Apalachicola
From CruisersWiki
Apalachicola, Florida
Overview
Apalachicola is a small Florida town, known in modern times for its oyster industry. It used to be one of Florida's largest ports in the 1800s, due to cotton shipping. It's along the western bank of the Apalachicola River, which is fed by the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers in Georgia and Alabama. It has good anchorage, affordable accommodations, and friendly people, more the kind you'd meet in the rural south than in the more developed areas of Florida. Repair facilities are very limited since Deep Water Marina, the previous owner of the only large travel lift in the town, was redeveloped into a hotel. Much of Apalachicola closes down on the weekends, and business hours tend to be short and somewhat variable.
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 | 29°43.543′N, 84°59.022′W |
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 | Local chartlet |
Cruising the region
Charts
Submit the chart details that are required for safe navigation.
Radio Nets
Also see Cruiser's Nets
Submit details of local radio Nets.
Apalachicola Bay is wide, runs approximately east-west, but is very shallow in parts, so pay special attention to your chart. Getting into and out of Apalachicola from the bay almost invariably requires motoring, because there's a good half hour's worth of dredged channel you have to motor down, with depths of only a few feet on either side. Watch your depths, and your markers. Very few sailors who home in Apalachicola haven't run aground from time to time.
Check-in facilities
Submit details about facilities for checking in - where to dock, etc.
Immigration & Customs
See United States
Marinas & Yacht Clubs
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- Scipio Creek Marina (monitors 16)
- Water Street Hotel and Marina (has transient slips)
Anchorages
List details of all safe anchorages in the area.
- There's a very protected anchorage spot just north of the US 98 bridge, east of the intercoastal waterway, dinghy distance from the Apalachicola riverfront.
- You can anchor really just about anywhere in Apalachicola Bay, but very little of it is well protected, especially from a north easterly or south westerly blow. Your best bet for anchoring in the bay is to pay attention to the weather and anchor leeward of a barrier island. Also, the whole bay is tidal, so dropping a second hook is a good idea, and pay attention to dragging. Bottoms are pretty uniformly mud, with some oysters.
- If you can make it as far as Dog Island (offshore of Carabbelle to the East) then Shipping Cove offers some of the best anchorage in the area, with 20 foot depths swimming distance from shore, and a view of the gulf over very low dunes.
Port Restrictions
Details?
Offshore Islands
- St. George's Island is a coastal barrier island with beach cottages, and a state park with camping facilities.
- Little St. George was created when the ACOE cut a hole in the island (Sikes Cut) to provide more reliable ocean access for fishing vessels based in Apalachicola. Little St. George is a state park with no access to land except by boat. There's only one house on the island, which is there for park rangers. You can dingy in during the day but aren't supposed to stay after dark. There's an old lighthouse on Cape St. George that's fun to hike to from anchorage in the bay, but stick to the beach. Inland is pretty inhospitable.
- St. Vincent's Island is an uninhabited wildlife refuge, with some interesting hiking possibilities. When sailing to St. Vincents Island, look out for St. Vincent's Bar on your chart - it's a narrow sandy shoal that sticks way out into the bay, with the only gap around it being at its southern tip, near Little St. George.
Routes/Passages To/From
The Apalachicola River is not navigable beyond the area dredged for the ICW. The only ways people get into or out of Apalachicola are via the ICW to the west, and via Apalachicola Bay.
Tourism & things to do ashore
Boss Oyster is one of the essential places to eat at across the entire Forgotten Coast. Quite possibly the best oyster bar in the entire country. Very homey, open air, looks out over the river. There are some private slips for fishing boats in front of it, but nowhere for transients to tie up. You could probably dinghy in pretty easily though, or just go ashore and walk.
Marine stores
- Fuel, charts, and some limited spare parts are at Miller Marine along the downtown river front, but call ahead or hail them on 16 to make sure they're open first.
- Scipio Creek Marina has a pretty extensive marine store. They also monitor 16.
References & Publications
Publications, Guides, etc.
Cruiser's Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forum Discussions
List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)
External Links
Links to relevant websites.
Personal Notes
Personal experiences?
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| | HOMEPAGE | Wiki Contents | United States | Florida | Apalachicola | |
