Santa Rosa Sound is a long, sheltered waterway in the Florida Panhandle between the mainland and Santa Rosa Island, linking Pensacola Bay with Choctawhatchee Bay. With Fairpoint Peninsula and nearby mainland on the north and the barrier island on the south, it serves as an important inland route along the coast. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway uses these protected waters between Pensacola Beach and Fort Walton Beach instead of the more exposed Gulf. Communities along the sound give it both residential and recreational importance, while three bridges connect mainland and island settlements but have low clearances that force many taller sailboats into the Gulf.