Thinking about Mexico Beach FL.

[270win]

We're heading down to Mexico beach this summer and are strongly considering taking the boat along. There's a nice looking marina and an inlet right there in Mexico Beach. Anyone been there before?

This is a lake boat with all of the inland equipment, we'll be staying close to shore. We have a VHF, bottom machine, depth finder and GPS. Also have hand held flares...trying to think if there's anything else.

There's the option to keep the boat in the water all week or to trailer store it and haul it after each use. What's the better way to do this?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[fwebster]

Be sure what you are getting into...........

Mexico Beach is a small coastal town with only a dredged channel off the Gulf. The city had to buy a dredge to keep the pass and channel open and it is only suitable for going to and from the Gulf. You will be able to travel only at idle speed once in the dredged area. The other issue for boaters and beach lovers is that there is no protected water with beach access. You get a rough or windy day, you walk to the beach or go shopping.

While Mexico Beach has a certain charm, if you plan to use your boat, you will likely be happier either at Panama City or as a distant second choice, Port St. Joe. Panama City/Panama City Beach has the advantage of a barrier island that offers you very protected anchorages and beach access even on the days when the Gulf is too rough to go out. Port St. Joe has a great marina that opens onto St. Joe Bay and with a 4+ mile run you can tuck into an anchorage behind St. Joe point. St. Joe Bay is shallow in some places, though.

For a vacationer, restaurants is the other thing about Mexico Beach.......you will quickly tire of the few there, but in Panama City you have the choice of a lot of excellent restaurants.

Enjoy the trip..........

 

[270win]

Be sure what you are getting into...........

Mexico Beach is a small coastal town with only a dredged channel off the Gulf. The city had to buy a dredge to keep the pass and channel open and it is only suitable for going to and from the Gulf. You will be able to travel only at idle speed once in the dredged area. The other issue for boaters and beach lovers is that there is no protected water with beach access. You get a rough or windy day, you walk to the beach or go shopping.

While Mexico Beach has a certain charm, if you plan to use your boat, you will likely be happier either at Panama City or as a distant second choice, Port St. Joe. Panama City/Panama City Beach has the advantage of a barrier island that offers you very protected anchorages and beach access even on the days when the Gulf is too rough to go out. Port St. Joe has a great marina that opens onto St. Joe Bay and with a 4+ mile run you can tuck into an anchorage behind St. Joe point. St. Joe Bay is shallow in some places, though.

For a vacationer, restaurants is the other thing about Mexico Beach.......you will quickly tire of the few there, but in Panama City you have the choice of a lot of excellent restaurants.

Enjoy the trip..........

Thanks for the input.

We want to go to a small town like Mexico Beach because we hate the crowds in Destin and PCB. And if we do decide to go to PCB for a day of boating it's only a 30 minute pull. I doubt we'll spend more than three days on the boat. I know the Gulf can get rough. But in the few times we took our previous boat down it was smoother than Lake Lanier on any Saturday in the summer. I was thinking we would stay pretty close to the inlet anyway.

It doesn't look like Mexico Beach has access to the ICW...is that right or am I missing something???

 

[chuck1]

...
It doesn't look like Mexico Beach has access to the ICW...is that right or am I missing something???

You are correct, no direct access to the ICW from Mexico Beach.

 

[CW2008]

You could put your boat in at the bridge at Port St Joe and just keep it trailered. Get a good chart of the bay to watch for shallow water. You should have plenty of time to drive to good eating at PC or at Apalachicola.

 

[fwebster]

I have lived in Panama City Beach part time for about 20 years. One of the things we learned about this area long ago is that there is a "locals" level of understanding to the economy, activities, restaurants and boating. Generally, the further west you go on the beach, the quieter things get. Our house is 12 miles out near Sunnyside and we never see anyone on the beach across the street from us.

We also have a back beach road that allows you to get from one end of the beach to the other at highway speeds and without beach tourist traffic. Restaurants and stores are the same way......the best seafood (other cuisines too) are not at the well advertised tourist places, but are at locals restaurants kind of out of the way. I never wait in line for a meal.

The US mint has not printed enough money yet to get me to go in a Walmart on the beach. I survive quite nicely, with much lower blood pressure, at K-Mart, Publix and Winn-Dixie............or to go to Destin between Memorial Day and Labor Day, unless it is by boat.

So...... there is a way to avoid the gridlock and tourist nonsense, but still enjoy the best boating environment in the area.

 

[chuck1]

Frank,
You forgot to mention the fun of launching rock and wakes at the rental boats (Grin)
Chuck

 

[fwebster]

Shhhhhh..........!

 

[270win]

You could put your boat in at the bridge at Port St Joe and just keep it trailered. Get a good chart of the bay to watch for shallow water. You should have plenty of time to drive to good eating at PC or at Apalachicola.

Port St. Joe looks nice too...it's about 15 minutes away from what I can tell. Any good eating there? I went to the Raw Bar at Indian Pass a few years ago for lunch and it was really good... How big is the PSJ Bay?

 

[270win]

I have lived in Panama City Beach part time for about 20 years. One of the things we learned about this area long ago is that there is a "locals" level of understanding to the economy, activities, restaurants and boating. Generally, the further west you go on the beach, the quieter things get. Our house is 12 miles out near Sunnyside and we never see anyone on the beach across the street from us.

We also have a back beach road that allows you to get from one end of the beach to the other at highway speeds and without beach tourist traffic. Restaurants and stores are the same way......the best seafood (other cuisines too) are not at the well advertised tourist places, but are at locals restaurants kind of out of the way. I never wait in line for a meal.

The US mint has not printed enough money yet to get me to go in a Walmart on the beach. I survive quite nicely, with much lower blood pressure, at K-Mart, Publix and Winn-Dixie............or to go to Destin between Memorial Day and Labor Day, unless it is by boat.

So...... there is a way to avoid the gridlock and tourist nonsense, but still enjoy the best boating environment in the area.

Is PCB the best boating in the area? What is there to do by boat around PCB? I was looking forward to getting some offshore time too...

 

[CW2008]

I don't know about eating places in Port St Joe or Mexico Beach, but Apalachicola and PC are not that far away - at least not the way I think - and have some good places to eat. About 35 miles to Apalach and 20 something to PC and about 35 to PCB. If you are there all week those drives would be welcome changes for me. I'm not much for crowds either. It's like fwebster said, if you stay on the west side of PCB it's not that crowded usually. Just stay a few miles west of Pier Park and you should be OK. Beware of the condos if you like to avoid traffic. Hope you catch the weather just right.

 

[Hampton]

It is 70 miles from Treasure Island Marina in PCB to Apalach. It doesn't matter if you go inside or out from Pt St Joe to PCB, but this is measured from Apalach to Pt St Joe on the inside. This portion is longer on the outside. The marina at Pt St Joe is awesome. No alcohol on Sundays, so bring your own cooler inside with you. Ask politley to do so. I have never taken a boat into the canal at Mex Beach. I've seen it from the air about 1,200 times - not for the faint of heart in my boat.

In Apalach, there are many water side restaurants within a very short distance (1/2 mile). It is very sleepy. Unless you plan to cruise a lot, it is quite a bit out of the way from Pt St Joe. Pt St Joe and Mex beach are very close to one another. Mex beach to PCB is another big cruise, and only available by the Gulf. PCB is full of restaurants, but only about 1/4 as many as Destin, which is another 70 miles.

 

[fwebster]

I am partial the the PCB area for boating primarily because of the 12 mile long barrier island separating the bay from the Gulf. The pass in Panama City puts you in the Gulf where you can run off shore or to the east down the front side of the barrier island (which is natural, pristine and completely undeveloped) or west for 18 miles of expensive condos and private homes.

The barrier island completely protects you in case of heavy seas out side. You have your choice of 12 miles of bay side beach suitable for anchoring and there are many spots where you can walk across the island to the Gulf side. The island is a state part on one end and a Federally owned preserve on the other. Wild life is abundant, there is fishing, shelling, crabbing, people watching, boat watching and the military influence makes it interesting almost every day just seeing what the AF and Navy are working on.

If the island doesn't suit you, there are 3 huge bays connected by the intercoastal waterway to poke around in. You can also go to either Destin or Apalachicola via the ICW from Panama City in a john boat if you wish.

Plenty to do on the water here...............far more than at Mexico Beach.

 

[Swimparent]

Our family has a house both at Port St. Joe Beach and Mexico Beach so I am fairly familiar with the area.

Area restaurants that I would recommend-some for the atmosphere, some for the food. All of the following are very casual with the exception of maybe Sunset Coastal & School of Fish(Port St. Joe) and Loggerhead (Cape), however a nice pair of shorts will get you in anywhere.

Mexico Beach
Toucan's-beachside
Killer Seafood-across the street from beach
Mango Marley's-across the street from beach
Beach Pizza-across the street from beach
Amanda's for brunch-across the street from beach

St. Joe
Sunset Coastal Grill (nice atmosphere-beautiful sunset on the bay)
School of Fish-at Windmark (St. Joe developement)-very comtemporary decor---the food was great---this restaurant was originally operated by the Brennan Family from New Orleans
Pepper's-Mexican-downtown St. Joe-can walk from Marina
Dockside---the marina restaurant

Indian Pass and Cape San Blas-both by car
Indian Pass Raw Bar
Logger Head Grill on the Cape

Appalachicola--(St. George Island is just across the bridge)
Boss Oysters-bayside
The Owl Cafe----a must do----we love it-dinner or lunch-a one block walk from the water---30 minutes by car from St. Joe, 45 minutes by car from Mexico beach

If you are there on the first Friday of the month starting in May, the local arts league has a "First Friday" event at the Port Inn (their bar is called the Thirsty Goat)--lots of fun

The Port St. Joe Marina has a great "harbor host" and is fast becoming a favorite stop for the Great Loop Cruisers. The Great Loop website would be a great resource for boating in this area.

A great website for the St. Joe area
www.visitgulf.com/index.cfm

Also, the no alcohol on Sunday law was changed last year. I don't think you can buy it in the stores, but restaurants can serve it.

Have a great time.

Mexico Beach (Beacon Hill)
View attachment 8596

St. Joe Beach
View attachment 8597 View attachment 8598

 

[270win]

Our family has a house both at Port St. Joe Beach and Mexico Beach so I am fairly familiar with the area.

Great local information!!!

Have you ever been through the canal at Mexico Beach? It looks interesting....

 

[270win]

It definitely sounds like the better boating would be at Port St. Joe Bay or PCB if we find the canal or the local area at Mexico Beach to be more than we bargained for. I'm not sure how comfortable I would be making an outside run to PCB from Mexico Beach....The outside run to Port St. Joe looks less intimidating...

 

[Swimparent]

My brother in law keeps a small boat there and we have played in the bay. It is beautiful and lots of fun scalloping (during the season). The bay is pretty big and you can run between the Cape and Port St. Joe very easily. There is an absolutely deserted beach at the end of the Cape (St. Joe Park) that you can only get to by boat or a fairly long hike on land. We have also taken the ICW to Appalachicola which is a great ride. It reminded me a lot of the Tennessse River where we live. It was very wide and kids were waterskiing. I think it took about 1 1/2 -2 hours by boat.

Crooked Island, where the SeaRay group from Panama City goes to is also at Mexico Beach. "Hampton" has posted pictures from trips there.

From Mexico Beach to Port St. Joe Marina is at most 10 miles. Just remember, Mexico Beach is on Central Standard Time and from Beacon Hill (the start of Gulf County) east becomes Eastern Standard Time. If you are in Mexico Beach and call for reservations at School of Fish, Sunset Coastal, Loggerhead, or anywhere in Appalachicola, the times willl be EST.

We have friends who live in Panama City that have come over by boat. They ran the beach and got quiet a scare from the folks at Tyndall. Apparently they were too close to shore and drones were being sent out (?not sure about the details but they were trying to outrun a pop-up thunderstorm and the wife was very nervouse since they had their two boys on board). They only stayed overnight and Scott just pulled his boat (32' cruiser) inside the sand bar and anchored overnight. Another time he trailered a catamaran.

We have been out with him on his boat in Panama City and have cruised through the bay and the canals (he lives in Bay Pointe). It was very nice as well.

Oddly enough, I have never been into the "canal" at Mexico Beach. I thought it was just for access to the marina and the condominiums and townhomes.

If you are not familiar with Mexico Beach, a sand bar runs along the beach there. At our houses at Beacon Hill and PSJ Beach, during low tide an adult can walk to the sandbar; at high tide it is slightly over Bill's head. The sand bar is fascinating. It is covered with sand dollars and star fish. It is because of that sand bar that we have no "undertow" which we love (the teennagers not so much since you only get big waves when a storm is brewing). The old-timers also say that is why we don't have to worry about sharks...I don't know about that, but we have never seen one ;-)

 

[fwebster]

The thing about the Air Force scaring folks is because there is a drone launch at Crooked Island and the trajectory is directly over the cut to enter Crooked Island Sound. The drones are un-manned and are not controllable so the AF clears the launch area. The station a drone retreival boat/chase boat off-shore and will stop you from entering the launch area. You can transit, but you need to be 5+ miles off-shore, or 2 miles East or 1 mile west of the cut in Crooked Island during the launch. For small boats, and those visiting Crooked Island for the day, the challenge is that the Crooked Island cut and access is off limits during the launch and part of the island is in the launch area which means you'll need to run a mile west from the cut to anchor in order to be safe. If you are on the way there, you have to wait outside of the launch area until the AF opens the range, and if you get there early, you may have to stay longer than you planned as you wait for the range to open again.

That is the way it works...but it really isn't an inconvenience because Tyndall Marine Operations broadcasts the next day's launch schedule at 4:00PM central time (they are in St. Andrews Bay in P.C.). on VHF-16. That makes it easy to plan your trip. Generally, the drones are launched after 10AM and are done by 4 PM., but most are launched between noon and 2:30PM. The Tyndall folks don't mind your using the Crooked Island area as long as you follow the rules.

ALso, by far, the prettiest and most serene part of the ICW is the trip from the Gulf County Canal to Apalachicola.........bring a good camera!

 

[270win]

I have had some experience with Tyndall from the air. We were going from Destin to Appalachicola to look at some property on Cape Sanblas and Tyndall approach took us WAY offshore...not fun in a single engine airplane...at least not to me.

That run from Port St. Joe to Appalachicola sounds really fun!

How tricky is the run from Mexico Beach to Port St. Joe Bay?

Where can I find a list of USCG required safety equipment...and anything over and above the required equipment that would be a good idea to bring?

 

[Swimparent]

I agree about a single engine air craft. My father-in-law used to have a Cessna we would take down (Costin Airfield----grass landing strip-Yikes). I remember looking for airplanes/jets....they would come over the headphones and say something like "Cessna72509...there is an aircraft aproaching at 2 o'clock...1 mile" or something along those lines and we would dip the wings looking for it....never saw it but they kept telling us how much closer it was getting. Then the bank over the gulf to land at the airfield which is out by the country club on Scenic Route 30 towards Indian Pass. Fun times, but he sold the plane (thank goodness).

From Mexico Beach to St. Joe it is a straight shot. There are channel markers into the bay.

As far as technical knowledge, I have no idea, but someone here could help you. Have a great trip wherever you end up.