On island time

HERNANDO — Who wouldn’t love to own their own private island?

Special to the Chronicle

Barnard Island, located in the Hernando pool of the Tsala Apopka chain of lakes, can only be reached by canoe, kayak or airboat. The island, owned by Bob Barnard of California, is up for sale.

Special to the Chronicle

In 2003, then-10-year-old Brittany Barnard accompanied her dad, Bob Barnard, on an adventure trip to their island on Hernando.

Special to the Chronicle

Barnard Island is quintessential native Florida — cypress trees, mangroves and lots of woods.

Special to the Chronicle

Private Islands, Inc.

Buying an island is easy — all it takes is money. Numerous private islands are being offered for sale. Emerald Cay, Turks and Caicos, is 2.32 acres with a 30,000-square foot estate on the island. It’s listed for $48.5 million.

Private Islands, Inc.

Diamond Cay, Honduras — 1.4 acres, surrounded by reef. $650,000.

Private Islands, Inc.

Great White Cay, Bahamas — 850 acres with a 4,000-foot runway. Price available on request.

Private Islands, Inc.

Ronde Island, Grenadines — 2,000 acres in which to “create a Mustique-style island playground.” $100 million

Imagine white sandy beaches and palm trees, crystal clear turquoise water lapping on the shore, porpoises frolicking for your entertainment pleasure. Or, perhaps lounging in a hammock, reading a book while sipping a Mai Tai is your island dream.

Why even Leonardo DiCaprio has his own island off the coast of Belize. And Johnny Depp has one in the Bahamas.

So OK, in reality, maybe the white sandy beaches, the turquoise water and the porpoises are far-fetched. But if overrun vegetation and any number of Florida wildlife is more your idea of island life, for a reasonable $55,000, Barnard Island in the Tsala Apopka chain of Lakes in Hernando can be yours.
The island, owned by Bob Barnard of San Diego, was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal in a story about private islands for sale.

Although most of the featured islands were priced in the multimillion dollar range, Barnard’s 5.2-acre piece of island paradise at $55,000. Still, it caught its share of attention of potential island shoppers.

In the week after the story ran, Barnard received more than 80 calls. Most wanted to build a home on it, he said. One person wanted to keep it as is, a wildlife sanctuary, and one person, who owns a security company, thought it would make a great place to bring his employees for a survival skills  weekend.

Think “Survivor: Lake Hernando.”

So far, none of the offers have  come through.

He bought it in 2002 as a lark, Barnard said in a telephone interview. He had been searching eBay for property and saw “Island for sale.” It was such a ridiculously low price, which he wouldn’t divulge, and the thought of owning an island appealed to him.

“I did it for bragging rights and possibly to build a vacation home,” he said. “How cool is it to say you have your own island in Florida?”

Move over, famous movie stars.

The following year, Barnard brought his then-10-year-old daughter, Brittany, to Florida to check it out. They landed in Orlando, did the whole Disney-EPCOT and Gatorland thing, then set off for Citrus County.

“We stayed at a local motel that was within walking distance from a public boat launch,” he said. “We had gone to Walgreens and bought a two-man rubber raft, paddles and a couple of machetes to camp on the island.”
They took some black and white photocopies of their island, but no GPS system or cell phone.

“Big mistake,” Barnard said. “At water level everything looks the same and we hit a lot of dead ends. It took us six hours to get there.”

Barnard said he and his daughter called their island adventure the “most miserable, enjoyable, memorable experience” they had ever had.

While at Gatorland, Brittany was hand-feeding some birds and one of them bit her neck and drew blood. In Crystal River when they went to feed the manatees, her hand got caught between the boat dock and the boat.
On the island, while opening a bag, a knife slipped and she cut her hand. Then when she was cooking over the campfire, the pan slipped and burned her.

When they returned to California, Brittany said, “Great trip, Dad. I was smashed, stabbed, burned and bitten!”
Barnard said the “I have my own island” bragging rights have worn thin, and he put the island up for sale to pay off some debt.

“It’s a beautiful island, and we hate to sell it, but we need the money,” he said.
Hernando airboater Jeff Clifton, Barnard’s local contact, described the island as solid woods, surrounded by cypress trees.

Barnard said the only way to get there is by airboat, canoe or kayak.

“Don’t picture something out in the middle of the lake,” Clifton said. “It’s pretty marshy getting there.”
Clifton said he found Barnard’s information tagged to a tree on the island and gave him a call. Barnard asked if Clifton would take prospective buyers out to look at it. So far, there have only been two.

“There’s deer out there and squirrels, and I saw a hog out there once,” Clifton said. “It’s not a beach.”
Chronicle reporter Nancy Kennedy can be reached at (352) 564-2927 or nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.