Bittersweet Departure: "SCOUT has left the marina", as our friend stated. We dropped the lines from our recent homeport - Jacksonville, FL. We have thoroughly enjoyed the city, the marina, the people, and ... having a car. 😉
Several friends gathered to see us off and wave goodbye from the docks. (I wore my Jags shirt for the occasion.) Thanks to a couple of friends for snapping a few departing photos. (Our boats are like kids and pets, you can never have too many photos!)
We look forward to crossing paths with most of these boaters soon.
Our friends helped us shuttle our car to the next anticipated landfall, St. Augustine, FL. We got to see their new "dirt home". While they no longer live on a floating home, they have a spectacular view of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)! (Lisa needs selfie-levelling practice.)
Cruising the St. John's River :
We began our pokey cruise along the St. John's River, heading all the way to Sanford (not quite to Disney). This is about as far south as a big boat can go due to the water and bridges further south.
Below is a graphic of our completed south-bound travel. (To see a zoomable image, right-click on the image and open in a new tab.)
Interesting fact: The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida. It's one of only a few rivers in the United States that flows from south to north.
First stop: Black Creek: We cruised for about 5 hours and anchored in this peaceful creek for a couple of nights. Ahhh.
Video: Click below for a drone video of SCOUT on Black Creek:
After a brief severe thunderstorm, there was plenty of sunshine for our solar panels to power our "house bank". Our bank of house batteries can power almost everything on the boat. If we had needed AC or water heater while anchored, we would have needed to start the generator.
We lowered the dinghy from the top deck and took a "no wake" ride up the creek. No significant wildlife spottings here -- just a few turtles, ducks, birds, and fish bites, but the swampy landscape was gorgeous.
Second stop: Palatka
We had a short "3-hour tour" and docked at a marina. Since we left the anchorage so early, we got here in time for me to find an AWESOME hiking area that was a little over a mile away, Ravine Gardens State Park. We walked there in the heat/humidity with Ray whining and complaining the entire way. 😓 Well, not long after we started hiking, he admitted it was worth it!
Thanksgiving: I'm so thankful for my recent health improvements. A few months ago, I could not have attempted this excursion!
For dinner, we walked several blocks to a downtown cafe, after a quick stop at a nearby bottle shop/pub. Found an impressive live oak, covered in spanish moss, at the county courthouse.
Interesting fact: Billy Graham preached his first sermon in Palatka while a student at Florida Bible Institute - Easter Sunday 1937.
Palatka greeted us with a gorgeous sunrise as we dropped the lines to continue the cruise south.
Third stop: Seven Sisters Creek: We cruised a couple of hours to a protected anchorage to wait out a cold front. On a cool, damp day, the Instapot of creamy chicken stew was delicious! No adventures here, and no interesting wildlife - just caught up on some "office" work and family phone calls.
Interesting fact: Thus far, we have been surprised to see and dodge so many crab pots. Isn't this a freshwater river?
The blue crab is a St. Johns inhabitant more commonly associated with oceans than rivers. During warmer months, blue crabs move up and down the river, reaching as far south as Lake George. They spawn in cooler months in the lower basin of the River, near the Atlantic Ocean. (Ref. http://www.theriverreturns.org/explore/profile/text/)
Fourth stop: Silver Glen Springs: We curised a couple of hours to Lake George. Along the way we saw a variety of waterfront homes.
This beautiful home is in Fort Gates, FL. Somewhere in this area, for 2 centuries, there was a car ferry across the river (to save people a 50-mile drive via the bridge at Palatka from Salt Springs, FL to Pomona Park, FL). Sadly, the ferry is temporarily closed due to damage from Hurricane Irma. The ferry is part of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.
We arrived to a perfect weather forecast for anchoring on the large open (unprotected) lake, next to the entrance to Silver Glen Springs: Forecasted 5mph wind during the day, and 3mph overnight. The lake is notorious for getting NASTY when the winds are up.
Interesting fact: Lake George is the second largest lake in Florida, after Lake Okeechobee.
After launching the dinghy, we did a quick scouting run up the inlet to the spring, still crowded from weekenders. (Hoping they all have to work tomorrow - even though that is Veterans Day.) The water was gorgeous. We saw otters, but neither of us was quick enough to catch a snapshot or video.
The scouting mission had us back at the boat in time for an afternoon snack on the bow before indulging in the Panthers vs. Packers game. It was a good game, but our friends on mv Destination ?? (back in Jacksonville) took this win. 🙁
Despite the benign forecast, the winds came up in the late afternoon. 18mph and 6 miles of lake made for an uncomfortable night. 🙁
Ray: "Note to self: Never blindly trust any forecast."
Video: Click below for drone footage of Silver Glen Springs and SCOUT on Lake George:
Video: Click below for a short video of us exploring the Silver Glen Springs by dinghy the next morning.
The 74 degree water temperature was a bit cold, but we swam around a bit anyway (with wetsuits). At the end of the video, I'm commenting that my fingernails are blue; my fingertips were numb for about an hour.
You can see the spring’s output hole at the top edge of some of the underwater video.
Fifth stop: Blue Spring State Park Manatee Reserve: We left Silver Glen Springs mid-day and arrived at Blue Spring by late afternoon.
We passed more interesting homes and landscapes. I like how this home blends into the waterside. You can barely see the roof and screened-in pool nestled into the trees.
The spanish moss along the St. John's River is elegant. Somehow, it has a soothing effect.
There are so many birds along the river. In this photo, at the southern end of Lake George, there appears to be a "pecking order".
We anchored just off of the St. John's River, in front of the Blue Spring State Park canoe landing, just in time for some grilled shrimp & pineapple, and a rosy sunset.
The next morning, we saw our first big alligator on the bank.
We kayaked up the 1/2 mile inlet (Blue Spring Run) to Blue Spring. The water, again, was gorgeous, and full of fish, ducks and manatees.
Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge. Temperatures in the spring run remain a constant 72 degrees, creating a safe haven for the West Indian manatee.
Interesting facts: In 1970, two years before Blue Spring State Park was established, researchers tracked 14 manatees in the spring run. By 2005, after years of park improvements and manatee protection efforts, wintering manatee numbers exceeded 200 and by 2018, that number skyrocketed to a record 485.
Lisa's manatee...
Ray's manatee(s)...
The water was too cold for us, but there were both swimmers and scuba divers in there. The diagram below (slanted to reduce glare) shows the caves, down below, that the scuba divers explore.
After kayaking, we pulled up to the state park area and did a hike along the boardwalk that parallels the spring’s creek. Very nice park. It was crowded for a mid-week day (and according to the park website, is usually crowded both summer and winter).
Blue Spring Cruisers Hints: If you plan to visit Blue Springs while cruising the St. John's River, you may find the following information helpful:
Anchoring: As of 2019 Nov, the anchorage next to the state park canoe launch worked fine for us, but we did find out there is a large fallen tree that we had to manipulate off of our anchor. Our friends on mv Griffin had trouble getting the anchor to hold here, so they moved back north of the park to Hontoon Island Oxbow anchorange (ref: Navionics). Another option is just south of the park at Blue Springs State Park anchorage (ref: Navionics). Remember, the current runs south to north here, so you will kayak against the current to or from the spring inlet, and should have a leisurely glide - with the current - the other direction.
Kayaking Blue Spring Run: Non-motorized "vessels" such as kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards are prohibited past the swimming/diving/tubing area of run between 11 AM - 5 PM. I estimate that boundary is about 1/2 - 2/3 in toward the springs.
Winter Water Closing: From approximately mid-Nov until late March, the spring run closes to all water activities due to manatee season. For the winter 2019, the winter closure begins November 15. (We just barely got in there!)
Strolling the park: Take your kayak ashore at the canoe launch, pay the small per-person fee (currently $2) to the "iron park ranger" (drop your money/envelope into the metal self-pay box), and stroll the boardwalk alongside the spring run. You will need to carry your dinghy/kayak about 50 feet up on the land to a designated spot. (The canoe rental attendant will direct you.) You will not be allowed to cable lock your dingy to any natural things (trees, etc), but we felt safe leaving our kayaks out there. Indulge in a hotdog, a burger, or ice cream at the little grill mid-way up the boardwalk.
Video: Below is a video of our Blue Spring kayak and trail excursion.
You can see some bubbles coming out of the spring exit in a few clips.
Sixth (and last) southbound stop: Sanford, FL. As I mentioned, Sanford is as far south as we can go with our boat in navigable waters.
Sanford looks like a fastastic little town! There are many places to eat, history, veterans memorial, library, shops, and other conveniences within blocks of the marina. A convenient trolley, a quick-link train to other areas, and FIVE breweries (Ray has counted) on the tourist map! There’s a food truck rodeo this weekend. Wow!
We caught up with our friends on mv Griffin. They had rented a car for a few days and gave us a ride to dinner and grocery shopping.
We will stay here for a week or so before beginning our north-bound journey back down the river to stop at all the places we passed up on the south-bound trip.