Maybe someone might want to copy and paste this somewhere on our web page for future reference.

This is a review of the places I sailed on my Florida trip January 2008.

I drove from Atlanta, to Cocoa Beach, to Miami, to the Everglades, to Tampa, to Orlando to Tarpon Springs and then home to Atlanta.

I will rank each site for information for windsurfers and in my case Gail, my wife, was with me so she needed something to do too. Basically she read a book while I was sailing

Rating 1 to 10 with 10 being the best

First I sailed at Cocoa Beach, Florida more specifically Merritt Island.
Rating 9
Other Sailors – I think you will always see them here if there is any wind
You can rent windsurfing gear from: http://www.calema.com
Parking – there is plenty, ok for trailers, car can be parked so someone sitting in the car can see you sail
Parking is about 50 feet from the water, rate 10
Rigging – grass area, then about 3 feet of sand then the water, rate 10, cement parking lot.
Direction – beach faces East. Probably good on all directions but best NE to W to SE.
Water – shallow in spots and over you head in spots, rate 8
Dangers – sandy to grassy bottom, stingrays ( they told me no sharks and I told them that yea, my dog
Doesn’t bit either)
View from water or from parking or from grassy area – full water view looking North, South and East.
Small boats on the water, and you can see cruise ships docked about 1 mile away, If you are lucky you can view shuttle, NASA, liftoff and other rocket launches. Rate 8
Amenities – food and gas at a gas station at entrance of park, big open grass field ( Kite flying ) fresh water hose for cleaning gear, bathroom that is cinderblock, I rate bathroom as 8, boat launch.
Cost - $0.00

Next I sailed South Miami Beach.
Rating 8
Other Sailors – few and far between or no other sailors, kiting not allowed
I checked with the lifeguard first and found that it is ok to sail from the beach – so that means it is ok to launch from the beach and come back to the launch but you have to do your sailing out beyond the swim marker that is about 50 feet off shore. You have to go through waves to get to the area beyond the swim marker.
Parking – on street, pay meter, if you have a trailer you will have to find two spots together, valet parking not available, you cannot sit in car and watch the beach or sailing in the water but you can watch a lot of weird people walking around.
Rigging – grassy area or sandy beach, from grassy area you walk about 2000 feet to water, cement
Direction – Beach faces East. Good N to E to S but any west in the wind would be bad
Water – emerald green, Atlantic, waves on shore, deep, jelly fish, beach is really nice, nice soft sand, rental chairs, lifeguard, people in the water swimming, lots of people on the beach to watch you sail.
Dangers – waves, jellyfish, deep water, jetty ¼ mile south extends rather far out into the Atlantic
View – South beach Miami and all its buildings, sandy beach rate beach as 10, Atlantic Ocean
Amenities – cinderblock bathhouse, rate bath as 7, no fresh water, lifeguard with jet ski, no food, water fountain, Babes everywhere!
Cost - $0.00 but pay to park, you need lots of quarters.

Next I sailed Virginia Key. Virginia Key is off the Rickenbauker Parkway just south of South Beach at the very end of I-95.
Rating 6
Other Sailors – I think you will always see them here if there is any wind. Kiting not allowed.
Parking- small concrete parking area, no trailer parking but you might fit one somewhere, No jet skis or boat trailers allowed into this park. You could leave your trailer at the guard house though.
Rigging – on concrete parking lot, some grass but not really because all the grass is loaded with sand, hard sand beach.
Directions – beach faces East, good NW to E to SW
Water – emerald green, shallow at first with deeper holes here and there, kind of grassy hard sand shell-y bottom with patches of just sandy bottom. Drag your fin at low tide. Waves about ¼ mile off shore. After 1/4 mile out water is deep.
Dangers – sea urchins in grassy areas ( so I was told but I did not see or feel any ) stingrays, jelly fish waves, deep water after ¼ mile out. You are tempted to sail very far out at this spot. Watch out for Cruise ships ( they are really BIG). Lots of other boat traffic. Sail area located next to channel marker for ships going from Miami harbor to Atlantic Ocean.
View – Beach faces East looking at Atlantic Ocean, North S. Miami Beach, South lots of small islands and a bridge, Cruise ships, container ships, pleasure craft.
Amenities – cinderblock bathroom rate 7, water fountain, lifeguard with four wheeler, parking about 30 feet from the water, children’s swing set, The Rickenbauker Causway has nice drive on beach area on either side of the causeway North and South. Park you car 1 foot from the water rig on sand and sail either side
Cost is $3 to get onto Virginia Key. $2 to get onto Rickenbauker Causeway and double that with a trailer.

Next I sailed at Key Biscayne National Park – Located about 15 minutes east of Homestead, Florida
Rating 10
Other Sailors – I think you will always see them here if there is any wind

Before I give you the details I would like to say that this is one of the nicest, cleanest places I have ever sailed.

Parking – cement parking lot, very large, handle lots of trailers and RV’s, parking is 100 feet from the water.
Rigging – why use the cement parking lot when you have a nice 30’ by 100’ grassy area to rig that is right next to the water. Grass is nice and thick and well mowed.
Directions – Park faces NE ( park does not have a sand beach only grass and boardwalks ) good to sail NW to E to SW
Water – emerald green, launch is very small, launch is oyster shell broken up on ground and only about 12’ wide. Not a lot of room on the launch but enough to get in and out. Park your windsurfer on the grass next to the launch. Water is chest or neck deep everywhere. I only found one hole that was over my head and that was right at the launch site otherwise if you are 500’ out or 2 miles out the water is waist or chest deep, that was really nice. The bottom is grassy with deep sinking mud. When you step down on the bottom your feet sink about 10 inches into the mud but when you waterstart there is no mud on your booties. Best of both worlds.
Dangers – you are tempted to go very far out. I probably went out about 3 miles. That is pretty far from land but the area is very open with very long reaches. The only other danger I was told about was the gator in the mangrove. If you get blown into the mangrove then get out quick, I was told that gator swallowed someone whole once but I don’t believe it. From the launch the inland side is nothing but mangrove. Beginners beware: I told you that the launch was only 12’ wide. There is no where else to get in and out of the water. The rest of the area shoreline is either thick mangrove or elevated boardwalk. On the day I was there with 5.5 conditions I had to plan my landing so that I was sailing along side the shore up to the launch site. Otherwise you come into the launch site with too much speed and remember it is only 12’ wide with mangrove on one side and wooden boardwalk on the other.
View - is of islands in the Atlantic, I didn’t see any boats but it was blowing 5.5 all day. No big boat traffic like Miami.
Amenities – are almost too many to mention, bathroom rate 10, museum, deck with rocking chairs looking out onto Atlantic and sailing area, coke machine, fresh water in grassy area but bring your own hose and a set of pliers to turn the water on, boardwalk that overlooks sailing area, marina for boat dock,
Cost $0.00
By far this is the nicest place I have ever sailed in Florida.

Next I sailed Fort Desoto State Park just SW of Tampa, Florida
http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm
Rating 9
Other Sailors – I think you will always see them here if there is any wind

Parking- is along side the roadway just before the drawbridge that leads to Terra Verde. You will park on the east side behind the crash barrier and just north of the drawbridge. Parking is on sand or grass. Beware of the tide. If you park at low tide and don’t watch what you are doing then you might have a car that is underwater.
Rigging – on sand or on grassy sand combination
Directions – no real beach, sailing best from N to E to SW or SW to W to N on the other side of the road.
Water- is brown to grayish to clear depending on weather. Water is waist deep at high tide and inches deep at low tide. If you see birds standing on the water you know it is only inches deep. At high tide you get waist deep to some deeper holes here and there. There are two places to sail one is at the north end of the drawbridge and the other is about 2000 feet north of the drawbridge.
Dangers – stingrays, manatee, sharks down by the skyway bridge
View – sit in the car and watch people sail. Looking to the east you see the tall Sunshine Parkway Bridge. You can also sail the west side of the roadway if the wind is from there.
Amenities – None – Ft Desoto Park is just 10 minutes from this location and there you can camp, rent kayaks, and sail at either the north or south end of the park. I did not sail inside the park only at the location above described.
Cost - $0.00 except for toll roads to get there.

Next is Fred Howard Park, Tarpon Springs Fla.
Rating 10
Other Sailors – They are always here. Kiting not allowed
Fred Howard is a little tricky to get to. The roads wind in and out of neighborhoods before getting to the park. Once you get there you cross a causeway about ¼ mile to the park itself. This park is an island in the Gulf that is exposed to the Gulf on the west side and a shallow bay on the east side. The bay on the east side is waist deep everywhere. This island is ringed with palm trees – very pretty.
Parking – lots, cement, room for trailers and RVs.
Rigging – on cement parking lot but they do have a very small grassy/sandy area that you can rig on
Direction – sail all directions but East is least favorable.
Water - is brown/grayish to clear, waves on the Gulf side and flat on the bay side, water has grassy muddy bottom
Dangers – Gulf side waves, otherwise none
View – East out into the bay and houses on the far side, West out into the Gulf, someone can watch you sail from the car.
Amenities – good parking, sail from any direction but east tends to suck, bathroom ( kind of open air ) rate 9, hard pack sand beach.
Cost - $0.00
Park closes at sundown – cops will run you out.