Sarasota entrance pass
- Thread starter calimari
- Start date
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UK Lele Girl
Member
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- Sep 22, 2014
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- 14
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- USA
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- UK Lele Girl
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- Fountaine Pajot 34 Greenland
We just came through there (big pass) last week. We were traveling south for Thanksgiving week from St Pete to Captiva. Going south we elected to go down intracosatal. Coming back up from north we went in big pass and stayed close to beach. (We went inside to stay at Longboat Key Moorings.) After leaving LBK we exited the intercostal at the bulkhead and went out Tampa Bay main channel. Main channel very easy and seas were calm.
All 3 passes are difficult and have significant shoaling from the recent hurricanes/storms. Lots of floating buoys instead of permanent markers. Stay closer to the beach and approach the pass from the south. Navionics charts were able to accurately reflect the shallow parts all the time too so I recommend only attempting to do it in daylight when you can read the water color best.
Marc
All 3 passes are difficult and have significant shoaling from the recent hurricanes/storms. Lots of floating buoys instead of permanent markers. Stay closer to the beach and approach the pass from the south. Navionics charts were able to accurately reflect the shallow parts all the time too so I recommend only attempting to do it in daylight when you can read the water color best.
Marc
Berwick
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- Aug 9, 2015
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- Serenity
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- Jefferson Marquessa 60'
Heading south in the gulf, I would enter at Longboat Pass. It has been dredged and is marked. Big Sarasota Pass is dicey and best to do only on calm and bright days. We went through Longboat Pass a few weeks ago traveling from St Pete to LBKM where we keep our boat. We have a 5' draft and had no problems.
Berwick Duval
Serenity
Berwick Duval
Serenity
sarasota big pass
Just returned from delivering a boat to Sarasota. Big pass has got to be one of the worst marked passes on the entire gulf. One green marker was on dry land! The termporary markers were so small you could barely distinquish them from crab trap bouys. With all the boat traffic and quality of boats at Marina Jacks, looks like more effort could be put forth in marking a decent channel. Do not try to enter this pass at night or even low light conditions and certainly not in heavy weather.
Just returned from delivering a boat to Sarasota. Big pass has got to be one of the worst marked passes on the entire gulf. One green marker was on dry land! The termporary markers were so small you could barely distinquish them from crab trap bouys. With all the boat traffic and quality of boats at Marina Jacks, looks like more effort could be put forth in marking a decent channel. Do not try to enter this pass at night or even low light conditions and certainly not in heavy weather.
