Saint George and Dog Islands

[mk2]

I am looking for a fresh idea for a week long sail down south somewhere where water is warm in february-march and clear, possibly Florida. Preferably some place not too crowded.

Looking at the map I have come accorss these few islands just south of panhandle area, in the gulf, looks like not too crowded and easily accessible from the mainland. Not to shallow on the sound side. There are three or four, starting from Dog island, then St George, St Vincent etc.

Anyone had sailed in that area? Any suggestions, recommendations?

Where else to sail in panhandle and east florida coast?

[Dell Anne]

I have sailed this area twice and visited the area countless times. St. George, Dog Island, Appalachacola Bay and Port St Joe are all great places. The Bays can be shallow and anything east of Carrabelle is realy shallow. Carabelle is the jumping off point for people crossing the Gulf to Tampa. We parked, launched and slipped at the Moorings in Carrabelle. The facility worked out nicely for us and the people where easy to work with. There are many places to visit for wonderful food. My favorites are: Boss Oyster in Appalachacola and Angelo's across the bridge from Alligator Point to Panacea, about 30 miles east of Carrabelle.

When the current, the tide and wind are working against you the docking at the Moorings can be tricky. Most of my docking is just a contolled crash anyway, for a seasoned skipper it will proabaly not be a problem. I have a few scratchs to remind of the goods time in this part of the gulf. There is always a party at Dog Island, and the protected water makes for nice access. There is a State Park on St. George Island that has facilities for parking and launching. We stayed at the Moorings the be closer to town.

If you are real adventurous you can launch your boat in Columbus, Ga and motor to Appalchacola via the Chattahoochee River, 275 miles. Me and my Dad made this trip a few years ago and enjoyed it tremendously.

Be safe and have fun if you decide to try out this part of the gulf.

Ron,

[speced]

Hi new guy here, you're talking about my home stomping grounds. This is the cold ? (Highs 50s low 20s-30s) stormy time of the year for us. It usually gets down to freezing or just a little below during the last weeks of January and beginning weeks of February. This is the peak Canadian snow bird season on Panama City Beach although you won't find too many around Apalach. Indian Pass can be treacherous when the tides running out with an onshore wind. There isn't a true defined channel, it's constantly shifting and not maintained by the corp. Use the govt cut over on St. George. The water is dark and the bottoms pretty much muddy from Apalach east, except for the oyster bars. St Joe and west its pretty much the opposite, clearer water and sandy bottom. The yuppies started moving in the early 90's and the area has cleaned up alot. No more dueling banjos and most have teeth now but 5 times expensive as it used to be in the good old days. Look for secluded bayous and Sloughs to be full of speckled trout and redfish. Come on down, you'll have a good time.
John Boy

[mk2]

many thanks, looks like a great place to visit, but may be I will wait until April. looking forward to this trip.

[speced]

mk2,
I was worried that I might have given you some bad intel so I headed over to Carrabelle to double check. Well, actually, my wife and I dumped the kids off at Nana's and Papa's and went geocaching. The place to stay is the Moorings in Carrabelle, N 29 51 10 W 84 40 25 www.mooringsatcarrabelle.com. This is the off-season and we stayed in a king-size, non-smoking room with basic cable and wifi for $62.50, including tax. It also includes use of a slip with stay. The place to eat is 2 Als at the beach restaurant about a mile and a half east of the Moorings at N 29 49 59 W 84 41 03. This is THE locals place. We at supper Saturday night and breakfast Sunday morning. We were the only outsiders there, everyone else were locals. The food was great, plentiful, and cheap. March is the start of Spring Break and the tourist season so I'd get your reservations made soon.

You mentioned Dog Island in your post. Dog Island has a bunch of vacation homes on it and some are available to rent. Its only accessable by boat but there is electricity. Its about as pristine coastal barrier island that you can find. You can find them on the net.
John Boy

BTW I saw a 26M, Doc's Time Out, rigged and ready in the storage yard.