Spoil Island Camping

[Floridaman79]

@WaTeRMaNiaC407 this one is for you!

So I'll address camping in both the spoil islands down around Sebastian as well as Canaveral National Seashore. There are numerous pros and cons to each. I'm also going to assume that you'll be camping with a significant other and/or children. I'll also assume you don't have a lot of camping experience so let me know if I'm talking too basic. So the good news is that I think the yamaha jet boats are probably the best boat you can have for island camping!

First of all camping in the Indian River County spoil islands are free, but they are first come first served, so you can't make reservations. Also, some are set aside for a wildlife preserve and some for recreation. There is a website called spoil island project that tells you which ones are available for camping. The campsites in the Canaveral National Seashore are like 20 bucks a night and reservations are required.

Another thing to consider is what other activities you would like to do besides camping since there's not a whole lot to do on the island itself. Sebastian inlet is better for fishing, (out of the yamahas at least). Mosquito lagoon has some really good fishing too, but you'd want a skinny water skiff or a kayak. Sebastian also has some good nightlife with several bars and restaurants that you can drive boat right up. Captain Hirams is my favorite. Not much in Oak Hill except for a Dollar General.

Well I'm out of time for now but I'll post more when I get a chance.

 

[Floridaman79]

Regardless of where you go there are a few things that can ruin your whole trip. No see ums, mosquitoes, and poop. I took the family primitive camping by sebastian inlet one time and the no see ums were so bad that they wouldn't go primitive camping with me again for about 10 years! Fortunately there are a few strategies to deal with them. The first thing is to order a bottle of Avon skin so soft bug guard with spf 30. You can get it off of the Amazon. You put it on all exposed skin. It smells really good too. The other thing is to wear long pants and shirts. If you wear shorts you are asking for it. Then spray deet insect repellent over everything, cause mosquitoes can bite right thru the clothes. Also, no see ums are not strong fliers, so if you position yourself in a windy spot that helps too.

The other thing you need to keep in mind is how to handle calls of nature. Spoil islands are leave no trace. That means packing out poop, among other things. That's not a big deal for me because I keep a "business bucket" in the boat at all times. I even consider the yamaha somewhat luxurious since I have the console that opens up with a privacy curtain on the 210 fsh. For some strange reason, the girls don't see it that way though. So for me, I'd gladly pull anchor and take the girls to a proper facility since the whole idea is to have fun. And when the girls aren't happy... Regardless, you need a strategy.

The Canaveral National Seashore actually allows you to dig a cat hole, just be sure to bring the fast dissolving toilet paper which is available in walmart in the RV section. I think going in the boat is better though because when you drop your britches you lose your insect protection and believe me they are going to be waiting for you!

 

[Floridaman79]

Another thing is that you'll need to bring your own firewood because it can be slim pickins on the islands. I bring wood with me and then supplement that with whatever I can find. I suppose you can go camping without a fire, but I've certainly never tried it. To me, a respectable fire is part of it. Respectable is defined as being able to be seen from space....

The other thing you're going to need is both a bow and stern anchor. Not any different than setting up on a sand bar. I don't beach my boat, so I try to get the bow anchor in deeper water and the stern floating in water shallow enough that I can get out without getting submerging the jewels.

Speaking of shallow water, if you go to Canaveral National Seashore you'll want to pick a spot by the channel. A lot of the sites are back in some skinny water which would be inaccessible for our boats. We stayed at Scout Island and it was perfect for parking the boat. We put in at riverbreeze boat ramp which was a really nice ramp and only a mile and a half or so from the campsite. Dolphins were everywhere. The problem though is that it's a slow speed zone till right at the camp and then it turns back into normal operation. So it takes forever to get there and then don't have the benefit of the slow zone by the camp, so youll.get breaking waves on the island from the boat wakes. Anywhere you go you'll want to have protected water if possible.

 

[WaTeRMaNiaC407]

Wow, this is all great information!! You answered the question about firewood as to what if any was available out there. I am familiar with Capt Hirams so maybe I would start by finding a good "spoil" out that way. Any particular one that you like more than any other out the Sebastian way?

 

[Floridaman79]

Not really, it's going to depend a lot on what activities you want to do. I mean the actual camping part of it isn't really that big of a deal. If you are prepared for the no see ums and have a plan for when nature calls then it's not unlike camping anywhere else. I would look at the wind forecast and pick one that looked like the sand bar would be in a favorable configuration. I use windy app for that. And obviously it's saltwater so you won't be able to filter it and drink it, and you'll want freshwater to rinse things off. I had a tomahawk get splashed so I cleaned it and oiled it real good but didn't think about the snap on the sheath. That thing about rusted solid within a day.

 

[WaTeRMaNiaC407]

I am going to to this in the Sebastian area. I want to setup camp and then go hang out at Hirams or something. Did you ever have to worry about someone coming and messing with your stuff when you are away? Also, when you built a fire, did you build a fire in a fire ring or make some type of fire pit?

 

[Floridaman79]

I wouldn't worry about leaving some stuff but I wouldn't leave anything valuable lying around like a yeti or anything. Set up the tent to claim the spot and then go have fun. There should be a fire pit on the site. If not, you might want to check that you're not on a conservation island!