Peanut Island

[Tooeez]

Maybe some of the South Florida faithful can weigh in with some local knowledge on this--is there any place near Peanut Island that you can anchor up overnight? Close enough to run the dog ashore in the dinghy, do some snorkeling and treat the ever-present threat of scurvy with limes bathed in amber liquid? Or is there anywhere else in the area that has clear water, a beach for the dog and less crowds?

[Pete Fallon]

Tooeez,

I haven't been in the area for over 5 years but I used to Anchor up on the sandbar at Peanut Island on week days and wash the bottom of my 31. Not on weekends it's a zoo with go fast boom boxes with 3 Yamaha's and drunk youngsters rafted up as far as you have room. If I remember correctly they allowed overnight anchoring but the dog had to be on a leash. There was a park ranger stationed at the public dock on the side toward Singer Island where the ferry boat docks. The only other area I know of is the Sandbar in Hobe Sound just North of Jupiter Inlet opposite the old Maxim marine that burned down in the 80's, now a high end Marina just south of Hobe Hill's Marina, If you want to go all the way to Stuart there are a few spoil islands North of the St Lucie (STUART) Inlet off of the ICW.
Like I said I haven't been in the area for the past 5 years the rules are constantly changing for anchoring up on the spoil islands and dogs running loose.
Pete Fallon

[Carl]

Just inside Stuart Inlet is the Sandbar on your right when coming in.
Provided no green tides and weekdays, its a nice place to anchor and treat for scurvy.

[Tooeez]

Pete, what side of the island did you anchor up on? The north side looks really shallow from the Blue Heron bridge, and the east and west sides look like channels to me. Carl, I'm in Stuart, so I'm real familiar with the Sandbar, which is a great place and at which, I can confidently report, there has never been even a hint of scurvy on the boat. I'm just looking to expand my horizons a little bit.

[Pete Fallon]

Tooeez,
I used to anchor up on the North side of the sandbar, if you look down from the Blue Heron Bridge you can see a channel that runs from the Northwest to the Southeast towards Singer island and the end of the dock off the old Buccaneer Restaurant . Depending on the tide and current it's about 3 feet deep where you can anchor up without a problem, my boat has a very low profile strut that allows me to go into 30" of water. Don't be surprised to see a school of bone fish working the shallow flats on the North side of the sandbar. I've caught bones up to 4 pounds in that area on live shrimp.
Pete Fallon

[Tooeez]

Thanks, Pete, I'll be sure to bring some shrimp with me!

[Bruce]

Right under the B H bridge is Phil foster park.
Great snorkling. Under the flat bridge and south side of main bridge and beach. Sunken stuff. The n side of inlet jetty from pump house(good spot also) east end back around to sail fish is great. Close to rocks. Fly a dive flag.

The main inlet in the channel is awesome but not on weekend, too busy and you always need to be on the look out for freighters for the port but the sights are beautiful. I don't fly a flag out there cause the CG or marine patrol were always grabbing it and yelling at us about being run over.

Start snorkeling about an hour before high tide, other wise the current can be swift and out going currents only produce turd fish from the sewer.