Mobile Bay and FL "Lost Coast" info
As you come down the Tensaw River, you’ll need to come through what locally they call Government Cut west into the Mobile River – sailboats can’t clear any of the bridges at the Mobile delta (I-10 and the Causeway), except for those on the Mobile River. There’s a large bridge at Africatown (so-called because it’s where the last load of African slaves to America, established a homestead after they escaped from the slave schooner that brought them into Mobile Sound) that has plenty of clearance, and I-10 goes thru a tunnel under the river.
Through Mobile proper there are no recreational marinas or service points, so make sure you’ve got plenty of fuel before you get into the Delta. Stay to the marked channels as you leave the Mobile River and enter Mobile Bay, depths come up quickly outside the channels.
Once you clear Mobile, on the western shore of Mobile Bay you’ll first come to the Dog River. There are two yacht clubs here (Mobile Yacht Club and Buccaneer Yacht Club), both have some transient docks if you’re a yacht club member. There are several marinas inside the river, including Sundowner, Turner’s (no relation; fuel and pump-out) and Grand Mariner. Transient rates in the entire area seem to run $45-50 a night for boats over 30’. There are good restaurants at Grand Mariner and also at the River Shack [on the south side of the river just after you pass under the Dog River Bridge (clearance 73’)] – I recommend the latter; you can tie up for lunch or dinner but there’s no overnight docking. For anchorage, continue upriver about a mile past Grand Mariner and anchor just off the middle of the river – be aware that there’s a fair amount of fishing boat traffic up through here. There are more anchorages further in but if you’re just passing through you probably don’t want to get too far out of the bay.
Continuing south along the west shore of the bay you’ll come to the Fowl River. You can’t clear this bridge with your air draft. There is some limited anchorage just to the east of the bridge – you’ll see some fair-sized boats moored out just south of the channel. There is also a restaurant on the north shore just east of the bridge that has some limited transient dockage.
There aren’t any other marinas or anchorages along the western shore until you get to Dauphin Island. At Dauphin Island, there are two small coves along the north shore of the island just to the west of the Dauphin Island Bridge – check the charts, it’s a long channel to get in there, with shallows all around and limited anchorage once you get inside. If you continue out the mouth of Mobile Bay, you can then turn west along the southern shore of Dauphin Island – there is an anchorage as the outer barrier island (Sand Island) comes up towards the main Dauphin Island shore. Watch for the golf course on Dauphin Island and anchor in the small cove before the barrier island comes up to the main shore.
Along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, the Fairhope Yacht Club (my club) is on Fly Creek along with two marinas, Eastern Shore (fuel) and Fly Creek Marina. There’s a decent burger joint at Fly Creek, and a Mexican restaurant within walking distance, but not much else – it’s about 2 miles into Fairhope, the nearest town. No anchorages up here except in the bay off the beach in front of the yacht club, and then only if it’s absolutely calm, there’s no protection. For that matter, there are no anchorages period all along the eastern shore. Further south from Fly Creek is the Fairhope Municipal Marina, a man-made harbor that’s good for normal conditions but very exposed if it gets bouncy. Several good restaurants within walking distance. Further south is the marina at the Grand Hotel Resort (pump out), limited transient but can handle your size, nice restaurants at the resort.
East thru the ICW from the mouth of Mobile Bay, there’s a refurbished marina, Fort Morgan Marina, about 2 miles east of Fort Morgan Point. Look for the large “boatel” storage building, and be sure to stay to the marked channel going into the marina. Transient fees are $35/night below 24’, $45/night above that, extra for electric. This marina is somewhat exposed in western winds. I noticed on the chart that immediately east of this marina’s man-made harbor, depths are about 6’, so good for anchoring. Within the marina, there’s a good restaurant for breakfast/lunch/dinner, “Tacky Jack’s 2,” and there’s also a new marina store for provisions, and restrooms/showers.
Further east is Navy Cove, another popular anchorage but exposed to north and west winds. As you reach the easternmost entrance to the ICW, exiting Mobile Bay, you can follow the marked channel that cuts to the north into the Bon Secour River. This is a very picturesque area, home to one of Mobile Bay’s last commercial fishing/crabbing fleets. Stay to the marked channel and go about one mile or so past the Bon Secour Fisheries – you can anchor in about 6-8’ of water immediately to the west of the last channel marker, I think it’s daymarker #37. When you first enter the river, there’s a cut off to the south – there’s a marina down there and I’m told a restaurant, although I haven’t been up in there. If you go up the main river, you can buy fresh seafood at Billy’s Seafood, you’ll see their buildings and can tie up at there docks.
Into the ICW there’s LuLu’s Homeport Marina and restaurant (this is Jimmy Buffet’s sister’s place, always jumping and good food). Fuel and pump-out at their docks along the ICW to the east of the restaurant. There’s a new marina further on, just entering into Big Lagoon, Barber Marina – brand new, floating concrete docks, fuel dock and pump-out station, a new marina store but no restaurant. Just east of Barber is Ingram Bayou, said to be one of the prettiest anchorages on this stretch of the ICW – good anchorage in the lower part of the bayou, and an all-weather hole in the upper part of the bayou. Beyond Ingram’s is Pirate’s Cove, a very popular stop for burgers – anchorage both out front of the restaurant, and in the bayou behind. which I also assume you’re familiar with (if not, a great place to stop for a burger). On the south side of the lagoon across from Pirate’s Cove is another popular marina, Bear Point (fuel and pump-out). A bit further east you’ll also come to another good marina at Perdido Key with a good restaurant, but be sure to follow the channels in.
There are plenty of people that can give you better advice on the section between Pensacola and Apalachicola than I can,we’ve so far only been through there one time. At Fort Walton Beach we stayed at Shalimar, good site but a bit of a hike north of the ICW. At Panama City I highly recommend the Panama City Public Marina (fuel, pump-out), very nice facility and walking distance to plenty of good restaurants, places to provision and marine supply stores. Below Panama City you can either stay in the ICW, or jump offshore in the Gulf to Port St Joe – good marina there (fuel, pump out, restaurant) and places to reprovision. Then back into the ICW to Apalachicola. At Apalachicola we stayed at Scipio Creek Marina, which I also recommend.
South of Apalachicola the standard practice is to head east either to Carrabelle or to the anchorage just north of Dog Island; and then jump off either for a 24 hour sail to Anclote Key, off Tarpon Springs; or 48 hours to Clearwater. There are limited marinas and anchorages along this whole stretch of the coast, and they all have to be accessed via very narrow, shallow and long channels that are bounded unforgiving limestone ridges. We looked into marinas at Steinhatchee on the Steinhatchee River, they looked good but our schedule changed and we didn’t put in there. We stayed at Suwanee, a cute old-Florida town on the Suwanee River – a couple of marinas and lots of anchorage opportunities but we came in at low tide and bumped bottom in the channel outside the mouth of the river.
Some folks day sail below Steinhatchee/Suwanee to Cedar Key to spend the night before jumping off to Anclote – not a bad plan but the channels can be tricky and the anchorages somewhat exposed; we by-passed it. Further below Suwanee we stayed at Yankeetown on the Withacoochee River but it’s quite a ways up the river from the Gulf. One can anchor up the Crystal River; and then there’s Hudson, where we bought our boat (another long channel but several good marinas and restaurants once you’re there), and then Anclote Key.
All that said, the next time we go that way we’re going to jump off from Carrabelle and go direct either to Cedar Key or on to Anclote Key. The only place I’d consider stopping again would be Suwanee, because we liked the little town – but there’s not much there. Frankly I might just bite the bullet and do the 48 hour jump from Carrabelle to Clearwater if the weather was good.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.
Mike Turner
Lazyjack 32 schooner “Mary’Lis”
Mobile Bay, Alambam
