Hobie Cat Forums

I'm very interested in taking an overnight camping trip with a sailing Adenture Island; going from point A to point B (camping at point B). I'm wondering where people camp on their overnight or multi-day trips. Are you staying at camp grounds, on private property on the river bank, or some other place. I live in northern Virginia, so my first trip would probably in the mid-atlantic area. Thanks for any insights.

Larry, you need to get DogsLife's attention. He posts regularly on this forum, he does some serious camping trips, and he is from your area. People do whatever is necessary to camp--campgrounds, backcountry--like in the everglades, etc.

Keith

_________________
I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

Larry, if you're one of those people who are comfortable sleeping in a hammock, you should consider a camping hammock. They have a lot of advantages for AI/TI camping. They are light and compact and stow easily in the boat. They provide good weather and insect protection. If it's legal and there are trees, just sling it between two trees. It can also double as a chair/lounger. If it's a restricted area, you can often camp in the shallows, with the hammock set up on the boat. (This works well in Australia, where private property ends at high-tide mark. I'm not sure about the US).
http://hennessyhammock.com/

_________________

I'll ditto Chris's last comments on hammocks. Definately something worth considering. You're spot on with forward planning which, as we all know, is the key to any successful trip. Potential campsites fits right in there with weather, tides, wind, food etc. and as Chekika says, for your particular area, obtaining the knowledge from forum members such as Dogslife, is valuable stuff.

_________________


Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.

You guys give me way too much credit. There are no campgrounds where I go. I try to pick remote locations fro my adventures. That said I use Google Earth and the internet all the time. Doing your homework is what has kept me out of trouble over the years.

Internet: find information about the area including other people's adventures, property restrictions like military sites, water trails, etc. Find allowed remote camping sites. Florida is great for that. Virginia has almost none;

Google Earth: study the area. Population centers, possible landing spots, interesting topography. With Google Earth expect that only 25% of the camping spots will be viable. Have a lot of alternates. I avoid public areas and houses. Study how far a road or a trail is to the coast. No close by road or house usually means no one will mess with you.

If in doubt, do a short scouting trip during daylight in the area you plan on camping in. If you are going for distance it will usually be dark when you are on your Adventure looking to camp. I did that for my York Trip and glad I did. Zero visibility in a storm is no time to look for landing sites. Mark your GPS. Maps can be off. I ran into a pound net in the NCC. I had the opening in the nets marked from Google. I was off by 100 feet. It took me 1/2 hour to untangle and barnacle damage to the boat.

Be flexible and pray for luck. The homework will pay off and reduce stress under stressful situations.

I practice what the Watertribe calls Stealth Camping. Arrive in the dark and leave before daylight. Leave no trace. If you have to, tie up to a tree and sleep on the tramp. Comfort is secondary priority. You need sleep. Any port in the storm will do. I have stopped in places where there was no place to land. A clump of grass, old dock is a luxury item. You are the captain of your boat. Your survival depends on your decisions alone. In today's world this is one of the few instances where you can still do that without big brother looking over your shoulder.

_________________
Paul
DogsLife
2011 Adventure Island (Little Dog)
2010 Tandem Island (Big Dog: "We keep a leg up on the competition")
2001 Wilderness Systems Woodsman Kayak 14.5 (Blue Dog)

http://dogslifeadventures.blogspot.com/

Dogslife, that is solid advice. Generic and excellent! Thanks.

Keith

_________________
I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

Thanks for all the response guys. That certainly gives me a good understanding of the type of trips that are being taken and how at least a few people are doing it. (I found and watched a lot of DogLife's videos.) Stealth camping sounds interesting, especially in the summertime. Landing at dark and shoving off before sunrise means a lot of hours in the saddle. Curious, do you have running lights on your kayak.

Larry, Dogslife does adventure races like the WaterTribe Everglades Challenge--300 miles along the SW coast of FL--it requires long hours on the water. So, I think when he camps he is practicing for those races. The rest of us generally like a more relaxed pace. Personally, I don't like stealth camping--too much stress.

Keith

_________________
I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

I can hear in the voice of your post, Dog L., your mind is already in the survival/race mode. I have a feeling we will be seeing your name in the winning circle of the Water Tribe E.C. this year.

LarryJ, here in the Pacific NW we have the Cascadia Marine Water Trails Assoc. They have over 50 campsites throughout Puget Sound. This year we camped at 6 different sites. What a great way to really be able to explore parts of Puget Sound. I looked on line to see if there was anything like this in your area and I found this site. Scroll down to the bottom to find info on campsites. Good luck!

http://www.deq.state.va.us/coastal/seas ... epage.html

_________________
Fly'n C Lion

Off the coast of Mississippi we have the gulf islands national seashore, 4 islands, miles of good camping. Horn island is the best. The islands take about 3 or 4 hours to get to across the bay (Depending on wind conditions).

There maybe places where nobody minds if you stop for a break, they just don't want you sleeping there.

wow. i didn't expect anyone to do my research. thanks for all the input for everyone.
The eastern shore trail looks like a winner!

LarryJ,

I am familiar with the Virginia Seaside Watertrail. Unfortunately there is very limited camping. The only place where you can wilderness camp is on Mockhorn Island at the southern end. At the Nothern end there is Chicoteague with some private camping and motels. Most of the trail is set up for day trips. Majority of the barrier islands are owned by the Nature Conservancy and for day use only. I have anchored in the back of Hog and Cobb Islands overnight when I had my small sailboat. Once the Watermen and fisherman go in for the night you are alone in God's country. I camped on Mockhorn this summer. See end of my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prxfJWDYy6U; I never put together part two of the trip.

Where do go out of? I will be be doing some more trips this spring.

_________________
Paul
DogsLife
2011 Adventure Island (Little Dog)
2010 Tandem Island (Big Dog: "We keep a leg up on the competition")
2001 Wilderness Systems Woodsman Kayak 14.5 (Blue Dog)

http://dogslifeadventures.blogspot.com/

DogsLife. Thanks for the info about lack of camping spots on eastern shore trail.

I don't have an Adventure (yet). So I don't put in anywhere for sailing. Im interested in learning. I do have an Outback, but winters are spent waterfowling in a duckboat.

LarryJ,

good luck on your waterfouling. When you get that AI just let us know. I am trying to start some kind of a AI/TI interest group on the lower Chesapeake.

_________________
Paul
DogsLife
2011 Adventure Island (Little Dog)
2010 Tandem Island (Big Dog: "We keep a leg up on the competition")
2001 Wilderness Systems Woodsman Kayak 14.5 (Blue Dog)

http://dogslifeadventures.blogspot.com/