There are many good things about this marina. The staff is great and deserves 5+ stars. The marina is reasonably priced for such a strategical location. The facilities are well kept. Tampa has done a good job of policing the area and while caution is still required I seldom feel threatened. I hate giving this only a 3 star rating after all it is a downtown location and you can't blame a dog for having fleas but do not expect to get any sleep as this place. It is loud!! Otherwise, if you come to party, or do the night life thing, or as we do to add a little fun to a business meeting and don't mind forgoing sleep this is the place. We'll come again and after we pull out find a nice secluded anchorage where we can saw some logs.
This marina has pros and cons. I have spent many nights here going to shows at the Capital theater. The biggest downside of this marina is you have to get past Dockwa to reach the staff. The staff is very pleasant however, only a few have authority to assign slips located inside the basin that are vacant but rented on an annual basis. This is important for transients because if you cannot get a slip inside the basin and you will be assigned a slip on the outside even if they have empty slips inside. On the outside face dock you are in for a bumpy stay due to wakes. This is only a slow speed zone making it bad enough but many ignore even this courtesy and plow by the marina. It is so bad sometimes that it borders on dangerous. Without being able to speak directly with the appropriate staff you are going to be placed on the outside no matter size of boat. Otherwise the marina has great power and water and is only steps away from the downtown district. Clearwater has spent some $ improving this area. Increased security has eliminated most of the sketchy pan-handlers however my wife is still a little nervous waking back from the theater at night and I would certainly recommend Uber any later than midnight. We had only one person approach us during this stay and it wasn't on the walk back after the show but still not a pleasant experience. The marina itself feels safe with locked gates. To sum it up. My wife in the past has always accepted her feelings of insecurity about the dangers presented by threat of physical harm against the benefit of the entertainment provided by the shows. She says life is a compromise however, since Dockwa now manages the marina she informed me we no longer will be visiting the Capital to see the shows due to the discomfort of staying on the outside finger dock.
I love this marina and the staff Tony and Robert are the best but I dislike the fact the City has started using Dockwa. This is not an improvement. However Dockwa is not concerned or interested in why I do not like Dockwa. However I will hit on a few points just in case this gets posted in its entirety. 1) I cannot verify my reservation timely. 2) I need to find a WiFi to verify, something that is sometimes difficult aboard 3) I have to phone the marina for particulars and to cancel 4) I am unable to request special services when making reservation 5) All the above creates a lot of uncertainty 6) Phone App does not use TEXT messaging only email see #2 above 7) There is no way to op-out of Dockwa unsolicited advertisement. 8) Additionally, if I wanted to leave a review I would do it in Active Captain. 9) Last Dockwa would not accept my personal email address because it didn't meet its criteria. This service could be greatly improved by updating the app to use text. Additionally, why cannot Dockwa calculate "face dock" docking correctly? This failure creates lost dockage revenue. Fix this.