Navigation, Canal Depths and Other Considerations
Burnt Store Isles is an upscale waterfront community designed around a magnificent golf course. Located within the City of Punta Gorda it is a place where sail boaters can moor a sizable craft right at their doorstep. Plenty of cruisers, fishing boats and various watercraft adorn the backyards. There are no bridges and a short ride to Alligator Creek which takes you immediately into Charlotte Harbor. Canal depths generally will allow for larger watercraft so it is perfect for those who want a trawler, big Sea Ray cruiser or sailboat. With over 1000 canal front and 400 golf course homes and many lot sites still available this community boasts generally newer homes with many being constructed every year. The waterfront canals were intelligently designed to be wider and to take advantage of wide turning basins and intersecting canals.
Navigation into Burnt Store Isles is accomplished through the north branch of Alligator Creek. When viewing a chart or looking at an aerial view you will see an indication of a lock system on the eastern end of Alligator Creek on the south bank. This is the entrance into Burnt Store Isles however THERE IS NO LOCK IN PLACE. When the canal system was constructed there was an actual lock to hold back the water but you can easily navigate through this opening.
The City of Punta Gorda is responsible for coordinating dredging and maintenance of the canals and Alligator Creek itself. Currently, the City states the current Creek depth is maintained to 5 feet MLW. A new permit has been approved according to recent communications Dated June 2016 with a deeper dredge on Alligator Creek. The permit states that the dredging will be done to accomplish 6 feet MLW. I am hoping to confirm this in 2017 as this will allow bigger sail boats and power craft to utilize Alligator Creek with access to Burnt Store Isles. The one mitigating factor for Catamaran Hulls is the old lock system which is the entrance to Burnt Store Isles. The maximum width at this time is 17 feet which eliminates most cat and trimaran hulls but certainly is acceptable for mono-hulls.
The canals themselves have significantly more water in Burnt Store Isles however the creek itself will be the limiting consideration in water depth for the draft of your sailboat. The creek itself has regular dredging and the prudent mariner will pay attention to his or her depth finder on the first few trips out.
Boat ride times out of Burnt Store Isles generally start at around 20 minutes and from the canals at the southern end you will be looking at 45 minutes plus or minus depending on your location and craft. Sailboats generally produce less wake with more speed than a comparable length power boat. There are NO BRIDGES TO OPEN WATER IN BURNT STORE ISLES. When studying an aerial view or chart you will see that the outlet from the isles is into the north branch of Alligator Creek. There is an alternate branch to the south that is NOT ACCESSIBLE from the canal systems.
Be sure to know that homes listed in our local MLS database that are referred to as SAILBOAT WATERFRONT or NO BRIDGES OUT only refers to the absence of bridges and does not address water depth. Many homes in Charlotte County Florida are advertised as a SAILBOAT WATERFONT HOME but do not have the water depth to support a sailboat unless it has a retractable keel. Be sure to Call the Captain at 941-628-8040 to consult on any waterfront home and associated canal depth.
Please check out Canal Depths in Burnt Store Isles on the home page or click here to view my personal depth soundings taken in these canals. Boat Ride Times were taken by me personally as a matter of convenience for my customers and can be found by clicking here or going to the home page.
