds
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
106. Smack Bayou Inner Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 48.109 North/082 36.529 West
Location: found on the waters just south of the 11-foot fixed bridge
Minimum Depth: 6-feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 32 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: excellent
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
107. Smacks Bayou South Side Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 47.692 North/082 36.558 West
Location: will be discovered on the southernmost tier of Smacks Bayou, charted as Snell Island Harbor
Minimum Depth: 6-11 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: excellent
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
108. Terra Ceia Bay Outer Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 32.644 North/082 36.975 West
Location: lies south of unlighted daybeacon #9, on the channel leading from Tampa Bay to Terra Ceia Bay
Minimum Depth: 5 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 34 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: poor, fair weather anchorage only
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
109. Terra Ceia Bay – Bird Key Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 33.403 North/082 35.766 West
Location: found on the tongue of deep water north-northeast of Bird Key and north of unlighted daybeacon #13
Minimum Depth: 5 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: fair, but open to southern and southeastern winds
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
This is a great anchorage – Terra Ceia Bay is quite deep behind this island and it’s very quiet and peaceful without a lot of boat traffic. Nothing nearby to dinghy for supplies, but if you want a quiet anchorage, probably by yourself, this place is great! Follow the zig-zag channel closely as it gets shallow in some spots.
We sail a Catalina 36 and have stayed at bird key and in the North end many times. Great anchorages.
110. Terra Ceia Bay Northern Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 34.004 North/082 34.442 Wes
Location: found on the extreme northwesterly corner of Terra Ceia Bay, short of the charted sunken wreck
Minimum Depth: 6-feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: fair, but very open to southern and southwestern winds
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
111. Apollo Beach Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 46.703 North/082 25.506 West
Location: lies northeast of unlighted daybeacon #12
Minimum Depth: 7-15 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: good
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
112. Alafia River – Spoil Island Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 51.818 North/082 25.689 West
Location: found off the southeastern tip of the large spoil island north of (the Alafia channel’s) flashing daybeacon #7
Minimum Depth: 7-feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: poor, sheltered ONLY from northwestern winds
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
113. Alafia River – Bird Island Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 50.756 North/082 24.688 West
Location: lies south of the charted, narrow neck on Bird Island
Minimum Depth: 5-foot depths, but you must successfully find an unmarked channel to keep to these depths
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: fair, open to southern and southwestern winds
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
114. Alafia River Interior Anchorage
Lat/Lon: near 27 51.547 North/082 23.123 West
Location: will be discovered on the interior reaches of the Alafia River, just west of the charted bridge
Minimum Depth: 5-8 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Shelter: very good
Rating:
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Anchorage:
Comments from Cruisers (1)
There is an obstruction in the middle of this bayou. It’s about 2 1/2 feet off the bottom, so at an average tide it is about 2 1/2 feet below the surface. It is a hard, man made object, roughly the shape of a fin, possibly an old keel without the keel bolts.
Also, there are several shoals in the bayou. The estimate of 5 to 6 foot average depth is accurate for the rest of the bayou. The deeper water tends to be around the rim, which is why the channel is around the rim.
Mike Collins