Panama City/Shell Island local info

[sprink56]

My brother has a new 'sweety" in Destin and is spending a lot more time there with his 22' Formula.

I mentioned Shells island to him and am looking for recommendations as to where he could launch and what route would be best for him to take an exploratory day trip.

Thanks,

John F.

 

[fwebster]

John,

Probably the best ramp with the fewest hassles would be the St. Andrews State Park just off Thomas Drive. It is near the pass and has less traffic, but is subject to park closure times and schedules.

Just of North Lagoon Drive is the Dolphin Street ramp which is a public ramp and is open all the time. Security can be an issue, so everything must be locked.

All of the marinas on Grand Lagoon........Treasure Island, Lighthouse, Pirates Cove and Bay Point.......have transient slips if bro. is staying a while or needs facilities like fuel, pump out, motel room, restaurants, etc. If he rents a transient slip for a few days, most will launch the boat for free.

Route for an exploratory trip.........? I assume you mean in the PCB area and not from Destin to PC.

This area will bite you in the butt/wallet big time if you don't know the bottom. On the bay side we have many shallow bars covered with grass. They appear dark green when they are really only a few inches deep. My advice would be to get a paper chart of the St. Andrews Bay and figure out how to read the contour, then stay in water at least 4' deep as he pokes around the island. Sometimes 4' is 50ft off the beach; other spots 4' is 1/2 mile off.

On the Gulf side of the island, there are usually 2 sand bars. It is safest to stay outside the second bar in 8-10' of water, but if he picks his way inside the outer bar, he can run between the sand bars easily.

Tips for the local area..........

1.Never (ever) anchor on the Gulf side with the stern to the sea.
2. Take 2 anchors so you can anchor and hold the boat in a fixed position.
3. Typical anchoring on the bay side is to anchor stern to the beach with the outdrive up so you can walk to shore.
4. Know the rules of the road and how to read the day markers. Stay in the channel if one is marked. There is a lot of commercial traffic as well as private boats here and operators are expected to be in the right place, not wandering all over the place if the channel is marked.
5. We have a lot of all types of boats on the water here, so don't get in a hurry.
6. Make sure the boat is legal. We have USCG, Florida Marine Patrol (FWC), Bay County Sherriff, and the US Customs. All are water cops in boats with the ability to stop and inspect you. Generally, they won't bother you if you are doing it right, but sometimes they can get a little full of themselves.

Its a great area...enjoy the trip.

 

[chuck1]

He may also want to do lunch at the famous Bayou Joe's.

 

[Hampton]

Tried a huge post - lost due to link in Google Maps. Will try again later. Dang!

 

[Swimparent]

We love Boyou Joe's. It is near Old Downtown Panama City...totally different than Panama City Beach. Our favorite Italian restaurant, Ferrucci's, is also close by.

Panama City Beach is certainly everything that it is made out to be (Spring Break Capital of the World), but Panama City also has a very charming "old Florida" feel to me.

We have also eaten at the Lighthouse (but it has been about 4 years ago) & it was very good too.

Of course I am partial to the Port St Joe area---it has a great Marina.

 

[Blueone]

1.Never (ever) anchor on the Gulf side with the stern to the sea.

Frank ... why would this be the case ? .

 

[fwebster]

For those of us who are transplanted locals, figuring out the restaurant thing in the PC/PCB area was a fun challenge. Once you figure out which is a tourist restaurant and which is a locals place, your dining experience is very significantly improved. Generally, if the restaurant advertises, then its a tourist restaurant.

Your old Florida feel for PC vs. PCB is nothing more than a product of the number of local folks there and the season. Panama City Beach is a very small community spread out over 12 miles of beach. Now overlay that with the fact that is is a tourist destination and you quickly learn to pay attention to the calender and scheduled events before going. For the most part, we find the beach to be very much the same as town, except that we try to be somewhere else during spring break, triathlon weekend, and Thunder Beach Bike week.

Now if you want to enjoy the real old Florida coastal environment (but no beach), go visit Apalachicola.

 

[Swimparent]

Hey Frank,
My husband's family is from Port St. Joe, his family has had a house at Mexico Beach since 1934. We also have a beach house on St. Joe Beach and my brother-in-law is an attorney in Port St. Joe so I have a pretty good feel for Old Floida towns. That being said, I am sure you are more infomed than I about the particulars of Panama City and will defer to your knowledge.

Maybe we will run into you sometime. We have friends who live at Bay Pointe and keep a boat there.

 

[fwebster]

We spend a lot of time in St. Joe and Apalach. so we know those areas well.

What drew us to the Panama city arera was the boating enviorment. It has proven to be good choice for us. Figuring out that Panama City and "The beach" are 2 completely different towns each with their own personality has also been fun. The whole NW Fla area is a really neat spot. You want quiet and beach, then its Mexico Beach or St. Georges Island; you want quiet, out of the way with a lot of local flavor, then its Apalach, Boating or restaurants and it is Panama City; Upscale shopping and big city humanity or fishing then go to Destin. And, the best thing is that its all just about an hour apart by car.

 

[sprink56]

Hey...I appreciate all the responses and will pass them along. he drags his boat down from Tuscaloosa to Destin and hits all the water "hot spots" like AJ's and the "Sand Bar". He will trailer over to PC and probably stay over there a friends condo that I think has a marina...not too sure where.

We were looking at a chart and looks like he could run out past the Marriott thru the main channel and turn back to the NW....get between the island and the mainland if it is marked well. I told him that he needs to talk to some locals about navigating that area. Local knowledge is hard to beat.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to switch to a "trash prop" until he figures out where he's going...easier to fix a $100 aluminum than a $500 Stainless Cleaver.

Based on what Frank is saying I think it's best that he get big brother to come up there and show him how to navigate.:thumbsup:

 

[fwebster]

John,

THe channel in Grand Lagoon and the main channel entrance thru the pass are well marked with bouys and day marks, but once you leave the channel and go behind the island, he's on his own.

Based on the people I see behind the island all summer long, this ain't brain surgery.....get a paper chart, go slow and have fun exploring. And......... SeaTow monitors VHF 16!

 

[chuck1]

...Based on the people I see behind the island all summer long, this ain't brain surgery.

Yea, but those canbots have a very shallow draft.:grin: