On our way South we primarily sailed outside, but on the way back North we opted to take the Intracoastal Waterway. There are plenty of places to stop along the way, so there are not ALL the ICW anchorages that are presented here.
This is the list of the ICW anchorages we personally used in our trip. I made this list so you can see that you don’t have to pay for marinas and can travel the ICW free of charge.
Our only paid stop was St. Augustine mooring field, but merely because we chose to stay there and enjoy the St. Augustine downtown. The town is fabulous, so I don’t recommend skipping it, but if you do, you don’t have to pay absolutely anywhere.
West Palm Beach – Lake Worth Inlet, across from the Palm Beach Yacht Club
| Coordinates: Lat: 26.765785 | Lon: -80.043318 |
This anchorage is good for going in and out of West Palm by sea. It is located right next to the Lake Worth Inlet, which is one of the most comfortable inlets in Florida. Many people use this inlet for traveling to and from the Bahamas.
Another good thing about this anchorage is that you can take a dinghy to Peanut Island. There is a really cool park there with small secluded beaches on the western side and a large public beach with coral reefs and snorkeling places on the eastern side. There is a jogging/walking trail around the island and plenty of places for picnic. If you would like to learn some history, visit Palm Beach Maritime Museum and John F. Kennedy Bunker.
West Palm Beach – North End of Lake Worth
| Coordinates: Lat: 26.839278 | Lon: -80.054305 |
This anchorage is located only about 4 miles North from the Lake Worth Inlet one. We had some weather coming, so we decided to ride it out there. It’s less crowded than the Lake Worth Inlet anchorage and a bit more tucked away, so it is more weather protected.
The good thing about this one is a Publix nearby. Ride your dinghy and tie it up right under the Hwy 703 bridge. There is a wire along a concrete wall, where you can lock it to. A small trail will lead you on top and right there you will find a large plaza with Publix and various shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a great burger dinner at Duffy’s Sports Grill.
Ft. Pierce – At Harbortown Marina and Faber Cove Anchorage
| Faber Cove Lat: 27.457258 | Lon: -80.30181 |
| Harbortown Lat: 27.469553 | Lon: -80.325315 |
Ft. Pierce is a good day trip away, so make sure you have enough time. You will have to open at least 7 drawbridges! (all the opening times are listed in the Intracoastal Waterway Guide). Some of them open on demand, but some are not. The good thing is that once you are in Ft. Pierce, there are two excellent anchorages. Faber Cove is tucked away and is great in bad weather.
The anchorage at Harbortown Marina is a bit more open, but you can dinghy to the Harbortown Cove Restaurant for dinner or drinks and leave your dinghy there if you need to go to town. There is also good and easy access to the fuel dock, if you need fuel, water and a pump-out.
Melbourne – Anywhere Along the Indian River
| Coordinates: Lat: 28.023558 | Lon: -80.555341 |
Soon after you pass Ft. Pierce, you will enter the Indian River. It is a wide body of water with good depth outside of the channel. Near Melbourne we pretty much sailed till about 5-6 pm and then simply “pulled over”. Even though the depth should be enough to accommodate a sailboat anywhere along the way, you should still double check. Just in case!
Titusville – In Front of the NASA Pkwy Bridge
| Coordinates: Lat: 28.520540 | Lon: -80.771828 |
We could have gone farther, but, unfortunately, we got stuck in front of the NASA Parkway Bridge (SR401) that leads to Cape Canaveral. We couldn’t make it on time to sneak through before the rush hour. Apparently, the bridge doesn’t open 6:30 to 8:00 am and 3:30 to 5:15 pm. We approached the bridge around 3:45. The bridge operator was cool and we chatted for a bit. He told us that as much as 70,000 people have to drive each day to and from the NASA Space Center!
We were rather tired, so we decided not to wait for the opening and call it a day. We anchored in front of the bridge on the left. You have to round a shallow spot, so make sure you give it a wide berth!
New Smyrna – South of Hwy A1A Bridge
| Coordinates: Lat: 29.014785 | Lon: -80.912268 |
It took us a complete day to get to New Smyrna. The anchorage is located just South of Hwy A1A Bridge. It’s a rather narrow strip of water to the right of the channel. There are a certain number of derelict boats, so be careful. Some of them sit on shoals and end up being aground at low tide. However, there are a couple of good openings. One of them is next to the green marker 45. We went right behind the marker and dropped the anchor.
The good thing about this anchorage is that you can land your dinghy for free next to the Brannon Building in Riverside Park. It is located right after the bridge on the left. You will find yourself right in downtown and enjoy access to numerous shops and restaurants. Also, it’s a great opportunity to restock.
Daytona – South of Seabreeze Bridge
| Coordinates: Lat: 29.229286 | Lon: -81.020458 |
In the morning we did some grocery shopping, which took us a good half of the day, so we only had several hours available for traveling. So we made a quick run to Daytona. Another reason for stopping was that after Daytona the ICW is very winding and narrow. The anchoring opportunities are few and far between. We were planning to go straight from Daytona all the way to St. Augustine.
The anchorage in Daytona is located on the right just before the double-spanned Seabreeze Bridge. There is a free dinghy dock between the spans, but you will need Uber in order to go anywhere.
Extra: If you don’t draw a lot, there is an opportunity to stay at Palm Coast Marina right in the middle between Daytona and St. Augustine. You can get an overnight dock without utilities and pay only 20 a night for it (double-check the latest info on their Website). The approach was too shallow for our draft, so we skipped it and went straight to St. Augustine.
St. Augustine – South of Hwy 312 Bridge
| Coordinates: Lat: 29.847943 | Lon: -81.303741 |
As we were approaching St. Augustine, we called the St. Augustine Marina and Mooring Field and they told us the mooring field was full. We could only reserve a mooring for the next day. Suddenly, we needed a place to spend the night.
The answer was an anchorage just south of Hwy 312 Bridge. There are several derelicts there, as well as some cruising boats. You will need to go around a long shoal and go back after you enter the anchorage, so make sure you give is a wide berth.
St. Augustine Marina and Mooring Field
This was the only stop we paid for. But how can you skip St. Augustine Downtown? The moorings cost about $25 a night and you can use the first-class amenities of the marina. Needless to say, you have the whole downtown of St. Augustine as your backyard. You can check out the latest mooring rates here.
Pine Island – Pine Island – About 10 Miles North from St. Augustine
| Coordinates: Lat: 30.051256 | Lon: -81.365344 |
We didn’t stop there on this trip, because we went directly to Jacksonville, but we used it several times before, so I decided to include it in the list. It is located where ICW splits up and goes on both sides of a small island, called Pine Island. The anchorage is behind the green marker 25.
I have special memories about this anchorage, because this is where we anchored for the first time ever with this boat. Not only is it a great place to go if you’d like to skip St. Augustine, but it’s also convenient if you are actually on the way South and can’t quite make it to St. Augustine.
St. John’s River
After the Pine Island anchorage, it’s a straight shot to the St. John’s River. Once you turn, you will be in deep water. Beware of multiple container ships! The Port of Jacksonville is one of the biggest in the country and there is a lot of traffic.
In the St. John’s River you can stop at the Metro Park Marina. There are no amenities, but it’s free, especially if you only stay a couple of days.
You used to be able to stay at the Jacksonville Landing dock, free for up to 72 hours. NOTE: the Landing has been sold to the city and it being demolished, so please double check if you can still stop there.
Another opportunity, south of Jacksonville Downtown, is right before the Buckman Bridge in a small anchorage on the East side, called Plummers Cove.
Our trip finished there, at the Julington Creek Marina. Many people go a couple of miles more South to Green Cove Springs, which has a large boat yard.
The best way to know all the details, depth soundings, marinas, anchorages and bridge information is to have one of the latest Intracoastal Waterway Guides. We used the Waterway Guide ourselves and it’s a great addition to the GPS because besides the charts, there is a ton of useful info. With this book, traveling ICW will become truly stress-free.
Buy Intracoastal Waterway Guides on Amazon:
All the screenshots are from our In-Reach System that records our track. Garmin In-Reach System is really great for safety because you can send our track as a part of your float plan to your friends and even on Facebook (and write Facebook updates as well! Besides tracking the boat, you can send and receive messages, get satellite weather and call mayday. It really proves irreplaceable on a boat! You can learn more about them from Amazon descriptions and reviews.
