If you sail from Davis Island, be prepared for a long trip down and around to Fort DeSoto. Watchout for the ships coming and going to the Port.

I've camped at Ft. DeSoto twice with our boat. Unless they've changed the policy, you have to make reservations in person. Campsites are available on the lagoon. The racoons will break into everything.

Not far from the campsites are concrete launch ramps, really wide ones, and a large parking lot that allows close access to the pass into the Gulf. I would suggest launching from the ramp initially and then sailing over to the campsite and the reverse when you're ready go home. Sailing from the campsite to the pass will take longer than you think.

The current in the pass can be difficult to overcome. Stay as close as you can to the beaches on either side of the pass to avoid the stronger current in the middle. Once again, pay attention to the tides. On either side of the pass the beaches are beautiful and a lot of boats beach there to picnic and hangout.

Once out into the Gulf you can go north or south for uncrowded beaches. Watch the thin water outside the pass on the south side.

If you choose to beach the boat at a campsite the tides are quite dramatic so make sure you know when to go and when to return to have enough water to make it to or from the campsite. Your boat will be sitting on the hard sand bottom of Mosquito Lagoon in the morning unless you leave early enough. The water is very grassy.

The seabreeze on that part of the shore has the strongest winds of any I've encountered around the Gulf Coasts. Around sunset winds may pipe up to 25 or so steadily and will last until after sunset. Tents go flying. Camp stoves struggle to stay lit. It's like a mini hurricane in the evenings. The mullet flopping will keep light sleepers awake all night.

Fort DeSoto is a fabulous place and well worth a trip.