Realtors in our area have a tendency to call any waterfront property that does not have a bridge that restricts mast, antenna or upper station a SAILBOAT WATERFRONT PROPERTY. However, this often is a far stretch from the reality for a true sailboater with a vessel that has a keel. Most sailboats in southwest Florida draft 4 to 6 feet. Shoal draft sail boats are often a smart choice and of course a retractable keel is fine on small craft.
Many realtors describe Pirate Harbor as a sailboat waterfront neighborhood. Some folks years ago bought a lot here for their 6 foot draft sailboat only to find out they could never enter the neighborhood on any tide phase and it is unacceptable that the agent did not know what they were selling! The mitigating water depth on low tide for the past 20 years or so has been about 2 feet and sometimes a little less. The canals in Pirate Harbor are no problem with water depth and average 5 to 8 feet or more however the channel that exists into the harbor through the flats is another story. There has been an initiative for over 20 years to have this exit path dredged and diligent property owners of Pirate Harbor have worked tirelessly with the various regulatory entities to try to accomplish this. At present the word is the channel will get dredged and most approvals are in place. The last I heard it would be dredged to less than 5 feet, mean low water (MLW). This would be great and deeper would be better!
But for now, your mitigating water depths are quite shallow as you exit the neighborhood into the harbor. If you choose the highest tide phases you will be able to get certain sailing vessels in and out of Pirate Harbor as evidenced by a handful of sailboats currently moored behind homes. However, in my book Pirate Harbor is currently (October 2018) and never has been true sailboat water due to shallow water depths.
