The Best Florida Towns for Yachting

Florida Yachting City

 

Trying to find a good place to yacht in Florida isn’t going to be hard. It’s a tropical paradise full of beautiful vacation spots that you look at while sailing on the high seas.

 

Honestly, it only took me about a day to find the absolute best places to sail, and to make your life a lot easier, I compiled them all right here, for your convenience. Check them out and let us know if you’ve got any spots that we missed.

 

Key West

 

It only makes sense to put Key West on a list for yachting, I mean it’s pretty much a crime to leave it out. You’ve probably heard of Key West, probably in passing, maybe from a movie, but if you haven’t, Key west is the place you wanna go if you’re planning a day yachting. It has beautiful oceans, amazing sunsets/rises, and tons of friendly faces.

 

The sunsets are said to be a sight you’ll never forget, and the food especially will stay with you for a while as you head out on your adventures. A full stomach full of delicious Key West food and the expectations of perfect sights will get you out on the water with fervor.

 

The town is full of some pretty amazing stuff as well as nature, a lot of it you can see as your sailing around being a pirate or drinking snazzy margaritas, either way you can appreciate the ocean spray and the wind through your hair as you see the sights surrounding you.

 

Punta Gorda

 

Punta Gorda has not been having fun this past few seasons, but there is a reason it’s on the list. A few years back in 2004, Punta Gorda took some pretty heavy hits from Hurricane Charley. It was not a great time for them as a lot of their stuff was damaged, and unusable, but with every bad situation, there is a silver lining.

 

Because of Hurricane Charley, Punta Gorda decided to renovate itself. The town’s people have all been fixing the place up and restoring historical areas. That includes the sailors, who also helped out tremendously during the chaos.

 

The reason I bring it up and the reason that Punta Gorda is on the list is because they have recreated their town from something amazing into something absolutely beautiful. It’s a sight to see from the water, it really is.

 

Speaking of the water, it is irrationally calm for some reason, making it an amazing place to boat on, added with the sights it is perfect.

 

Islamorada

 

Just 90 minutes south of Miami is Islamorada, the fantastic Islands that look as magical as they sound. Known as the sportfishing capital of the world, it draws in quite a few sailors hoping to get a big catch. It is also hosting the largest fishing fleet in the world, so if that’s important to you, then you should probably check it out for that reason alone.

 

So far on the list, I’ve been talking about the islands and lands that you’ll be sailing from, and this one isn’t any different. Islamorada does have a magical feel to it once you’re exploring it, full of adventure and discovery, it’s hard not wanting to stay.

 

Sailing from that dock though is some of the nicest people on the planet, if you want some true insider and local advice, you can ask any one of them and they’ll give you a straight answer, that is of course unless you’re talking to someone that’s going to hang out at a certain spot, in which case they’re probably going to keep it close to their chest.

 

St. Petersburg

 

Halfway into this, we’ve now gotten into the good stuff. If you’re looking for the absolute best places to sail, then these are your guys.

 

St. Petersburg is one of if not the most enduring and entertaining offshore experiences any sailor and his family can have. You will have a good time out on the water guaranteed, because this water is as calm as the atmosphere surrounding the boat.

 

Also, if you don’t have a boat or a yacht or anything, then no worries, all you have to do is look up any of the 140 companies ready to rent out to you. Each yacht or boat full of luxury and efficiency in their style, they’ll get you to where you need to be going.

 

The sunsets also need to be addressed. On the water, on your fancy high tech boat, you’ll be sitting their calm as a cucumber staring at probably one of the most beautiful sights known to man. A Florida sunset at one of the best spots to be, St. Petersburg. It’s something you can’t miss, and if you’re not a local, a once in a lifetime moment that you can’t miss. The sunsets here are something that can’t in itself be described, you have to see it for yourself.

 

Stuart

 

Stuart as you’ve probably not heard in your day-to-day life, is prepared for any scenario you could face and deal with it in the most efficient manner possible, all while giving you a charming smile that exudes calm. They’ve seen everything and can handle anything because they are the boat ride tour guides that you signed up for.

 

Stuart is famous for its boat rides, you can sign up for one from the many available time slots, from the many companies willing to give them out, all at varying prices. You’ll be expertly guided throughout the Atlantic Ocean, relaxed as you don’t have to lift a finger for anything, just sitting back and taking in the sights that are being offered.

 

For the more daring of those though, you can go on your own, bringing your own boat, or renting one to go out and look around. The waters, like a lot of other places in Florida, are calm and ready to go, if you know how to sail, you’re not going to have any trouble here from the waves.

 

Fort Lauderdale

 

There is 300 miles of waterways for you to explore Fort Lauderdale, the amazing location rich with history that you could uncover on your relaxing self-made cruise. Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America for an amazing reason, the history, the architecture, and the art surrounding everything is almost overwhelming to some visitors.

 

This world of water is perfect for you and the family to escape too. Something that you should keep in mind though is that Fort Lauderdale can get pretty darn crowded.

 

There are 50,000 resident yachts that your gonna have to get around to set sail, and then try to avoid them so you can enjoy your vacation. It shouldn’t be too hard though, as I said there is 300 miles for you to explore, it’s very likely that there won’t be anyone around for miles if you find the right place.

 

So, you should visit for the rich history, and stay for the sailing at Fort Lauderdale, it’s a trip just waiting to happen, all you have to do is get to it.

 

St. Augustine

 

This one is a personal favorite of mine, it’s a place that I’ve visited many times in my life and it is still just jam packed full of culture and art. You can walk around the history filled town and never get bored, you can visit the haunted hotel on main street, or visit the stores full of shells that each tell a story.

 

There’s famous lemonade and candies that you can snack on as you walk around, and amazing restaurants to compliment them after your long day out on the ocean. The night life can also be pretty exciting from what I’ve seen of it, great drinks and fun to be had all around.

 

The boating part of St. Augustine is not lacking the slightest either. There is places that you can buy a yacht around every corner, there’s also a place to rent one on every street as well, you don’t have to worry about transportation, they’ve got it covered.

 

The water and nature that you’re going to be seeing is also spectacular. The water here is also a little rougher than the others on this list, but that’s okay, it gives a sense of adventure to anyone who sails on it. The boating clubs are pretty exclusive in town, but it shouldn’t be too much of hassle to get into one if you wanted to, all you need to do is give a few of them a call and find out the requirements you’re going to need.

 

All around St. Augustine deserves to be visited, it has things that I don’t know how I lived without. Great weather, amazing food, beautiful sights to see, and new things to learn everyday just to make your life interesting.

 

Pensacola

 

Pensacola is as south as you are going to get in America, it is right on the bottom of Florida, and that means oceans as far as thy can see. Sugar white sand on every beach just makes you feel like you’re in a movie when you walk on it, it’s kind of like a dream. You can stare at the water from the beach or on a boat all day, the emerald green is as mesmerizing as a chest full of gold, its slaty water spraying you is a life changing experience.

 

Something that may interest you to know about Pensacola is its strange lack of theme parks. Now, you may or may not like theme parks so that why I bring it up. If you do like theme parks, so much so that you want to enjoy theme along with your boating, then some of the others on this list might be right for you.

 

If you don’t enjoy the theme park scene, then this might just be the place for you. It’s not nearly as expensive as some of the more exotic or theme filled areas are. The prices are lower because of that, making it a cheaper vacation for you and the family to enjoy, it gives you a plethora of more options to explore rather than being limited to a theme park.

 

The boating scene on the other hand compensates for the lack of roller coasters. There is even more ocean, more boats, more tours, more rentals, more everything. I have been talking about the boating scene from every one of the amazing places on this list, but Pensacola is tied for my personal top spot, it has everything you could need as a sailor.

 

You’re going to have the time of your life sailing about of the green ocean and the sugar white beaches, its sailing off into the sunset come to life.

 

Palm Beach

 

I said in the Pensacola section that my personal top spot is tied between it and another location, Palm Beach is that location. It goes above and beyond what any sailor is going to need, it not only gives you everything you could possibly need, it’s also going to give you more.

 

You can go Blue Heron Fishing at the Riviera Beach, or go black dog sport fishing at Jupiter, or go on a Delray Yacht Cruise around Delray Beach.

 

You can spend all day cruising on the calm waters of the Intracoastal Waterway being hand delivered to you. You can see every sight that you would want to see and enjoy every kind of food that you could want aboard your own private yacht, it’s a dream come true.

 

You and the family can have a blast making memories on the high seas as you captain your ship, looking for fish, trying to relax under the ocean blue sky, or playing games on the deck. The positive energy and fun that Palm beach radiates some of the most amazing adventures you haven’t yet explored. You just need to pick a spot to visit at Palm Beach and explore to your hearts content, making the memories on a vacation from your dreams on your yacht and checking in with your accountancy office to make sure you can afford this luxury.