Thirteen More Good Anchorages

Thirteen More Good Anchorages

As you might imagine, I liked more than 10 of the dozens of anchorages I stayed at. Here are some more for consideration.


Last month, I shared a list of my Top Ten favorite anchorages from my Great Loop trip. These were all anchorages I would definitely stop at again on my next Great Loop cruise.

But I stayed a dozens of anchorages during my first Loop. Here are another 13 worth checking out.

  • Peck Lake, Atlantic ICW MM 992

    From the Atlantic Beach at Peck Lake
    One of the best things about anchoring at Peck Lake is the ability to walk along an empty Atlantic Ocean beach whenever you want to. Here’s the sunrise I enjoyed with my pups on December 22, 2023.

    I stayed at this anchorage a total of four times between December 2023 and February 2024. What did I like about it? Well, it wasn’t the dozen plus abandoned and derelict boats that shared the anchorage with me. It was the fact that I could anchor very close to shore with a short path cutting across the barrier island to a mostly deserted Atlantic Ocean beach. My pups and I visited the beach multiple times a day and weren’t bothered by a soul. The anchorage is relatively sheltered, although there was some wake from passing boats on the ICW and it would probably be unpleasant with a strong wind from the south or west.

  • Fort Frederica/Frederica River, Atlantic ICW 666.7

    Fort Frederica
    One of the canons at the Fort Frederica historic sight with Do It Now anchored in the distance.

    I stopped here with my friend Jason on our way south in November 2023. It’s a nice, quiet anchorage just off the ICW on the Frederica River. We anchored within sight of the old fort, which can be visited at medium to high tide by dinghy. (If you go there, you’ll see what I mean.) There are nice hiking trails in the woods at this historic site, but check for ticks when you get back on board.

  • Plum Orchard, Atlantic ICW MM 703

    Plum Orchard
    Many of the trails on Cumberland Island are two-track roads. Spanish moss is everywhere.

    This is a very quiet, very calm anchorage off the ICW at Cumberland Island. There’s shore access via a floating dock. On shore is an old plantation that’s open for tours (but wasn’t when I was there) and miles of hiking trails. There’s lots of wildlife including spoonbills, bald eagles, and alligators (although I didn’t see any gators).

  • Bakers Haulover Basin, Atlantic ICW MM1079.4

    Selfie at Bakers Haulover Basin
    I found this very rare selfie in my photo library. Looks like I’m just getting ready to depart Bakers Haulover Basin on the morning of December 26, 2023 after my first overnight stay.

    Not to be confused with the nearby Bakers Haulover Inlet of YouTube fame, this is a very large (and relatively crowded) anchorage just north of there at Oleta River Park. When I was there in December 2023 and January 2024, it had a lot of obviously abandoned and derelict boats in it, as well as liveaboards living in rough conditions. However, it does offer calm water, good holding, and access to park land with restrooms, cold showers, and some nice remote trails where I could walk my dogs. Rental kayaks paddled around the boats anchored there; you can explore by dinghy or kayak up the two main arms of the bay. My main attraction to this spot is its quiet nights and easy access to shore for my pups. It’s a great stop on the way to or from the Keys if you want to avoid expensive Miami marinas.

  • Manasota Key (Peterson Island) and Thorton Key, MM 40.9 off the Gulf ICW in Florida.

    Manasota Key
    I was able to anchor very close to shore at the Manasota Key anchorage.

    Manasota Key was a great anchorage, but with a caveat: it becomes very crowded with the channel used as a racing area on weekends. I arrived on a Friday and had a perfect afternoon and evening here. I anchored very close to land on the east side of the channel. It was very quiet, with lots of wildlife and the sound of breaking waves. The land on both sides of this channel are part of a park. On weekends, things get busy with lots of boats going through as fast as they can. On Sunday, a law enforcement boat cruised up to me and told me I couldn’t spend the night but had no valid reason why. (I had already stayed two nights.) Before nightfall, I repositioned to nearby Thorton Key anchorage, which was very pleasant and rowing distance to a sandy beach. I recommend this spot for weekend overnight stays although there were no-see-ums in this location in January.

  • Shark Tooth Island, Potomac River MM 24

    Shark Tooth Island
    I buddy boated with Jason in SEKI-A to Shark Tooth Island. He found most of the shark teeth.

    I buddy-boated with a friend to this narrow island along the Potomac River. Its claim to fame is the shark teeth that can be found along the beaches. The big challenge was navigating through an area just full of crab traps (in October) to get to the anchorage. From there, it was an easy dinghy ride to shore. The island provides shelter from the river, which is quite wide there, so we had a quiet night.

  • Saugerties/Esopus Creek, Hudson River MM 101.9

    At Saugerties
    Here’s a view of the fishing dock from my boat on the morning of my departure.

    I dropped a friend off at Saugerties and the anchorage in Esopus Creek right by the town fishing dock was so pleasant I decided to spent the night. It’s a good walk mostly uphill from the dock to town where there are shops and restaurants. There were lots of kayakers paddling around. I took a dinghy ride up the creek to get a look at the falls there. I had a very quiet night.

  • Crown Point, Lake Champlain MM 99.3

    Crown Point
    I anchored in a small cove between the Lake Champlain Bridge and Crown Point park.

    This was a quiet anchorage tucked into the New York shore at the Lake Champlain Bridge. I was able to dinghy to shore with my pups and walk around a park that included a climbable monument, a campground, and the remains of an old fort. I can imagine this being a bouncy anchorage when the weather is bad, but it was great during my stay.

  • Goose Creek/Campbell Creek, Atlantic ICW MM 154.5

    Campbell Creek
    We were treated to a great sunset at Campbell Creek.

    We had to dodge a lot of crab traps to get to the anchorage at the mouth of Smith Creek. There, we had good holding in relatively shallow water. We chose this spot because of the boat ramp up Smith Creek. It turned out to be nearly a mile away, which was a pretty long drive for a puppy potty break. But the location was quiet with very little boat traffic and no one else anchoring within sight.

  • Hole in the Wall/Pine Island, Atlantic ICW MM 946.7

    Hole in the Wall Anchorage
    The beach at Hole In the Wall was perfect for my pups.

    This was a nice, sheltered anchorage just off the ICW with a tiny deserted island between it and the ICW traffic. There’s a spit of sandy beach that’s covered with water at high tide that was absolutely perfect for my pups to run on after arrival and then again in morning. Quiet, with just a few recreational fishing boats in the no wake area around me. Again, it was a great overnight spot to avoid costly marinas in the area.

  • Franklin Lock West, Okeechobee MM 121.5

    Franklin Lock West
    I was the only boat anchored at Franklin Lock West, a quiet, sheltered anchorage between some private property and a state park.

    This anchorage puts cruisers in a good position for an early morning locking eastbound on the Okeechobee Canal and that’s why I was there. I dropped anchor near the end of the basin with a private (but apparently unoccupied) home on one side, a road on another side, and the Franklin Lock Park with a campground on a third side. The water was calm with no current. It was a quick row from the boat to the park where I could walk my pups and even use the restroom. It was a pleasant, quiet night. I left early in the morning, calling the lock from the anchorage to time my approach perfectly.

  • Little River Diversion Canal, Mississippi River MM 48.9 (upriver from of the Ohio River)

    At Little Diversion Canal
    Here’s Do It Now at the Little Diversion Canal anchorage. That’s the Mississippi River beyond the end of the canal.

    This one was recommended to me by full-time cruisers Ken and Rhonda on Nine Lives as a good stopping point after the Kaskaskia Lock. A look at the charts made me wonder if I could get in. But since they got in with their big Kadey Krogan, my little Ranger Tug should have no problem. I purposely passed the entrance so I could make my approach from downriver, keeping good control over steering as I entered the narrow channel. Once inside, I cruised about halfway to the bridge and dropped anchor in mud. There was hardly any current (although it might be a different story after a heavy rain). Although this anchorage can hold several boats, we were the only ones there. It was quiet and I was able to take my pups to a muddy shore to do their business. What was weird was the tow traffic passing the channel entrance at night; multiple boats swept their big lights in and it was a bit unnerving at first.

  • Mile Hammock Bay, Atlantic ICW MM 244.5

    Mile Hammock Sunset
    You can’t beat an anchorage for a sunrise or sunset. Even an anchorage with nothing much going for it can deliver.

    This one is all about location: it’s pretty much the only nicely sheltered anchorage in the area. It’s on a US Marine Corp training facility and there are lots of signs warning you to stay off the boat ramp and dock there. Fortunately, those are not enforced for boaters bringing dogs ashore to do their business, although I certainly wouldn’t go for a hike there. I’ve been there twice and witnessed military operations both times. The anchorage is widely used and quiet at night. It’s not the kind of place you hang out in, though; most folks are gone before 10 AM the next morning.

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