Hi. New to forum. Looks like the Tampa Bay forum is not really active so I'll post my question here.

I live in central Florida (Ocala). Both the gulf near Tampa and Atlantic are about a 90 minute drive.

On the Atlantic side I have choice between St. Augustine or Ormond/Daytona Beach.

Any opinions as to how the sailing compares between gulf and ocean?

I have been advised that launching near Tampa or Clearwater typically is on the "intracostal"side and there are lots of shallows whereas the Atlantic is straight into the ocean.

i will be sailing a 17 foot ARC (Supercat).

Lastly for those of you familiar with the area is it preferable to launch near St. Augustine or Ormond Beach? They both have parking on beach so Cat Trax is a go. I'm just not sure which area is more cat friendly in terms of surf conditions.

As a new sailor I do not want to deal with 4 foot surf breaks

Any opinions are appreciated.