Northward along the St. Petersburg waterfront from the ship basin are the Municipal Pier and three yacht basins. The pier is a concrete structure about 0.5 mile long with a five-story concrete structure in the shape of an inverted pyramid at its outer end. Lights mark the NE and SE corners of the pier and the top of the inverted pyramidal structure. North Yacht Basin and Central Yacht Basin are on either side of the inner half of the pier. Both basins are enclosed by sea walls and provide excellent protection for vessels up to about 125 feet. Depths of about 10 feet are in North, Central, and South Yacht Basins. Gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, marine supplies, launching ramps, and open and covered berthage are available at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina and the yacht club in Central Basin. North Yacht Basin is used as an anchorage area; poor holding was reported in 2009. A marina at the N end of the basin has transient slips and pumpout facilities.
Coffeepot Bayou, 1 mile N of the Municipal Pier, affords good anchorage for small craft that can pass under Snell Isle Boulevard bridge, which has a 34-foot bascule span with a clearance of 7 feet. The entrance channel is well marked with private daymarkers, and a depth of about 5 feet can be carried.
Navigation:
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St. Petersburg, a large winter resort city, is on the W side of Tampa Bay 6 miles S of Gandy Bridge.
Point Pinellas channel extends N for about 5.5 miles from deep water in lower Tampa Bay to an entrance channel leading W to basins at the Port of St. Petersburg and Bayboro Harbor. In 2008, the controlling depths were 19 feet in Point Pinellas channel, thence 21 feet in the entrance channel to the turning basin at the Port of St. Petersburg with depths of 21 to 23 feet in the basin, except for shoaling in the SE corner near Light 10, thence 15 feet to the basin at Bayboro Harbor with 10 to 12 feet available in the basin, except for lesser depths along the S edge.
Port of St. Petersburg, the deepest and southernmost basin along the city waterfront, is about 500 yards long and 400 yards wide. The Port of St. Petersburg Wharf, along the N side of the basin, provides about 1,500 feet of berthing space. The wharf is used for the receipt and shipment of general cargo, mega-yachts and mooring of cruise vessels. Cargo is handled by rented mobile cranes or ships’ gear. The port monitors VHF-FM channel 16 and works on VHF-FM channel 74. St. Petersburg Coast Guard Station and St. Petersburg Coast Guard Sector Office are at the outer end of the basin.
Bayboro Harbor, under the jurisdiction of the Port of St. Petersburg, is entered from the inner end of the ship basin, is used by numerous fishing boats and other small commercial craft.
