The short answer is YES, Burnt Store Isles (BSI) is indeed a sailboat access neighborhood in the real sense of the word.  The mitigating water depths that are of most concern are to be found in Alligator Creek which is the path from the canal systems to the creek to make final entrance into Charlotte Harbor.  The county maintains the water depths in Alligator Creek and recently dredged to 6 feet mean low water (MLW).  I just confirmed by doing actual soundings on December 16, 2018 that they indeed accomplished this along the entire creek.  A true 6 feet of water minimum on a low tide.  Most of the water  way was deeper but there were just a few spots that were slightly deeper than 6 feet.  Perhaps if I would shift the boat off the center of the channel I may have found a little deeper water but I mainly stayed true to the center of the channel well up into Burnt Store Isles.  I will also say that the Rim Canal of Burnt Store Isles is well above 6 feet and mainly over 7 in most places so any concerns whether the rim canal is sailboat accesible is not a question.  The rim canal has a few tight spots if two boats were passing at the same time but there is relatively light boat traffic and I don’t expect anyone to have a problem.

I am adding the complete sounding measurements for Alligator Creek prior to the end of December 2018.  There will be a lot of detail covering depths, markers, scenary, photographs and other commentary on the ride through the creek into Burnt Store Isles

For years there was a common misconception that there was often less than 5 feet MLW, which was true many years ago however the county has been aggressively dredging to keep up with the ebb and flow of the tidal waters which in themselves change bottom contours and reduce depth.

The area that is of the biggest concern is the “S” bend entrance at Marker 1 in the harbor from there your entrance is from a northwesterly direction to a hard left to the east with a couple of minor sways in the channel which is very nicely marked and easy to navigate.  This area actually cuts through a tidal flats area which explains why it sometimes requires more dredging then other parts of the creek navigation channel.  It is indeed sailboat accessible with drafts close to 6 feet and no problem on mid to higher tides with a true 6 foot draft.

Is Burnt Store Isles a good place for your catamaran or tri-maran vessel?  NO!  The mitigating area for cat hulls is the exit from the BSI canals into Alligator Creek which has 17 feet of width so your beam on a cat hull is likely not going to make it through.  This location was once a lock system, that was disabled after the canals were created and filled from the harbor.  Negotiating through this narrowing is normally not an issue as there are mirrors at either end of the opening to let you know if another vessel is approaching.

What Are The Canal Depths In Burnt Store Isles?  For the most part they are plenty deep from 8-12 feet and more.

The post Is Burnt Store Isles A Sailboat Waterfront Neighborhood? appeared first on Sailboat Home Listings.

1. PGI has long been known as a deeper water location for sailors.
2. BSI has long been misunderstood as to what the actual water depths are with bad information circulating around town and with realtors.
3. Alligator Creek is the exit waterway for Burnt Store Isles.  In reality it is a river not a creek by most northern standards.  Alligator Creek is a tidal environment with tides that over time create soft bottom shoaling and requires periodic dredging.

The short answer to whether Burnt Store Isles is a good option for sailors is YES!  Historically, the main worry was water depth in Alligator Creek (please refer to my sounding measurements taken this year and prior to that).  I have consistently found 5 feet mean low water (MLW) in my sounding measurements.  Better yet, a recent dredging project was to increase the water depth to 6 feet MLW.  This project was recently completed and I will verify that the dredging company truly established this water depth throughout the creek.  With that said, Alligator Creek is a yes for sailors.

When addressing BSI, the canal depths overall are plenty deep ranging from 8 to 15 feet or more regardless of tide.  In recent years however, the rim canal, which is the mangrove shoreline that many canals exit into, which then traverses into Alligator Creek, has had areas that have filled in.  The good news is that a dredging operation began on June 6, 2017 with anticipated completion in September 2017.  I have yet to read what their water depth dredging target is but guessing a minimum of 6 feet MLW.  Once completed, I would expect the City of Punta Gorda, which oversees this effort will assure all boaters they have 6 feet MLW from all of Burnt Store Isles out to the harbor which obviously includes Alligator Creek.

Another navigational consideration for BSI is the lock section which is a non-functional lock but creates a narrowing as you leave BSI to enter Alligator Creek.  It is a concrete sided passageway that has recently been reinforced with rip-rap for integrity.  This opening is 17 feet.  Upon entry to this area you are required to sound a horn to notify other boaters of your entrance into the old lock, which is actually a very short length.  With a 17 foot opening, catamaran style hulls are pretty much eliminated.  Burnt Store Isles is a sailing community for mono-hull sailors and power boats.

What to expect in the future?  This is strictly my opinion but I have seen the City of Punta Gorda in recent years be more attentive to the water depths in Alligator Creek with more frequent dredging.  With the possibility of another section of PGI, known as the Bird Section having a proper entrance created to allow ingress into Alligator Creek with sailboat water depth, the emphasis on water depth becomes even more of an obligation for the city to keep up with any shoaling that might occur.  Many years ago the city allowed Alligator Creek to develop some shallow spots that had boaters with a draft of 5 feet to have concern and making it necessary to watch the tides especially in the winter months.  This resulted in common thinking that Burnt Store Isles was not a sailing community.  Hopefully, any misinformation that you have heard while investigating the area has been dispelled and that you will feel comfortable as a boater with current water depths and navigational information.

The post BURNT STORE ISLES DREDGING- ALLIGATOR CREEK NAVIGATION appeared first on Sailboat Home Listings.