The barrier island that shelters the bay from the Gulf is the natural destination for a day on the water here. Reaching it by boat is a different experience from driving over the bridge: you arrive on the bay side, where the water is calm and the shoreline is quiet, rather than on the developed Gulf-facing beach where most visitors spend their time.
The crossing
The run across the bay is short in distance and entirely dependent on conditions. On a calm morning it is straightforward in any of the boats suited to this water. In a stiff wind, particularly one opposing the tide, the same crossing becomes a wet, slow and unpleasant piece of work in a small boat. This is the trip most worth abandoning when the forecast is marginal, because the whole point of it is a relaxed day.
The bay side
The northern shore of the island is shallow, sheltered and sandy, with sea grass in places and very little development along long stretches of it. It is the side to anchor off for a swim, a picnic or an afternoon out of the wind. Approaching requires attention to depth, and the sensible technique is a slow approach, an anchor set well off the shallowest water, and a short wade in rather than trying to nose the boat all the way to the sand.
- Watch the tide before anchoring. A boat comfortably afloat on a high tide can be aground three hours later.
- Set the anchor properly. A dragged anchor on a lee shore turns a good day into an expensive one.
- Take shade with you. There is little natural shelter on the open shoreline.
- Carry everything out. Much of the island is protected, and there are no facilities on the bay side.
The protected areas
Substantial parts of the island are state park and protected habitat, including nesting areas for shorebirds that are marked and closed seasonally. Those closures are taken seriously and they exist for good reason; nesting birds abandon sites that are disturbed. Landing where signage prohibits it is both an offence and the fastest way to undo the reason the place is worth visiting.
Planning the day
Go early, both for the calm water and to have the shoreline largely to yourself. Build the return trip around the tide and around the summer storm pattern, which means being off the water by early afternoon between June and September. Bring more water than seems necessary, because a day of sun and salt on an open boat is more dehydrating than an equivalent day ashore.
Done on a settled day with an early start, it is the best single trip available from this stretch of coast, and it costs nothing but fuel and attention.