Potential 2nd home in PG / summer weather / misc. questions (oil, location)

[SJNE17]

how bad are the bugs/mosquitos/no-see-ums when crusing the pgi canals/ponce inlet/alligator creek inlet in summertime for sunset cruises?

[SJNE17]

Anyone here live in Burnt Store Isles by chance? How's it getting through that lock during "peak" hours (whatever that may be, or if there is such a thing), i.e., does it get backed up? How long, generally, is it to open water (power on) from that lock?

[the searchers]

The actual lock was removed a few years ago. Traffic is not usually bad at the choke point where the lock was.
But you have slow speed conditions for a ways both before and after the lock. As I remember it was about15- 20 minutes to open water.

[SJNE17]

BSI seems to get a little better value for the buck than PGI (for what we're looking for in price and boating times), and I was wondering why that is. Is there any meaningful reason other than it's a whopping 5 extra minutes to "downtown" Punta Gorda vs. some places in PGI? Is it a "newer" (i.e., younger) community?

[Big House]

Originally Posted by SJNE17

BSI seems to get a little better value for the buck than PGI (for what we're looking for in price and boating times), and I was wondering why that is. Is there any meaningful reason other than it's a whopping 5 extra minutes to "downtown" Punta Gorda vs. some places in PGI? Is it a "newer" (i.e., younger) community?

It doesn't seem to be a younger community. It is nice there though. I like the marina and restaurant. But many people that I know that have lived there a while wish they bought in PGI. It is a lot closer to many amenities, shopping, restaurants and things, which over a long term basis can be a lot bigger thing than the 5 minutes you mention.

[SJNE17]

Sorry but I'm referring to Burnt Store Isles, not Burnt Store Marina. The latter is too far from PGI, definitely agreed.

(There isn't a marina in Burnt Store Isles, is there? I'm not aware of one.)

From Monaco & Hwy 41, it was 5 minutes to town, tops.

Originally Posted by Big House

It doesn't seem to be a younger community. It is nice there though. I like the marina and restaurant. But many people that I know that have lived there a while wish they bought in PGI. It is a lot closer to many amenities, shopping, restaurants and things, which over a long term basis can be a lot bigger thing than the 5 minutes you mention.

[the searchers]

There is no marina in Burnt Store Isles. There is a golf club.

I believe BSI came after Punta Gorda Isles. When we moved here over 10 years ago there were many vacant lots that now have homes on them. BSI is also a lot smaller than PGI.

[SJNE17]

Coming from within PGI, is it that big a deal to have a >30-40 min. run to open water via Ponce or Alligator Creek cut through? Is an hour nuts?

A buddy of mine said, interestingly (offering his own perspective), that one might drive 30-40 min in their sports car to get to sweet sections of open road. Pretty good analogy, I thought.

Been looking at a place up in the "bird" section of PGI and we timed it on a boat in canal to 1 hr. 2 min. to Ponce and just about 38 min. to Alligator Creek. It was a beautiful day, and no big deal to us at the time.

Some folks we spoke with said the way out is not a big deal, but coming back if it's hot, raining, still air filled with bugs, etc., that will be one very long hour back. Esp. if a sunset cruise out on the Harbor. And if one day we retire there and go out on a boat every day to fish or cruise, it'll get old, fast.

Hard to know what we don't know, but we would be interested in hearing your experience on this topic, if applicable.

[SoFLGal]

I agree whole heartedly with your 2nd to last paragraph. What seems like a simple, peaceful ride will become a henderence quickly. In the summer storms roll in pretty quickly and you will constantly be trying to judge how far away they are and how long you might have until you need to pack it up.

Having lived on the local waters my whole life, I don't recommend purchasing a home that distance from open water. Of course, this is my own personal opinion

[wpc691]

Originally Posted by SJNE17

Coming from within PGI, is it that big a deal to have a >30-40 min. run to open water via Ponce or Alligator Creek cut through? Is an hour nuts?

A buddy of mine said, interestingly (offering his own perspective), that one might drive 30-40 min in their sports car to get to sweet sections of open road. Pretty good analogy, I thought.

Been looking at a place up in the "bird" section of PGI and we timed it on a boat in canal to 1 hr. 2 min. to Ponce and just about 38 min. to Alligator Creek. It was a beautiful day, and no big deal to us at the time.

Some folks we spoke with said the way out is not a big deal, but coming back if it's hot, raining, still air filled with bugs, etc., that will be one very long hour back. Esp. if a sunset cruise out on the Harbor. And if one day we retire there and go out on a boat every day to fish or cruise, it'll get old, fast.

Hard to know what we don't know, but we would be interested in hearing your experience on this topic, if applicable.

To each his own, I guess, but an hour is a long time. We set our limit at 1/2 hr as a compromise between a short ride and number of houses available. We ended up 24 mins from the last Ponce marker, and a year later, it still seems OK. It's enough time to have some toast and coffee, and wake up a little bit. At the other end of the day, I can leave the dock at 5:30 and get in a couple of hours at Marker 2 or the 41 bridges; if it was an hour to the harbor, I don't think I'd bother. Looked at another way, if you're an hour out, and fish twice a week, that's 2, hundred-hour maintenance visits per year, just cruising in the canal. Keep it to a half hour, and you can spend that 500 bucks on Yuengling instead of oil and plugs. And with 500 bucks worth of Yuengling on board, Big House will show up to swab the decks, so you won't even have to clean up :-))))