Here is
a virtual tour of a typical trip out to the island on one of our pontoon
boats.
You can click on any picture for a larger image.
Once you leave our marina, your
trip begins with a 20 minute idle up our canal - the "Urban Experience"
-
looking at pretty waterfront house and boats.
Towards the end of the channel you
will see some mangroves on the right and several great fishing spots
right in our canal.
At the end of the canal you will
see five sets of red and green markers - now you can power up the boat,
but stay between the markers.
Once at the end of the channel -
marker #1 and #2 - you can look back at Gulf Harbors so you know where
to come back in again.
In the distance on the left you
will see Anclote Key - a very long island. You are going to steer to the
right of this island as your destination is North Anclote Sandbar
At first the sand bar is difficult
to see because it is very flat, but you will see it before you are half
way across the bay. Click the image for a better view.
Once you arrive at the island you
can slowly cruise up and down the beach looking for your perfect spot!
The sand bar is made up in two
sections, North and South separated by a strip of shallow water at high
tide.
The North section has some
vegetation on it and lots of beach. Most people deploy two anchors to
keep the boat from swinging.
The South section is just pure
beach sand. At both sandbars you would anchor in the inside (East side)
of the island
You can even find your own tiny
little island and share it with the birds!
In between the two sandbars is a
shallow strip of water you can swim and play in, it comes right out of
the water at low tide and makes one big island.
There is GREAT shelling on the
West side of both sand bars.
The sandbars are separated from
Anclote Key by a deep strip of water.
A five minute boat ride takes you
to the North Beach on Anclote Key.
This beach has a primitive
restroom. Be careful anchoring here, if there is a West wind it can get quite
choppy.
If you're on a full day, you will have enough time to
head to the Southern tip of Anclote Island.
There is a light house and a nature trail you can
experience on the South end.
After a glorious day on the beach,
it is time to head home to Gulf Harbors, which can easily be seen from
the island.
There is a house with a bright red
roof which indicates our channel. This house can be seen from miles
away.
At marker #10 you make a slight
turn and head straight down our canal, slowing down to an idle speed.
Finally returning to our marina
where one of our staff will guide you back into the dock.
Here is a video of the North Sandbar, and yes, the
water REALLY is that clear and beautiful!
Tampa, Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, St. Petersburg,
St. Pete Beach, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Holiday, New Port Richey,
Port Richey, Hudson, Spring Hill, Hernando. Hillsborough, Pinellas,
Pasco and Hernando counties.
We are 2 hours drive from Disney and Universal Studios
in Orlando.
