Norriego Point still treacherous for boaters
The danger at the mouth of Destin harbor knows no off-season.
Though the number of boats traveling in and out of Destin harbor pales in comparison to the frenzy of the summer tourist season, boaters are still having a difficult time navigating the mouth of the harbor.
Vyda Adams of Tow-Boat U.S. said the Destinbased marine emergency business has had to bail out a handful of boaters this month who’ve run aground near Norriego Point.
“All of the boaters we have ungrounded off Norriego Point have been in large boats, 30 to 60 feet, are transients, generally from the Midwest heading south on the Intracoastal Waterway,” she said.
Part of the problem, Adams said, is that none of the navigation tools, such as boaters’ guides, reflect the changes to Norriego Point and to the harbor, and boaters are often unaware of the danger at the harbor’s entrance.
Earlier this year, the Destin Harbor Association called attention to the rapid erosion of Norriego Point and said that if something wasn’t done, the tip of the point would breach, leaving the harbor’s northern shore exposed to wave action from the Gulf of Mexico. They worried this could cause significant damage to the businesses on the far west end of the harbor. In August, the Point’s tip breached and was completely submerged, making steering through the harbor’s narrow entrance even more challenging for boaters of all skill levels.
In May, the Destin City Council voted to provide $75,000 in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge 5,000 to 10,000 cubic yards of sand from East Pass to Norriego Point as a short-term fix. In July, the Corps said it expected to receive the ap- proval it required to complete the project within 45 days.
The city is still waiting for the go-ahead from the Corps.
Throughout the summer, Destin’s charter boat fleet struggled to get in and out of the harbor every day and lamented the dangerous conditions they faced twice a day. Those conditions appear to have worsened.
For the time being, Adams said a boater’s best chance is to steer as far north as possible and hope for the best.
“The best advice for any boater on entering or leaving Destin harbor is to hug the north shore as close as they dare,” she said.
Adams said she thinks a channel marker ought to be placed on the tip of Norriego Point as it continues to snake its way north across the harbor. This would warn boaters unfamiliar with the harbor’s topographical challenges.
“The best solution for now would be for someone to place a red marker on the edge of the shoaled area, but that may require too much red tape,” she said.