From green marker 5, veer south on the course line between the final pair of markers until the dock on Thornton Key is almost abeam to port. Keep Thornton Key about 125 feet to starboard, then line up on the microwave tower on the mainland to the east. Anchor within l00 feet of Thornton Key. Depths shoal to 3 feet closer to the unnamed island. Sea grass beds and shallows lie to port and starboard.
Shelter is good from northeast through northwest breezes, depending on where the hook goes down.
Thornton Key offers great beach walking and a good dinghy beach on its northeast point. Depths are about 6 feet up to a sign on the port shore designating the Port Charlotte Recreation Area. Beyond the sign, depths rise to 3 feet. On weekends and holidays, this place is known as Skier's Alley, for the large number of water-skiers who come here. Protection is excellent, but unless it is a weekday or the weather is heavy, this site is best visited by dinghy.