[Rhodes22-list] Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte

[molly p. maundrell]

Please take me off the mailing list.


Thanks pat



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <DCLewis1 at aol.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 8:52 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte



Folks,

Back on Feb 9 I posted a request for input regarding sailing/retirement
locales.  A number of people responded.  Several people suggested  Punta
Gorda/Port Charlotte (PG/PC).

We visited PG/PC about 2 weeks ago on a swing down the east coast and I was
surprised.

- There was 1 power boat in the PG marina, no sail boats.  For  practical
purposes it was empty.
- I asked at the Chamber of Commerce (CoC)  about the lack of boats and was
told the marina had been closed for 2  years.  It has to be dredged.  I was
told the plan was to open it next  year - but the lady didn’t sound 
convinced of
that.
- We went to PG Isle to  assess their beach and see the boating.  The beach
was minimal and clearly  there was still a lot of debris from the hurricane
that hit them 2 years  ago.
- While at the PG beach we saw one sail boat (~30') motor out of a  canal,
appear to run aground, turn around, and motor back into it’s canal.   As I
recall we saw no sail boats off shore out to the horizon.
- We drove  over to the PC beach.  Same story.  Somewhat bigger beach, but a
lot  of debris in the water.  We saw 1 sail boat on the horizon.
- We asked  the PG CoC people about keeping a boat at PG.  They said that if
you wanted  to do it NOW that you’d have to go out to the Burn’t Store 
Marina
- which is  about 15 to 20 minutes out of PG.  The marina may be in the next
county, it’s sure not in PG proper.
- The Burnt Store Marina looked to be  active, quite a number of boats and
sailboats.

But my problem is PG/PC.  This is their high season, I’d expect to see  a 
lot
of boats.  We saw basically none.  The PG marina is closed and  has been
closed for a couple of years.

Was the PG/PC sailing ground basically wiped out by the hurricane that hit
them?  It sure didn’t look active to me.  What have I missed?

Dave
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