There are large municipal yacht basins at the head of the main ship channel in Panama City and in St. Andrew. Other small-craft facilities are on Watson and Massalina Bayous, Lake Ware, and at the Hathaway Bridge near Dyers Point.
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
Panama City is the seat of Bay County.
Watson Bayou is an irregularly shaped body of water that extends N from St. Andrew Bay. In 2010, the channel had a controlling depth of 9.1 feet to just below the U.S. Route 98 fixed bridge, thence 5.2 feet to the bridge. There are several piers for light-draft vessels. Over the E arm, near Millville, is a railroad bridge with a 26-foot fixed span and a clearance of 13 feet. A fixed highway bridge is close E of the railroad bridge.
A submerged jetty is on the NW side of the entrance to Massalina Bayou. A light marks the entrance to the bayou. In 1982, it was reported that a depth of about 8 feet could be carried through the mouth of the bayou, thence depths of 5 to 10 feet were available to the Fourth Street highway bridge about 0.4 mile above the entrance. The bridge has a 28-foot fixed span with a clearance of 6 feet. Beach Drive Highway Bridge (Tarpon Dock bascule bridge) over the entrance has a 40-foot bascule span with a clearance of 7 feet.