Turkey Creek Inlet
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About
Introduction:
Situated on Floridas East Coast, Turkey Creek is located about four miles south of Melbourne and 15 miles north of the Sebastian area. A peaceful and fairly quiet little area (aside from Route A1A traffic that crosses the creek here), there is anchoring room just inside and outside of the creek entrance in four-foot depths over a mud bottom. Marinas are situated above the 15-foot fixed vertical clearance bridge - call ahead for details on transient slips.
The only caveat with this creek is that the entrance can be quite shoal (reported three-foot depths), and there is a 15-foot fixed vertical clearance bridge about a quarter-mile from the opening. If you draw more than three feet or need more than 15 feet of overhead clearance, this creek isn't for you. The image above is a view from the east looking west over the entrance to Turkey Creek at the town of Palm Bay. Castaway Point is to the right (north), while the small anchorage areas can be seen just inside and outside of the creek entrance.
Navigating the Water:
Use NOAA Chart 11472.
The entrance to Turkey Creek off the Intracoastal Waterway is unmarked, although there are some locally placed uncharted aids to navigation, as evidenced in the image above. To approach Turkey Creek, exit the Intracoastal Waterway just south of Mile 920 at green daybeacon 13. From green daybeacon 13, set an approximate course of 242 degrees magnetic to line up with the creeks opening. The deeper part of the entrance can vary; call ahead to one of the marinas for local knowledge on current conditions.
Local Notices to Mariners:
Local Notices to Mariners are available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.