San Blas is very beautiful and wild. I once paddled a few miles out of Eagle Bay or whatever it is called in the park and camped on the sandbar on the peninsula for a couple of days. There were many stingrays swimming under the boat the whole trip and the water clarity was great. The only thing developed about that beach was a dirt road straight down the middle of the peninsula created during WWII for troop training in the area.

I am going down in a couple of weeks and want to try to windsurf while I am there. Where did you actually sail from? I am staying at a rented house in the area with family, so I imagine I will have to drive to the park to sail.

Jamie

I sailed from the park. There is a nice launch and bathroom for those in need next to the boat launch. If you want to go to the ocean side you only have to walk about 1000 feet.

If you go further west, past the boat ramp, there is a road that turns to the right before you get to the camp area. It leads to a playground and bathrooms. From there the water is shallow out further. There is a channel at the boat ramp that allows boats to get in and out. It reminds me of Canadian Hole. The launch further west is better for beginners because of the shallows. If you use a long fin you mind find it too shallow in this spot though. Indian Pass is also good. Just watch for current.

I saw a guy windsurfing at Indian Pass a few years ago and wondered about the current and oyster beds. I might give that area a try.

I can tell you that there is a current at Indian Pass but no current at St. Joe Park.

The area around St. Joe Park is 80% shallow and 20% over you head.

There is camping at Indian Pass in a grade C campground but some sites on this camp ground are on the water.

St. Joe Park campground is almost always full on weekends and I would grade it an A. Otherwise, camping in the park on a weekday would be fine. The camping in the park is buggy, has good bath/shower houses, elec. and water, shaded but not close enough to keep sails rigged.

In the past, we have made several road trips to Cape San Blas. Some without wind, some with wind and some with lots of wind. The summer is much too hot for me to camp there. Our road trips have just seemed to fade into the sunset. I am up for a road trip and I know that Chris P and Mereck are up for it too.

I first found Cape San Blas from windsurfing friends. I continue to go back year after year.

Condos are available but not cheap like camping. However, renting a 3 or 4 bedroom condo is an idea also. That way we can have some a/c at the end of a hot day.

I paddled around the campground area near Indian pass (Appalachicola Bay) once and had to dodge some substantial oyster beds. On the other side at the state park bay side, that seems to be very clear and nice. It does get hot. I was primitive camping with friends about 6 miles out on the peninsula years ago and during the day, horseflies would attack constantly on the beach and at night no-see-ums would take over and attack. Back then, I saw some of you sailing in Eagle Harbor on the way out, but had only just taken Chuck's windsurfing class and I only had a windglider that I towed behind my kayak out to our camping spot. Even the windglider was fun back then and when I was out on the water, the horseflies didn't seem to follow. That must have been back in 2000 or 2001? I remember reading this bbs way back then and that some of you had organized a trip to Eagle Harbor to sail.

Just across Indian Pass is St. Vincent's Island, one of the coolest barrier islands down there. Someday I will explore it more, but it is fairly large and hardly anyone goes over there. It is a day use only island with a bunch of park maintained dirt roads which might be usable by bike if they aren't too sandy. In the past some guys bought St. Vincent's and turned it into their own African hunting island and imported a bunch of wild game to hunt. When the Feds bought the island later, all of the non native game was pretty easy to round up except for some species of 500lb elk that still lives there. I haven't seen one, but have encountered lots of other wildlife while paddling around, even once seeing an alligator swimming in the saltwater on the bay side, something I didn't expect.

The bay side around Eagle harbor is really pretty water with very clear water where last time I could see hundreds of sting rays swimming around under me. I hope there is at least a little wind down there when I go in a couple of weeks, it won't take much wind to excite me it has been so long since I have taken out the windsurfing gear since the baby was born.

Jamie

I didn't know that Indian Pass was still an operating campground - heard that it might have been sold. It is a very cool spot to me. Years ago, when I could get a campsite right on the water for $10 a night, I used to go there 3 or 4 times a year to camp and windsurf. Depending on wind direction, I've sailed the lagoon, the St. Vincent Sound, the inlet, and the Gulf. There are shallows and oyster beds, but they were never a problem for me, although I didn't, (and still don't) use superlong fins. Depending on the time of year, biting insects can be pretty rough - when longboarding, I used to wear long pants to deter biting flies. Sailing at the state park can be great too - if it's windy and more or less East, it gets a great rolling chop. Mexico Beach, in a good persistent NW, can be a challenging surf site. I really would like to go down there at any time we could count on decent wind.

what about Jacksonville

If no wind we can attempt to surf, but I would just like to get my feet wet. Working to dang much

How is the water temp at San Blas? I was in Destin a few weeks ago and the water was pretty cold. Should I take a shorty next week?

Missed it so much this year. There is a yellow 3 unit condo on Indian Pass we rented for a week last Spring that is awesome. You can sail the gulf right from the unit and store your boards and rigs intact underneath. Be sure to tie them down. The Raw Bar was wiped out but may be back for post screamin' oysta's and beer. There is a reef that blocks the wind in between the gulf and the channel. It was fun to ride from the boat launch to the reef and stand up try a radical carve gibe and jump start back. Overall the set up at Indian Pass had so many options I can't wait to get back. N, NW and NE sort of weak spots but it dropped the waves as long as you didn't get caught too far out. It's a can't miss as far as I am concerned. 10mph and up and you can have fun...danl

danl: You you have any links on that place you stayed at in Indian Pass?