LOG 5   DAYS 17-19  3/20/09-3/22/09 

LET THE NATURE SHOW BEGIN

DAY  17  FRIDAY,  3/20/09

It was a foggy morning at anchor today.  As it began to lift, Gene saw a gator cruising down the channel toward us, and then turn and head toward shore.  It stayed behind a downed tree.  After a very leisurely morning of “near perfect” fried eggs for my Captain, we pulled anchors and headed back out of Hontoon Dead River to the St. Johns River.  As we left, we saw the gator along shore, lying in the vegetation.  He was a good-sized one. 

While we slowly motored out, I tried my hand at making a short video of the shoreline using our new webcam.  It was 100mb, so certainly not something to email.  Looking at the video later, we realized the wind made a lot of noise in the mike.  The quality of the picture was not the best, although I was able to hold the camera steady and pan smoothly.  It may not be theater quality, but it does give a taste of the cypress marshes.

Some possible weather may be coming in Saturday or Sunday, so we decided to do more exploring today, and then find an anchorage for the night.  We motored to mm163 St. Johns River, near daybeacon R 116, before the bridges at the entrance to Lake Monroe.  During the last 10 miles above the lake, the river widened out, was more populated with boats, and not as scenic.

Lake Monroe is the second largest body of water on the St. Johns River.  Sanford, on the lake, is as far south (up) the St. Johns River that we planned to go.  The river is very shallow south of the lake.  However, since we are not necessarily “marina boaters,” and instead came to see the wilderness and wildlife, we chose not to go any farther than the bridges.  It was also windy, and we saw whitecaps on the lake.  When we turned around, we had traveled 595 miles on the trip.  Although we were headed back towards home, we still had more scenic spots to see on this river.

We spotted several more Limpkins today; perhaps they are not so elusive after all.  At 1435, we pulled into Butchers Bend, an oxbow formed when a shortcut (one of several) was dredged to create a straightened river channel for the barges.  We dropped the two hooks near the north shore, hoping to get protection from some predicted winds. 

What a nature show God provided!  Our anchorage spot was near a bank with two gators lounging in the sun.  One was probably over 12’ and quite broad.  The other one was smaller, held its head up, and mouth open for quite awhile.  We could see its many teeth and pinkish colors on the inside of its mouth.  These may have been a male-female pair.

For a couple of hours, we watched them lay almost motionless.  However, as least half a dozen other alligators cruised back and forth across the channel in our oxbow.  One gator crawled part way up on a log; another scared turtles away as it came near their log.  Ducks were favorite unsuccessful targets.  One big guy cruised back to our side and slid up right next to the swampy bank near a cormorant hanging out fearlessly, so it seemed, on a limb sticking out of the water. 

Suddenly, there was a splash in the marsh behind the bird.  A smaller gator quickly exited the marsh and swam away towards us.  Evidently, the big gator scared the smaller one away.  “This is my territory.”

Shortly after, Gene said the two alligators on the bank were in the water.  We watched a bit of a power struggle as the gator by the cormorant now came over to the other two in the water.  The smaller one of the pair, the female we presume, just hung out near shore watching the other two as they vied either for her attention or for that particular part of the shore.

The intruder kept moving closer.  Occasionally, one or the other would submerge, move closer and then come back up.  After awhile, the “female” swam away.  “You guys battle it out.  I’m getting out of the way.”  They never did have a battle of bodies, but probably more of wits.  Eventually, one swam away in the direction the “female” had gone, and it seemed like it was the bigger one that had been on shore.  The other stayed to guard his new waterfront territory.  We did not see the “female” come back.  Stay tuned for any updates tomorrow.

Then the show began in the tall trees on the island across from the alligators with all kinds of strange noises, squawking, chattering, clucking, and other sounds I can’t even describe.  I counted five heron nests high up in the treetops.  On three separate occasions, in three nests, it seems we may have seen their mating dance.  After all, today is the first day of spring.

The herons would make the strange noises while intertwining necks and bobbing their heads up and down.  They began squawking and flapped their wings.  They carried on for several minutes and then one would fly away. 

Around 6:30pm, the vultures came in.  No—not the lawyers, but winged black vultures.  Across the channel from the heron’s nests, on our side but down from the gator activity, the vultures had come to roost.  Fifty or more circled in the sky and then settled into the trees for the night.  Later, one tree on the island near the south entrance of our anchorage was white with birds nesting for the night.  Each type of winged creature seemed to have its own territory in the neighborhood.  As I was saying, what a nature show!

We are considering coming back to the St. Johns River with friends and renting a houseboat.  This is definitely a “must see” anchorage.  Holly Bluff Marina rents them, www.hollybluff.com.  The section from Lake George down to here is the most scenic and filled with wildlife.

Before we went to bed, Gene plugged in our “night-blaster” searchlight, and we looked for glowing eyes in the dark.  There were none on our side of the channel, but we spotted at least five on the other side.  Again, we’re not alone in this anchorage.

DAY 17:  Start 1118, Stop 1435;  19.3 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 160 SJR;  Anchorage:  Butchers Bend;  GPS 28° 51.525¢ N, 81° 21.291¢ W;  Internet 3 bars, fairly good

DAY  18  SATURDAY,  3/21/09

Right before the sun came up, two deer slipped out of the woods near us and came down for a drink.  Herons patrolled the shallows looking for breakfast.  Songbirds were chirping.  Every now and then, something disturbed the vultures.  They made a ruckus; some would fly around, and then land back in the trees.  They were close by and watching us.  Maybe we’d better keep moving!

All the white birds seem to have flown from the roost already.  A few fish jumped.  No gators yet.  It’s probably still too cool.  Several vultures came down by a heron that was wading, perhaps looking for scraps, or waiting to try to steal a meal. 

Another large bird, white with some black markings on its head, watched from a lower limb nearby.  According to a birder from our park, Jim Whittaker, this bird was a yellow crowned night heron.  Two other birds worked the marshy shoreline picking in the grasses.  They were common moorehens, green legs, dark bluish gray with brown wings, and bright orange that extended from their beaks up their heads. 

10:30am and the show continues.  It’s warming up and the gators are on the move.  One smaller one found a log extending into the river and crawled up on it for some sun.  Then right along our bank, 40’ from shore, two gators began a face off. 

The larger was protecting its area as the smaller intruder slowly approached.  They swam closer and closer to each other until they were about 30’ apart.  Soon a nearby heron began to approach the larger gator from behind.  It appeared quite brazen. 

The larger gator held its ground as the smaller gator inched closer.  The heron came closer too.  The big guy turned with his body straight out from the heron.  Was he ready to slap the bird with his tail?

 Just then, the smaller gator came up to the bug guy, and “splash,” the two gators were at each other.  The smaller one backed off quickly.  At the same time, we saw a young alligator, 4’-5’, swim past these two and over close to our boat.  Was big mama defending her young?  Large alligators do prey on smaller ones.  Suddenly, as the heron took off, the mama gator splashed but missed the bird.

Quiet soon reigned again.  The big gator and the young one were gone.  The one on the log also disappeared while the intruder now floated near that log. 

Around 1:30, we had our first manatee sighting as it slowly ambled along shore past our boat.  Today is cooler and breezier than yesterday, not as many gators on the prowl, crossing our channel as we had seen yesterday.

1:55pm another gator came back by shore right off the side of our boat, about where the skirmish took place.  He’s just hanging out.  It stayed cooler, so no gators came out on shore to sun.

DAY  19  SUNDAY,  3/22/09

We decided to stay here one more day.  The nature show continued.  No deer came this morning although yesterday, Gene had seen a couple raccoons along shore.  Both yesterday and today the herons frequently carried on with their chattering and other sounds. 

The noisy heron appears to sit low in the nest trying to get the attention of the second heron.  This one is perched on the edge of the nest, neck straight up, looking almost aloof.  Sometimes, it will stretch out its wings (6’ wingspan) and begin to flap and flutter.  Quite a commotion in the high treetops.  This goes on for about 10 minutes or so.  Once time, during this ritual, the second heron flew off to an adjacent limb while the first kept on chattering.  Soon it came back, more wing flapping and then it flew away.  The first heron quieted immediately and stayed in the nest.

This morning, we thought we were about to see another alligator confrontation right in front of our boat.  However, it was a very friendly exchange.  Perhaps we saw a mating ritual. 

The two gators slowly approached each other, then the larger swam on top of the other.  They both went under the water; big bubbles of air surfaced.  There was very little commotion.  It was all very slow and smooth.  They surfaced, swam around each other to reposition.  The larger climbed on the other’s neck, head atop head, and down they went again, slowly, gently.  More big air bubbles surfaced.  Up they came and repeated it all a third time.  Finally, the smaller, the female, I presume, slowly swam off, looking like she was wagging her tail at the big guy.  He followed a bit, then stopped and stayed near our shore.  What a show!

As the big gator moved along our shore, he crawled on the bank for a little bit.  Gene saw it was the big one with a notch out of his tail that we had spotted on this bank our first day here.  Some vultures hung around on the ground by the gator.  After he slipped back into the water, about a dozen vultures flew down to the bank to wait.  A heron even flew over and landed nearby.  Perhaps they were looking for scraps if the gator found a meal.

The day continued with gators occasionally swimming from one bank to the other.  Boaters slowly idled through the oxbow looking for wildlife sightings.  One cruiser had manatee swimming around it.  Fishermen often trolled along the shore.  This is a very popular spot, although the only human company we had at night was a houseboat that anchored along the heron’s shore. 

The predicted shower moved through early today, around 6:30pm.  Tomorrow we will head out to explore another anchorage.

DAY 18 & 19:  still at Mile Marker (mm) off 160 SJR;  Anchorage:  Butchers Bend;  GPS 28° 51.525¢ N, 81° 21.291¢ W;  Internet 3 bars, fairly good

LOG 6   DAYS 20-26  3/23/09-3/29/09 

AND THE NATURE SHOW CONTINUES

DAY  20  MONDAY,  3/23/09

Today started as a rainy day and we thought we’d stay another night.  However, it stopped raining late morning, so we pulled anchors and said our farewell to all the gators and birds.  We will be back. 

Since we needed a pumpout I made a couple of calls and learned Boat Tree Marina (previously Hidden Harbor Marina) has a free pumpout but no diesel.  This marina is located right before the Lake Monroe bridges.  Holly Bluff wants $20 for a pumpout, while Hontoon Landing charges $25.  We went back the three miles to Boat Tree, pumped out, filled with water (which later we discovered had a high sulfur smell), and found some wild life books for our grandkids.  Then we headed back downstream, north, to continue our exploration.

Emmanuel Bend by day beacon #93 was no longer undeveloped as Claiborne Young’s Cruising Guide described.  Now a high-end development lines the bank.  It is also not a good anchorage because of shoaling.  Instead, we idled into Dutchmans Bend, past the lagoon and into the creek that parallels the St. Johns River.  It was very narrow and lined with willows and other trees, but not cypress.  Lily pads, hyacinths and other plants were growing along the shore.  We spotted several gators and quite a few moorhens, including young ones. 

We anchored 1.5 miles up the creek in 5’ of water.  Several fishing boats passed by, pontoons with sightseers, and even the tour boat from Blue Springs State Park.  That boat came by twice,  about 3pm and 5:30.  I’ll bet those passengers were surprised at seeing us anchored there.  Perhaps the tour guide talked about idling down this remote side channel deep in the Florida wilderness, searching for wildlife.  As they came around the bend, what did they spot?  The WE BE BLEST III at anchor.  We jokingly mused, “Will they believe anything the tour guide says after that?”

The entries on our wildlife list continued to grow with the addition of a wild turkey.  Check out the list at the end of the logs.  At this anchorage, we saw a gator crossing the creek ahead of our boat, a wild turkey walking in the woods, and two pairs of moorhens swimming around munching the floating plants. 

Late in the afternoon, a manatee that was across from our boat devoured the vegetation.  It chomped on the grasses and leaves while pulling them under water.  We watched as it quickly cleared about a 6’ by 6’ section.  This was quite sight seeing the manatee grab a plant from below and soon big bunches of leaves and whole plants just disappeared.  It certainly appeared hungry.  There was much more floating vegetation for the manatee to eat here than around Ft. Myers on the Caloosahatchee River.

DAY 20:  Start 1037, Stop 1345;  15.4 miles; Mile Marker (mm) opposite 155 SJR;  Anchorage:  Dutchmans Bend Creek, 1 ½ miles up;  GPS 28° 54.304¢ N, 81° 21.053¢ W;  Internet 1 bar, slow.

DAY  21  TUESDAY,  3/24/09

This morning we watched a skirmish between two moorhens across the creek from our boat.  A third moorhen watched from the side.  The first two fought each other with wings flapping while feet attacked and shoved.  It was quite a show.  Perhaps they were fighting over whose territory it was or whose mate the third hen would be.  They continued the battle into the brush, squawking all the time.  Finally, only one came back to placidly eat and swim with the third hen.  Battle over.

After returning to the St. Johns River, we continued downstream (north) to Blue Springs State Park.  There are no transient docks here, but there is a small beach where boats can tie up.  We anchored nearby and dinked to shore.  The entire area around Blue Springs is a manatee sanctuary and an idle speed only zone.

The Blue Springs Run is blocked off to powerboats.  Canoes and kayaks are allowed and available for rent.  We walked along the boardwalk that edges the river all the way to the spring.  About 112 million gallons of 72-degree water bubbles up from Blue Springs every day.  This is a natural haven for the manatee in winter, much like our man-made water outfall from the power plant near us on the Caloosahatchee.  The tour boats that came past our anchorage in Dutchmans Bend Creek last night originate from this park.

We left Blue Springs and poked into Starks Landing Loop, at day beacon #69, but it is very shallow and decided it’s not a good anchorage.  We continued to Beresford Bend, a small oxbow south of Lake Beresford.  There were some shoals at the entrance, but we had about 10’ of water under us halfway around the small island.

As we anchored, we spotted a huge gator on the shore about 100’ from our bow.  We checked out the neighborhood and counted 12 alligators.  At least four of them were very big ones.  Gators lounged on the banks or among downed trees.  They slid into the water to swim to the middle, check things out, and then swim back to shore.  As it was getting cooler around 1630, most of them were hiding in the depths except three big ones.  Later, even these gators returned to the water.

A black crowned night heron landed in a tree close to our stern.  He was a very striking bird in breeding plumage, I presume, with beautiful, long, graceful feathers hanging from the top of his head and down his back.  He hunkered in the tree for a couple of hours.

DAY 21:  Start 1007, Stop 1350;  7 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 149 SJR;  Anchorage:  Beresford Bend;  GPS 28° 58.335¢ N, 81° 20.747¢ W;  Internet 2 bars

DAY  22  WEDNESDAY,  3/25/09

We stayed here another day to watch the gator activity.  It was cooler so not as many seemed to cross back and forth from the island to the opposite bank.  Several of the big ones did come back on shore and sun awhile.  A number of boats idled through the oxbow looking for wildlife.  They were not disappointed.  One gal said she calls it “the gator hole.”  That was the name we had also given it.

In the morning, I planned to watch the bird and gator activity in the neighborhood and work on my book.  Gene said he was going to have a very busy day, “watching the silicone dry on an oil gauge he was repairing.”  Now that’s a tough duty.

DAY 22:  Same Anchorage:  Beresford Bend;  GPS 28° 58.335¢ N, 81° 20.747¢ W;  Internet 2 bars

DAY  23  THURSDAY,  3/26/09

Time to move on.  Anchors up at 0906 and we cruised about 2 miles past Hontoon Landing to Holly Bluff Marina to gather information on their rental houseboats.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, most of the boats were out on the river, but due back later in the afternoon.  We did get info, and then continued on to check out the Drigger Island anchorage.  Finally, we traveled to Pier 44 Marina at Crow’s Bluff for fuel.  This was last summer’s expensive diesel at $4.60.  Ouch!  However, better pay it than run out of fuel.  We only added 11 gallons; just enough to get us back to the reasonably priced fuel at Julington Creek.

We also had planned to fill our fresh water tanks.  The water we added at Boat Tree Marina just north of Lake Monroe was not the best with the high sulfur smell and taste.  Although it did improve as it set, probably degassing, we were using it very generously just to enter the tanks prior to our Pier 44 Marina stop.  However, when we inquired, Pier 44 did not consider their water potable.  It too had high sulfur and they had added several chemicals and additives.  It was not fit for drinking, but fine for washing and showering.

Now we had a problem since we had used most of our fresh water.  I called back to Holly Bluff Marina and they said they had good water.  Therefore, we chose to travel back to Drigger Island, anchor for the night, and go back to Holly Bluff in the morning to get water and then even be able to tour the houseboats.

Drigger Island was peaceful.  Moorhens, herons and egrets searched for tasty meals in the floating green vegetation along shore.  At one time, all the neighborhood birds seemed to be upset about something.  They carried on, agitated for a while, and then settled down.  We never did see any threat around the area.  We spent the afternoon reading, reading, editing and enjoying the beautiful outdoors.

DAY 23:  Start 0906, Stop 1115;  5.2 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 145 SJR;  Anchorage:  Drigger Island;  GPS 28° 59.938¢ N, 81° 22.338¢ W;  Internet 2 bars, slow.

DAY  24  FRIDAY,  3/27/09                        HAPPY 42^nd ANNIVERSARY TO US!

This was an overcast morning, but it was a sunny day in our hearts as we celebrated 42 years of marriage.

We pulled anchor at 0906 and motored 2 miles back to Holly Bluff Marina to fill with fresh water and check out the houseboats.  Marty, the dock master, was very friendly and told us many houseboat stories about inexperienced folks on the river.  We checked out the 2, 3 and 4 bedroom models.  Good possibilities for a trip with friends or family.

Gene treated me for our anniversary with a big splurge – an ice cream crunch bar.  Simple pleasures on the St. Johns River.  Then we headed downriver, past Drigger Island, past Pier 44, and checked out River Forest Bend.  It had houses on shore, so we moved on another mile to a more secluded anchorage, Loop Creek.

This area has four entrances.  We past up the first one per Claiborne Young’s recommendation and tried the second, but quickly ran out of water.  We then nosed into the third and ran out of water a second time.  As we backed out, the prop stirred up decaying vegetation from the bottom.  We finally slid into Loop Creek through the north entrance, crossing the bar with less than 2’ of water under us.  Once we got in, we idled past a cypress swamp and anchored where we could see the channels leading to the first three entrances.  This was a very scenic spot.

The herons were going at it again with their noisy chattering.  I looked, but could not see any nests.  They were probably in the treetops in the interior of this large island.

Moorhens pecked at leaves on both sides of the channel.  Our un-named small purple bird came near our shore.  It seems to be a heron, with long feathers down the back of its head.  It also has a purple beak and purple legs.  Its body is smaller than a mallard duck, so I don’t think it is a Little Blue Heron, which is considered to be a medium size bird.  I stand corrected.  I just looked on the net and it does seem to be a little blue heron.

An unusual limpkin worked the shore near us.  Instead of being brown with white spots and speckles, it had a white chest, brown lower wings, and big splashes of brown on a white back.  It certainly looked and acted like a limpkin.

We toasted our anniversary with a glass of fine wine, the finest on board, and a tasty microbrew, the best on board.  Over dinner, we reminisced and thanked God for blessing us all these years.  We have been led … to find each other, fall in love, marry, and end up here on the St. Johns River 43 years later.

DAY 24:  Start 0906, Stop 1135;  9.2 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 142 SJR;  Anchorage:  Loop Creek;  GPS 29° 01.878¢ N, 81° 24.489¢ W;  Internet 2-3 bars.

DAY  25-26  SATURDAY-SUNDAY,  3/28/09 – 3/29/09

Although this was a second favorite anchorage, after Butchers Bend, it was a bit buggy, so we decided to move on and look for another protected spot since possible rain, wind, and thunderstorms were coming tonight or Sunday. 

Actually, we have had very few bugs so far on this trip.  The weather has been ideal, cool mornings and evenings with warm days.  We are ahead of the main bug season.  They come at night when the cabin lights are on and end up littering the cockpit, bow and flybridge with their dead carcasses by morning.

Anchors up at 0906.  Are we creatures of habit?  This was the third day in a row we started at this same time.  As we were leaving Loop Creek, Gene spotted a Sand Hill Crane in the lily pads.  It had a beautiful reddish mask on its face.  Gene had heard it calling earlier.  This was our first crane sighting.

We motored north through the 10 mile stretch of the St. Johns River that is completely undeveloped and located in the Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge.  A travel guide describes it as the longest stretch of wild river on the St. Johns.

We tried anchoring in Alexander Springs Creek three times and then gave up.  On our first attempt, the anchor dragged and when I pulled it up, we had hooked an 8’ or more diameter log.  It was about 4’ long.  No wonder we dragged and could not get the anchor to bite the bottom.  We tried a different spot twice and still had no luck, so we moved on cruising through Lake Dexter.  It was calm despite the winds blowing around us.

As we approached the town of Astor, I was reading the cruise guide that recommended the Blackwater Inn.  Well, what do you know!  It is lunch time and just ahead is … the Blackwater Inn.  We docked and continued our anniversary celebration with an oyster and scallop dinner.  How long can I milk this occasion?

Morrison Island, mile 125 St. Johns River, is about a mile north of the restaurant.  We decided this should be a good spot to hide from the weather.  Our first anchor attempt near the north entrance did not give us good holding, so we tried near the opposite shore and got a good set, although it was windier.  We added the usual stern anchor and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.

Another trawler, about 45’ long, came into the creek and anchored almost mid-channel.  It slowly dragged anchor and began to slide closer to us.  Finally, the captain pulled up and reanchored back in his original spot.  I watched him walk on the bow to drop his anchor and let out all the chain followed by some line.  He piled it in one spot and then cinched off the line.  I noticed he never was at the helm to set the anchor   His female companion stayed on the fly bridge reading a book, perhaps she was unable to help. 

We had very gusty winds all afternoon, and I wondered if he was going to drag again.  It is enough to be monitoring your own boat when weather comes in, without needing to be on the lookout for a neighboring boat as well.  Fortunately, his anchor grabbed in the deep, soft mud.

We had rains and thunderstorms move through 0300 Sunday morning.  There were still some winds predicted, but by Monday, they should only be about 5mph.  That will give us a much more pleasant 1 ½-hour crossing of Lake George just ahead.  We have no schedule, so we decided to stay here another day and cross the lake on Monday.

DAY 25-26:  Start 0906, Stop 1340;  17.8 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 125 SJR;  Anchorage:  Morrison Creek;  GPS 29° 10.880¢ N, 81° 32.352¢ W;  Internet 2 bars.

LOG 7   DAYS 27-32  3/30/09-4/4/09 

HEADING BACK DOWN THE ST. JOHNS RIVER

DAY  27  MONDAY,  3/30/09

The cold front had come through while we were at anchor in Morrison Creek.  It was a chilly morning and we left the Astor area to cross Lake George.  This 10-mile long lake had a moderate chop with the wind on our bow, but it was a pleasant crossing nonetheless.

Gene idled up to a boat on the lake.  The men were checking traps and told Gene they were eeling.  We had read that eel were trapped on the St. Johns River and then shipped live to Japan.

Contrary to the crusing guides, Gene did see diesel advertised at Georgetown Marina (mile 107 St. Johns River) for $2.50/gal.  This is at the north end of Lake George.  We did not see the sign going upriver, since we took the west cut around Drayton Island on our way to Silver Glen Springs.

Again, contrary to Claiborne Young’s guide, which is very conservative and cautious, it looks like we could get into the Oklawaha River and explore it.  However, we did not try this.

We left the main channel at the Seven Sisters Islands near the south entrance, by Green # 31, and explored past the west point of the island paralleling Barrentine Creek.  There were shallows, shoals and houses farther up, so we returned to the undeveloped area where we entered, and then anchored near the SE point of the island.

Our chilly breezy morning turned into a warm, sunny and still afternoon.  We even needed our sunshade on the flybridge in the late afternoon.  This was a first for this trip.  It was comical, though, as Gene hung the shade from the bimini at the stern.  The boat slowly turned, so Gene moved the shade to the starboard side.  The boat kept spinning slowly in the tide.  He hung it at the bow.  More turning, another shift to the port side.  We had spun 360 degrees, Gene finally gave up and put the shade away.  “Enough!” he said.  By then, it had cooled a bit and we were fine with out the shade.

The trawler that anchored with us in Morrison Creek came into this anchorage.  He anchored the same way as before, dropping all the chain and some line in a pile.  Fortunately, no winds were predicted and the tide was not very strong.  So there’s not much concern about dragging tonight.

DAY 27:  Start 0747, Stop 1230;  24.7 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 92 SJR;  Anchorage:  Seven Sisters, south island;  GPS 29° 34.233¢ N, 81° 41.093¢ W;  Internet 1-2 bars

DAY  28  TUESDAY,  3/31/09

Anchor up at 0825 and we cruised about 10 miles to East Palatka looking for the Burger King dock.  Two cruise guides mentioned this as a free dock with a grocery store across the street.  “Buy a whopper, and then fill up your fridge.”  We did not see it on our trip upriver because we were looking at the Palatka shore not East Palatka.  For our return trip, Gene had done a search on our computer mapping program and located it.

As we approached marker R#6 we saw a Burger King but it was across the street.  On the river side of the street, there was a large restaurant with a fairly long floating dock.  We tied up there and learned that the Burger King, which had been two lots down, was sold and had moved across the street.  However, the restaurant did not open for about an hour and the manager said we could dock there for a short time to reprovision.  The day was cold and cloudy so not too many hungry boaters should be coming in for lunch.

After walking to the grocery store, we were able to fill to capacity, our two backpacks, a duffle bag, and another grocery bag.  Once they were on our backs and in our hands, we both agreed—we could have bought more!

As we walked back to the boat, we saw that the old Burger King property was completely fenced off.  A new marina will be developed on that property along with several other lots.  Had we docked there, the security fence would have prevented us from getting off the property.

Weather was predicted to be moving in again, so we quickly left and headed to Sixmile Creek, opposite Green Cove Springs and slightly south.  This is a narrow creek with tall trees on both sides.  The Outback Crab Shack, which is a very popular restaurant, has a floating dock that boaters can tie up to overnight.  We were in awe as we idled up to the restaurant and found a 1500’ long floating dock.  That’s more dockage space than many marinas.  There is no water or power, but it’s free.  Eat at Outback and enjoy the safety from coming storms.  There was a sailboat at one end and another cruiser at the restaurant end, so we took a spot in the middle.

The Crab Shack is quite an eclectic place in the wilds with very casual picnic table seating inside and tented outside seating.  The food was generous in proportions and good.  We took doggie boxes home.

Storms were predicted for today and tomorrow, so we settled in for a couple of days.  Gene read and I worked on editing my stories.

DAY 28:  Start 0825, Stop 1500;  40.9 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 52 SJR;  Anchorage:  Sixmile Creek, Outback Crab Shack;  GPS 29° 57.627¢ N, 81° 32.684¢ W;  Internet 3 bars

DAY  29  WEDNESDAY,  4/1/09

We awoke to an overcast day with storms still predicted for this afternoon, so we decided to stay at Sixmile floating dock and HAD to eat out at the Crab Shack again—another doggie box.  We did get some rain, but no real storms moved through.  However, we are putting  a lot of leftovers in our fridge.

DAY 29:  Still at Mile Marker (mm) off 52 SJR;  Anchorage:  Sixmile Creek, Outback Crab Shack;  GPS 29° 57.627¢ N, 81° 32.684¢ W;  Internet 3 bars

DAY  30  THURSDAY,  4/2/09

Up at 0715.  Out on the river by 031 as we raced the storms due in Jacksonville this afternoon.

Gene called down to me while I was in the cabin, and ask me to check for a retina specialist in Jacksonville.  This morning, he had a second incident of seeing light flashes. 

I found a specialist and made an appointment for 4pm.  That should give us time to get to the Landings in Jacksonville and also leave us time to figure out transportation to the appointment. 

We arrived at 1150 and did not encounter any bad weather.  The storms were delayed.  We wandered around the Landings and hopped a water taxi to take us across the river to the River City Marina and Brew Pub for a burger and a beer.  Their pale ale is good, but does not compare to AIA pale Ale in St. Augustine.

We had a nice mile or so walk over the bridge, back to the Landings in time to catch a taxi to the retina apointment.  Two hours later, and of course, with dilated eyes, Gene got a good report, no torn or detaching retina.  The questionable episodes were perhaps visual migraines.  That was my diagnosis when Gene experienced them, since I had had them in the past, along with retina tears.  However, the same symptoms are also present with the retina tears, so this was a case of being cautious, especially while traveling on a boat and often unable to get immediate medical attention.

The floating dock at the Landings is free for 72 hours as was our dockage at the Jacksonville Metropolitan Park near the Gator Bowl where we stayed on our way upriver.

Sunday is the annual Blessing of the Fleet here.  About 80 boats came last year, so the fleet will start arriving tomorrow (Friday) to dock for the weekend.  On Friday nights, the Landings also hosts a free concert which draws many boaters.  The signs here indicate rafting MUST be allowed, up to 5 boats deep, of about equal size and length.  Boats 3 and 5 must have bow and stern lines to the dock.

We decided we would not stay for the Friday music because we would want to leave early Saturday morning.  If boats were rafted off to us, it would be more difficult to make an early morning departure, particularly after many had had a Friday night party.  Tomorrow morning, we’ll head to St. Augustine.  This is a full day’s trip.  We will leave the St. Johns River and return to the AICW heading south.

DAY 30:  Start 0731, Stop 1150;  34.7 miles; Mile Marker (mm) off 25 SJR;  Free dock:  Jacksonville Landings;  GPS 309° 19.458¢ N, 81° 39.660¢ W;  Internet 3-4 bars

DAY  31  FRIDAY,  4/3/09

We certainly enjoyed the city lights last night.  The Main St. lift bridge near the Landings was a beautiful blue as a soft light bathed the lift supports and entire structure.  In the distance, we spotted white lights marking the arches of another bridge.  Across the river, red neon lights outlined the top of the Crown Plaza Hotel and several other points along the river.  White indirect lighting highlighted the multi-story Wachovia Bank Building.  On our side, the Landings glowed with lighted palm trees, old fashioned street lights, and neon lights.  It was a eye-catching  sight.

Some rain moved through about 9pm, but the real lightening storms came at midnight and lasted for about three hours.  We bounced and rocked in the wind and waves.  The floating docks started to squeak and squawk.  A restful night, it was not!  However, we were glad to be tied to a dock.

The forecast for today was good, so we left early at 0805.  The Jacksonville skyline is indeed an impressive sight, both day and night.

We were encouraged to see quite a bit of activity at the commercial shipping terminals.  Huge onshore cranes loaded and unloaded inter-modal shipping containers from several ocean going vessels.  We saw four huge ocean-going barges that also hauled these containers.  The barges were very boxy and held up to 448 containers on the ship’s three levels.

We watched as a specialty short tractor moved the shipping containers onto the barge.  It was an impressive sight.  The top level had 12 containers across in rows that were 14 containers long.  The two lower levels held 10 x 14.  It was a good to see the activity as opposed to when we came through two weeks earlier when there was no activity whatsoever.  As a recent Newsweek article said, “Start spending your money and the economy will turn around.”

The tide was racing out of the St. Johns River and we scooted along at up to 11.5 mph.  This gave us a good 3.5 mph boost over our normal speed.  Once we turned off the St. Johns River and into the AICW, however, we had the current on our nose and our speed dropped to 6.9 mph, which is a 1.1 mph drag.

We had called friends from St. Augustine that we had met there in 2005 when we did the Loop.  Pat and Lloyd came down to the marina and we had a great visit with them.  We celebrated Pat’s cancer cure and enjoyed swapping boating and travel stories with them.

Then it was off the A1A Brew Pub across the street from the marina.  We thoroughly enjoyed their Pale Ale and once again declared it is of the best beers we’ve had.

After our night of storms and rocking and rolling at the Jacksonville Landings, it was a wonderful to get a peaceful night’s sleep.

DAY 31:  Start 0805, Stop 1540;  56.3 miles; Mile Marker (mm) 777.8 AICW;  St. Augustine Marina, GPS 29° 53.532¢ N, 81° 18.568¢ W;  Internet 4 bars

DAY  32  SATURDAY,  4/4/09

We left early today to make miles and did just that as we backtracked along the AICW.  Since it ws a weekend day, there was a lot of boat traffic, fishermen, cruisers, day boaters, sailboats …

The closer we got to the Ponce De Leon Inlet and Daytona Beach, the busier it became.  Near New Smyrna Beach things quieted down. 

We talked with friends in our park and learned our yacht club will be going on a trip to Ft. Myers Beach for three days leaving the day after Easter.  We should be able to be home by Easter, and then go on that trip with them.  After all, we haven’t been on the boat very many days in April so far.

We anchored at mm 848 AICW, enjoyed the sunset, entered in the log, and hit the sack early after our long 70 mile day.

DAY 32:  Start 0800, Stop 1708;  69.8 miles; Mile Marker (mm) 848 AICW;  Anchorage:  New Smyrna Beach;  GPS 29° 00.298¢ N, 80° 54.317¢ W;  Internet 4 bars

LOG 8   DAYS 33-37  4/5/09 - 4/9/09

ON THE HOME STRETCH

DAY  33  SUNDAY,  4/5//09                        PALM SUNDAY

Last night, we heard a very strange noise just as we were about to go to bed.  It sounded like a woodpecker under the water.  Gene investigated it and decided the noise was exterior to the boat, something in the water, but not involving our hull.  After we learned yesterday about our friend’s boat mysteriously taking on water and sinking, we did not need mysterious noises in our boat.  However, the noises stopped; we slept well and are still afloat.

Today was another long day of cruising through the Atlantic ICW.  We left early at 0715 and had our church reading on the flybridge. 

Today, we did not see any manatee in the Haulover Canal between Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River.  Although, there were quite a few folks fishing along the banks of the canal.  Some had a very long walk to get their fishing spot.

Shortly after we exited the canal, Gene spotted flamingoes flying and roosting on an island with Marsh Pelicans.  We can now add flamingoes to our wildlife list for this trip.  Other “wildlife,” of the human kind, that we watched were windsurfers and kite boarders.

It was very breezy all day.  We anchored again in North Rocky Point, in the lee of a small island.  This is our third trip through here, and our third time anchoring here.  We’re in a rut.  Actually, it’s one of the few anchorages in the area.  Even though it is exposed, the little island does provide some protection from the wind.

DAY 33:  Start 0715, Stop 1709;  77.8 miles; Mile Marker (mm) 925 AICW;  Anchorage:  North Rocky Point;  GPS 27° 59.423¢ N, 80° 32.668¢ W;  Internet 4 bars

DAY  34  MONDAY,  4/6/09

We hit the sack early last night after a second long day of cruising.  Up early and moving on the water by 0710.  Each day gets earlier as we travel through these long stretches.

It was another windy, blustery and wavy day of traveling.  Gene noted the  wind speed using his hand-held meter.  The winds were 30mph with gusts up to 45mph.  Several times during the day, the wind blew water from the bow wake all the way onto the flybridge.  The WE BE BLEST III was caked with salt.  It was not a pleasant day of cruising.  Actually, it was a very tiring day of boating.

Storms have been predicted for this afternoon and evening, ending around midnight when the 60-degree cold front moves through.  We anchored on the SW side of the Jensen Beach Causeway.

DAY 34:  Start 0710, Stop 1500;  57.5 miles; Mile Marker 981 AICW;  Anchorage:  Jensen Beach Causeway, southwest side;  GPS 27° 14.862¢ N, 80° 13.392¢ W;  Internet 3 bars

DAY  35  TUESDAY,  4/7/09          HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR DAUGHTER-IN-LAW KAYLA

The wind blew all night and continued all day today.  We started the day with the wind and waves on our stern.  It was very chilly.  Gene observed a wind chill of 50 degrees on his SkyMate wind meter.  Certainly not Florida weather.  What happened to the “perpetual summer” Florida we knew?  Gene said to watch what I asked for.

After we traveled about 7 miles, we reached the St. Lucie Inlet and turned off the AICW onto the Okeechobee Waterway (OWW).  The wind was blowing against the tide, which stacked up the waves.  Within 7 miles, we were in the lee of shore and finally things settled down for a pleasant ride.

We waited about 30 minutes for the RR bridge at Stuart to open.  A crew was repairing the bridge structural steel, an old riveted unit.  Fortunately, it was relatively calm as we idled around and waited.

We continued up the OWW through St. Lucie Lock and toward Port Mayaca Lock.  We tied off to the dolphins on the east side of the lock.  This puts us in a good position for making an early lockage followed by an early morning crossing of Lake Okeechobee.  We will wait until conditions are good for the crossing.  If the winds are 20 mph, the lake will be much too rough to cross.

Today was not a good day for the crossing.  Gene talked with the captain from one trawler and he had taken a lot of brown Lake O water over the bow.  It was very rough. 

The wind did make it difficult for us to tie to the Port Mayaca Lock dolphins.  We secured long lines from the bow and stern to the 2^nd and 3^rd dolphins as we had done on our earlier trip at Moore Haven Lock.  The winds kept up all afternoon and into the evening.  If they are too strong tomorrow morning, we will wait here another day.

DAY 35:  Start 0700, Stop 1402;  45.8 miles; Mile Marker 38 OWW;  Anchorage:  Port Mayaca Lock Dolphins;  GPS 26° 59.175¢ N, 80° 36.919¢ W;  Internet 3 bars

DAY  36  WEDNESDAY,  4/8/09

We woke up at 0620 and it was dead calm, so we hustled and within 10 minutes had untied from the dolphins.  We were on our way to the Port Mayaca Lock that was just past the dolphins.  The lockmaster opened both gates and we traveled straight through with no lockage needed.

The lake started calm, but slowly began to stir up.  The 26-mile trip took us 3 hours.  The winds were 10-15 mph from the NW, so for a bit we did catch beam seas that made it rough.  It settled down the closer we got to Clewiston.  It was cold, but not a bad trip at all.

We turned onto the Rim Route for a 12-mile trip to the Moore Haven Lock.  It was a wildlife eco tour as manatee cavorted and birds hunted in the shallows, while gators kept patrol along the banks.  We spotted over 20 alligators.  Some were sunning on shore despite the cold temperatures.  Often the gators in the water began to swim toward the WE BE BLEST III, perhaps to keep us away from their territory or to get in deeper water for more maneuverability.  Then they would slowly sink in the water up to their eyeballs.  No wading along shore for me, no sir!

The Moore Haven Lock had about a 4” drop.  The lockmaster left both gates open for a couple of small fishing boats that followed us after we had locked through.

We continued to the dolphins above Ortona Lock and easily tied off to them since there was no wind.  What a change this was from fighting the blustery breezes at the Mayaca dolphins.

Around 5pm, we heard motors and saw what I would call “kite fliers.”  These were single person kites, such as the ones kite boarders use on the water, or actually more the size that skydivers use.  However, they were powered with small engines fastened onto a seat and had a rear-facing propeller.  The pilot sat in the seat and steered by pulling on the lines to the chute.  About seven people flew along the waterway, crossed it near the lock and eventually came back to return to the southeast.  This was a first for us.  It must be a new sport.  One chute had a website printed on it, but I could not read all of it.

.

DAY 36:  Start 0630, Stop 1320;  53 miles; Mile Marker (mm) 95 OWW;  Anchorage:  Ortona Lock dolphins;  GPS 26° 47.449¢ N, 81° 18.014¢ W;  Internet 3 bars

DAY  37  THURSDAY,  4/9/09       HOLY THURSDAY

We are in the home stretch.  Today we transited Ortona Lock and headed to Franklin Lock where we will call an official end to the St. Johns River trip.  We will stay for several days at the marina connected with the Army Corps campground on the upstream side of the lock.  I plan to “hide out” and work on my book without the distractions at home, both fun and work ones.  Since we are home earlier than planned, we will also be able to attend Easter services at our home church. 

DAY 37:  Start 0845, Stop 1324;  27 miles; Mile Marker (mm) 121 OWW;  Franklin Lock Marina;  GPS 26° 43.391¢ N, 81° 41.459¢ W;  Internet 4 bars 

End of St. Johns River trip.  Total miles 1160.1

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE ST. JOHNS RIVER TRIP

Gene commented that much of the scenery along the Atlantic Coast ICW is very much like driving through Nebraska.  It is something you endure to get to a different waterway or state.  Forgive me, any readers who are lovers of Nebraska.  The Atlantic Coast seems to be an area to cruise through.  At least for boaters as we are who prefer scenic secluded anchorages over the hub-bub of resort marinas.  It’s wide, straight, with few anchorages and lots of development.

The St. Johns River is a river of contrasts, from the industrial commercial shipping port of Jacksonville with its big city attractions to the untouched wilderness of old Florida 170 miles upstream. 

Black Creek, off mile 48, is a narrow and beautiful side trip in the wider portion of the river.  It gives a good taste of what to expect in the upper reaches of the St. Johns River, see Log 4.

The St. Johns River is very wide until south of Palatka at mile 80.  Then it starts to narrow and south of Lake George, mile 125, the river is rather narrow and scenic.  This was what we came to see.  It meanders through protected wildlife refuges and cypress swamps festooned with Spanish moss, and of course innumerable manatee zones.  The shore was occasionally dotted with fish camps, small towns, and two state parks with springs and manatee.

This section runs from Blue Creek, off mile 125, south of Lake George to Butchers Bend, mm160, just above Lake Monroe.  We poked our nose into many of the oxbows and anchored in quite a few of them.

Spring (mid-March) is certainly a good time to travel this area before the bugs and hot weather move in.  During our 2 weeks on the St. Johns River, we had almost no bugs.

If we were to do it again, we would consider renting a houseboat for a week from Holly Bluff Marina, mile 148, and go south to Butchers Bend.  This area, in our opinion, is the most scenic.  See Logs 5 and 6.

As we anchored in the oxbows for a day or two or three, we became part of the scenery and the neighborhood soon came alive with the activity of birds and gators.  Herons squawking, nesting and mating.  Alligators patrolling, defending their territory and cavorting.  Limpkins, moorhens, little blue herons, black crowned night herons, turkey vultures, osprey and eagles looking for tasty meals.  This was the highlight of the trip for us. 

Take a trip on the St. Johns River in the spring and see what you can discover.