Fun on St. Pete Area Waters

No matter where you are in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, you're never more than a few miles from the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf, the Intracoastal or Tampa Bay. There's no better way to experience the shimmering seascape than by boat, so I charted a course on four vessels – a ferry, deck boat, kayak and paddle wheeler – for a dolphin's-eye view.

Ferry Ride to Remote Egmont Key

My passion for boating stems from my love of the water, and because boats often carry me to beautiful, remote places and into a sea of new friends. On my ferry trip from Fort De Soto Park to the secluded Egmont Key State Park, passing speedboaters waved like neighbors, and I learned my "mates' " grandchildren's names before we reached the island near the mouth of Tampa Bay.

Once onshore, I photographed the 150-year-old lighthouse and explored the remnants of a 19th-century military battery. I walked along a pristine beach, 100-year-old brick streets and a road canopied by mangroves. Ready for offshore adventure, I gathered my supplies (there's no concession on the island), ferried over to the sunken ruins of Fort Dade and snorkeled amid a rainbow of fish.

Rent a Boat to Visit Shell Key

After getting a feel for Gulf waters, I talked my family into boating to Shell Key, an uninhabited island off the south end of St. Pete Beach. Having grown up around lakes and rivers, we all knew the basics of boating, but the dockside crew at Tierra Verde Boat Rentals gave us a refresher course and a map showing the islands and how to approach them (you don't want to mire your motor in the shallows off Shell Key – high cost and humiliation).

The skies were heavenly blue and the water was sheer turquoise as we motored out. The deck boat steered like a Cadillac, and we were able to open it up on the way to the island, which is within sight of Tierra Verde and Fort De Soto. We anchored about 50 yards offshore and jumped into shoulder-deep water. On the island, we scoured for shells and laughed at the waddling, yellow-footed water birds (a large portion of the island is a bird sanctuary).

Kayak around Caladesi Island

Long allured by Caladesi Island, one of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands in the area, my husband James and I rented a tandem kayak from Sail Honeymoon and paddled there, catching glimpses of fish swimming, dolphins frolicking and crabs dancing on the sea floor along the way.

The tide was rising, so our one-mile trip across the channel required a little muscle. The bigger challenge, however, was the teamwork. My husband, a former crew champ, likes to steer. So do I. It took us about 40 minutes to make it to the island.

We paddled alongside Caladesi, through beds of sea grass and past leaping mullet to the marina. Once docked, we crossed the narrow island on foot to a sandy beach, where James relaxed while I cooled off in the surf. Afterwards, we returned to our kayaks and steered through a maze of twisted mangrove tunnels on the three-mile marked canoe trail that wound through the island. (Note: For a shorter trip, you can ferry to the island and rent kayaks in the park.)

Cruise on a Paddlewheel Boat

They say you give people the gift that you want for yourself. Since I've always wanted a romantic paddleboat ride, I treated my husband to a StarLite Princess dinner cruise. It leaves from St. Pete Beach, voted TripAdvisor's No. 1 Beach in the U.S. and No. 5 in the world for 2012.

As we approached the boat, a suited grand-dad carrying a baby scurried up the gangway, followed by a preteen girl in high heels. "Hurry, hurry, Dad!" she called to a middle-aged man fumbling with a camera bag. A wedding party waited on mid-deck. I smiled and squeezed my husband's hand. Love was in the air.

On board, the elegant lower cabin was filled with linen-draped tables topped with fresh flowers. Full windows allowed views of the glistening Intracoastal and the boat's giant red paddlewheels. We took our drinks up top, gazed out over the calm blue water and picked out our favorite Intracoastal mansions; I vowed to buy a lottery ticket.

By sunset we were dining on gourmet seafood dinners to the tune of live tropical music, the magnificent homes illuminated like Christmas trees beneath a Cheshire moon. The perfect ending to a week of saltwater voyages.