Extend Your Season in Tampa Bay

Text and photos by Kathryn S. Stauffacher

As the much of the U.S. is beginning to put on sweaters, drain the oil and spray the engine with silicon, those of us in Florida are slapping on light wind breakers and heading back out. From April to September it is swim suit weather here, but the shoulder months of November, December and March still provide some fantastic opportunities to get out on the water for Floridians. Trailer up your skis and stay most anywhere from Tampa to Naples to enjoy an extended season.

Here are some journal entries from our recent outings and what you can expect from the area at this time of year:

November 8th: The lightest breath of air is stirring at 8:30 a.m. My husband Fritz has been up for an hour and decides that today we will go out earlier than usual. Time to hit the water. The air is 80ish and the water temperature just slightly cooler. We gas up, and in 20 minutes we are on the water launching into southern Tampa Bay from the north westernmost tip of the Manatee River.

There, in front of us, is offered almost 360 degrees of jet ski options. Over to Anna Maria and the Gulf of Mexico? Back up the Manatee River? Across to St. Petersburg or under the Skyway Bridge to Tampa Bay? No, today we will zip over to our favorite spot: Egmont Key. The water between the island and the shore is barely rippled and there’s not a boat in sight. It is exhilarating to open the throttle after a two week lapse in water time and the jet ski seems just as happy to be out and springs to life beneath me. The predictable grin spreads across my face and all my cares are left behind really fast. There are no speed limits in this wide open section of the bay so we are all the way across in ten minutes flat. From deep blue to turquoise, the water beneath us changes rapidly. As we approach the south side of the Island, the light house comes into full view. Only park rangers and harbor pilot boat captains can stay overnight on this protected key. We sweep around the western point, staying clear of the bird sanctuary areas. The stone crab fishermen have been complaining about the gin-clear water making for a bad crabbing season start and I can see why. The bottom is crystal clear down 20 feet or more. We can see the schools of fish darting away under us. We spend some time anchored strolling the perfect beach and glancing out across the Gulf of Mexico. I notice Fritz admiring the T-backed, anchor dropping, hood ornament of an arriving powerboat. A few more jet skis and boats begin to arrive but the Island is still relatively empty. An ancient looking tanker starts to steam into view, the Queen Flower of Panama. We are back on our JetSkis, and with one glance we know what we will do. We rush out to catch the trailing waves that result from a very big boat going by. We spend 30 minutes jumping the wake at a safe distance and follow her all the way in, to Egmont Pass, on her way to the Skyway bridge.

Where to have lunch is always a dilemma, with so many great places to drop a hook or belly up. There are few places that we have not tried along the water so we hunt for a new one. We hang a left and anchor off the pier at Fort De Soto. Fort De Soto ranks as one of the best beaches in the U.S., according to Doctor Beach, recognized for the long stretch of soft sand and clear waters. We investigate the snack shack only to find a lone snack bar girl cutting apples, not very promising. Fritz looks crestfallen when he realizes that food is not imminent. Not to worry. We are back across in 10 minutes heading to one of our favorite haunts: the Rod and Reel Pier on the northern tip Anna Maria. We sit on the upper level and enjoy the best grouper sandwich and cheese burger to be had in these parts.

After lunch it is time to cruise the sandbars and look for local aquatic life. There are three sections between the two Islands that are great for this. Below me a spotted ray lifts off the bottom. I can see Fritz nearby herding a five foot shark my way so I spin around to enjoy the show below. The third sandbar is populated by quite a few naturalist boaters. The men outnumber the women about 15 to 1 from my estimates. I can just imagine them telling their wives that they are going fishing and then coming home empty handed. The water here drops to three feet or less at low tide so, along with sunbathers, the social wade out with drinks in hand or join in for water volleyball.

It is almost as much fun to head home as it was to head out. The wind is very calm, so it is a full out run which really gets the adrenalin pumping. Suddenly, fins appear in front of me, so I drop off the road rally to watch for a moment. Soon I am surrounding by five dolphins breaking the surface all around. I spend a few moments to enjoy before heading back in. My husband is waiting patiently at the mouth at the river and we drop to minimum wake toward the launch area.

November 9th: The phone rang late last night. A fellow Jet Ski owner and friend wanted to know if we would be heading out on Sunday. The funny thing about a great day on the water is that it just makes you crave more. Sunday morning is windy so we decide to get a late start. It is still choppy when we meet up at the river mouth. We decide to head up the Manatee River which we haven’t done for many months. With our late start we are all ready for lunch after the 20 minute run in. We stop at the Woody’s River Roo Pub and belly up on the soft sandy mud. The place is getting busy, and when an entire motor cycle club shows up we know things will be slow coming out of the kitchen. We decide to enjoy the live band and make the best of it. After lunch we saddle up on our respective skis, my husband on his Kawasaki Ultra LX, me on a Honda AquaTrax F-12, and our friend D.C. and passenger on the Kawasaki STX 15-F. This is only about the 4th time D.C. has had his new ski out so an all out speed run is in order. We are all flying on the open part of the river and pleased with the speed of our respective skis. We must drop down in several spots to minimum wake or no wake in Manatee Zones. Eventually, though, we get through the gauntlet and D.C. takes us up a branch of the river we have not yet explored on our own. He grew up here so there is nothing local he does not know. The sign says resume normal operation and you don’t have to tell us twice. Speed picks back up and the flat water and fantastic twists and turns with overhanging trees is not to be believed. We keep the watercraft in the middle, to avoid sunken logs that line the banks. When you are lead ski there is something magical about the glassy water and the tunnel of grass and trees that lures you ever forward around the next bend. Your ski begins to feel like part of you as you lean with each turn. I am quite sure that every adult in America would buy a PWC if they spent one day on anyone of the newer models. These are masterpieces of engineering with power and control that captivate. I am feeling very sorry for the motorcycle gang that had to return to the road after lunch at the River Roo while we explore absolute freedom. We go so deep up the left branch of the river that we eventually have to rock our skis across a mud bank. The guys are game to keep going but with tide going out we decide to head back a few minutes later. When we stop to go our separate ways we are already planning our return trip on an incoming tide.