If You Prefer to Paddle
Before You Boat
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Here are more details about the five improved public boat ramps and Chiquita Lock:
Cape Coral Yacht Club Boat Ramp 5815 Driftwood Parkway
Located at the Yacht Club Community Park, along with the 89-slip Godman Yacht Basin, the ramp is about 5.5 miles to the Sanibel Causeway. The yacht basin can accommodate boats from 17 to 52 feet. This is a popular park with a public beach, tennis courts and swimming pool, as well as several other facilities. The ramp is on the Caloosahatchee and provides quick access to the Gulf.
BMX Park Boat Ramp S. W. 7th Court
Just north of Trafalgar Parkway, this facility is the Cape’ s only freshwater ramp and the center for the Cape Coral Bass Club’ s fishing tournament. With a double boat ramp and restrooms, it provides access to an extensive network of freshwater canals and lakes south of Pine Island Road.
Burnt Store Boat Ramp 230 Burnt Store Road S.
This 4.5-acre boat launch facility north of Pine Island Road provides access to a system of canals and lakes in northwest Cape Coral, as well as to Matlacha Pass and the Gulf of Mexico. Amenities include picnic tables and restrooms.
Horton Park & Boat Ramp 2600 S. E. 26th Place
This five-acre facility on Chantry Canal, about 11 miles from the Sanibel Causeway, provides easy access to the Caloosahatchee River and Gulf of Mexico. It has restrooms, a picnic shelter and walking trail.
Rosen Park 2414 S. E. 15th Terrace
This relatively new park with two boat ramps provides access to the Caloosahatchee and Gulf of Mexico and is a little more than 11 miles from the Sanibel Causeway. It has 19 wet slips for boats up to 40 feet available for annual and transient rentals. The park also has restrooms, picnic shelters and a walking path.
Chiquita Boat Lock 5808 Cape Harbour Drive Lock operator: 542-5661
The Chiquita Boat Lock provides access from Camelot Canal and the Southwest Spreader Waterway into the Caloosahatchee and the Intracoastal Waterway. It’ s not quite 3 miles from the Sanibel Causeway. Hours of operation are 6 a. m. to 10 p. m. After hours, call the lock operator a half-hour before you plan to use it.
If You Prefer to Paddle
If kayaking, canoeing or paddle-boarding is more your speed, you can rent boats and boards from various local outfitters. Or you can join a tour: Guides take paddling groups on adventures around Southwest Florida.
The Rotary Park Environmental Center( 5505 Rose Garden Road) offers kayak programs and trips( 549-4606), and weekend rentals are available November through May at the Kayak Shack Outpost at Four Mile Cove Ecological Park( 574- 7395).
If you want to explore on your own, there are several options for launching in the river, canals and Pine Island Sound. Paddlers can put in at municipal boat ramp facilities, including a number of saltwater options. At Four Mile Cove( east end of S. E. 23 Terrace), you can kayak the creeks or out to the river. Access to Matlacha Pass and the Calusa Blueway— a paddling trail that runs along coastal Southwest Florida— can be reached from Sirenia Vista, an eight-acre environmental park( Ceitus Parkway and Old Burnt Store Road), which has a kayak launch. Seahawk Air Park( 1030 N. W. 28th Street) has a launch for a freshwater lake.
Before You Boat
Local waters can be tricky, with unexpected shallows. Before venturing out, be sure to obtain and study nautical charts, tide information and required safety equipment. Being safe is a commonsense starting point for a perfect day on the water.
Boats must be registered within 30 days of purchase— whether it’ s new or used. A registration application and title for any vessel with a motor must be filed before the boat can be used in state waters, with a few exceptions. Register at the Lee County Tax Collector’ s office, which acts as an agent for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for titling and registering watercraft.
If your boat is registered in another state, you may use it in Florida waters for 90 days before a Florida registration is required. That includes people vacationing here for longer than 90 days. Registration fees vary, depending on the size of the craft. Nonpowered boats less than 16 feet in length need not be registered or titled.
Anyone born after Jan. 1, 1988, must complete an approved safety course and have a Boater Education Identification Card to operate a boat with 10 horsepower or more. Temporary certificates are available for visitors. For more details, check with these resources:
Note: Area code is 239 unless specified.
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles FLhsmv. gov
For more information about Florida vessel regulations
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission MyFWC. com
For more information about boating safety, Boater Education Identification Cards and other licenses
Lee County Tax Collector 1039 S. E. 9th Ave., Room 102, Cape Coral 533-6000 LeeTC. com
For registration and information
Safety, Regulations, Vessel Checks and Courses
For boating rules and regulations, safety questions and checks, and boating courses( including sites for approved online courses), contact the following:
Cape Coral Sail & Power Squadron PowerSquadronCapeCoral. org, 549-9754
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission MyFWC. com,( 850) 488-5600
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, 549-1027
U. S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Resource Center, USCGBoating. org capecoralchamber. com 64