Bickel's Bayou

• Location: Sarasota Bay
• Mile Marker: GIWW 74
• Lat / Lon: N 27° 20.298' / W 082° 33.016'
• Depth: 6-9 feet
• Description:

  Privately owned Bickels Bayou is offered for transient cruiser use and is located on the north (mainland) side of the Ringling Causeway Bridge. Be sure to anchor only in the area exposed to the west and not in the rest of the basin. The access channel has a controlling depth of about 6 feet at MLW. Approach from the GIWW directly eastward towards the basin where you will find 9-foot MLW. Please leave enough space in the central channel for other boats to access the rest of the basin. Shallow-draft vessels should leave the deeper areas for those with deeper keels. There is no shore access here; please do not trespass on private land. See WaterwayGuide.com article: http://www.waterwayguide.com/latest-news/news/5775/the-battle-over-bickels-bayou-anchorage

  NOTE: Per Florida Statute 327.4109

  The owner or operator of a vessel or floating structure may not anchor or moor such that the nearest approach of the anchored or moored vessel or floating structure is:

  1. Within 150 feet of any marina, boat ramp, boatyard, or other vessel launching or loading facility;
  2. Within 300 feet of a superyacht repair facility. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term "superyacht repair facility" means a facility that services or repairs a yacht with a water line of 120 feet or more in length; or
  3. Within 100 feet outward from the marked boundary of a public mooring field or a lesser distance if approved by the commission upon request of a local government within which the mooring field is located. The commission may adopt rules to implement this subparagraph.