St. Pete Florida

[BigN8]

Trying to gather some intel on St. Pete. How is the beach, night life? Good to bring the boat? I'm looking at a few beach condos in Madeira Beach area, and found the Madeira Beach Municipal Marina, which seems reasonable. I can tell by google earth there are a few keys to boat to, but is it worth the hassle?

Any info or tips greatly appreciated.

 

[txav8r]

I am bumping this because I am hoping more people get in the conversation @BigN8 . We have a bunch of guys down in the Tampa St. Pete area, and this is would be good intel.

 

[BigN8]

I am bumping this because I am hoping more people get in the conversation @BigN8 . We have a bunch of guys down in the Tampa St. Pete area, and this is would be good intel.

Thanks @mel I'm starting to think St. Pete may be a diamond in the rough by the lack of Intel!!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Yea it's hot and lots of bugs , the water is cold and the traffic is really bad, gas prices are really high and the weeds in the water are awful. lol

 

[ScarabMike]

Check out Kevin and Corrie's channel on YouTube. They are in the Tampa/St.Pete area.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMG7HuAZkLBmUKnvEGDt-cA

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I don't have first hand experience in that area other than driving through the area but there are a ton of beach areas inside the Tampa Bay bridge where all the locals hang out. Look around Ft. Desoto Park. Clearwater is nearby and has some nice beaches as well.

 

[CrankyGypsy]

(this is mostly a copy/paste i posted a month ago on the other site for someone asking a similar question)

FLORIDA BOAT RAMPS: https://public.myfwc.com/LE/boatramp/pu ... tyMap.aspx

i only started boating last year, so i might not know the "best" spots. i live near the airport and usually trailer it to the War Veteran's Memorial Park or Fort Desoto ramps.

the Vets is a decent size ramp with plenty of parking. it puts you out into Boca Ciega Bay near John's Pass (which provides access to the gulf). right before the Pass, there's a large shallow sand bar that boats hang out at on the weekends (i've never actually hung out there, though). the Fort Desoto ramp is very big - it's further south for me, but i like that it's much closer to the keys (Shell and Egmont). i'm planning to take a look around Anclote Key this year, which is pretty far north.

i enjoy mooring there, but have yet to actually venture onto Egmont Key. if you zoom in on Google Maps, you can see there is an old fort to explore on the north side. and there's a place to snorkel near the south point on the west side (yet to do that, too. i know it's doable, just not sure how bad the murkiness gets - there are YouTube vids).
south of that is Anna Maria. could be me, but the water seems clearer down there (recently confirmed with another boater). i just poked around a bit one day. family warning: between Egmont and Ann Maria is Passage Key, known for the occasional nudists.

do you have a GPS/Plotter? i'm still learning the area and have skimmed over a bunch of stuff (mostly sand bars) or came very close. i'm doing some winter repairs/maintenance/mods right now, but i plan to install one before i get back out there. this map looks way more dangerous than it actually it is, but this will at least give you an idea where to keep an eye out:
http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsd/ ... tions.html

IN ADDITION: Madeira Beach is just north of Johns Pass - it's kind of touristy, but it's nice to explore with the family and has a few restaurants and bars. downtown St Pete is pretty cool day or night. there's a lot of small shops and restaurants up and down Central Ave and there's a trolley that can help get you around cheaply if you get tired of walking. at night, there are a lot of open bars with just about any kind of crowd you are looking for. every "First Friday" of the month is a big party, where they close off a few of the streets.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Check out the website made by one of our members ( @Rusty )....

www.floridabywater.com

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I go out to Egmont quite often, there are old roads and buildings all over that island. Today the fog was so heavy I couldn't even get to the gulf. yesterday I ran all over the place, today it was impossible to go anywhere.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...reline-and-crashes-into-little-harbor/2218816
http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...icles/bn9/2015/2/23/one_injured_when_boa.html

took this on my ski yesterday when the fog thinned out enough for me to be able to see a little

If you noticed how heavy the fog was when I cleared the bridge , this is how it was everywhere earlier in the day, I had to turn and follow the causeway because the fog was thinner close to the roadway .

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...icles/bn9/2015/2/25/boat_crashed_into_ru.html
http://www.baynews9.com/content/new...: Boat crashed into Ruskin restaurant removed
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/boat-wedged-in-ruskin-restaurant-sunset-grill-to-be-removed-wednesday