The creek known as `The Straits’ flanks the Alligator River’s western shore, west-northwest of marker #26. This body of water has a tricky, unmarked entrance, flanked with two scary collections of snags, semisubmerged stumps, and other underwater debris. This is one of those anchorages where I would come close to saying that it is necessary to have a GPS chart plotter (or equivalent) aboard to facilitate safe entry. While we have made it into the deeper interior reaches with DR navigation, it was certainly no picnic. However you choose to navigate, it is possible (BUT NO GUARANTEES), during daylight and fair weather, to avoid all the various hazards and hold 6-foot depths into the creek’s mouth.
If you successfully negotiate the difficult entrance, the Straits offers several opportunities for overnight anchorage. Depths on the interior waters hold respectable 8- to 19-foot levels, but there are numerous unmarked shoals to worry about.
All of the Straits’ anchorages feature undisturbed, cypress swamp shorelines, backed by hardwoods. This entire region has a backwater, almost wild feeling to it that will appeal to the adventurous minded.
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