St. Johns River, November 9 - 15, 2014

November 9 - 15, 2014



With Thanksgiving a recent memory and Christmas nearing, I realize I have never emailed our St. Johns River saga. So, with wishes for a very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years 2015, the following paragraphs are designed for your reading pleasure (if you can squeeze in a few minutes reading time in this busy holiday season):
Believe me when I say Clay and I have gotten to know each other pretty darn well over these past fourteen months aboard, not to mention the almost-thirty-six years we've been married. A Mainship 430 offers close quarters, so a heartfelt thanks to all of my female friends who have listened to me vent. I've frequently said, "This would be a good job if it paid." (Not sure why I get all of the grunt work!)

Dah Dah, I know where Clay's curiosity comes from! I'm not particularly curious by nature, but Clay is cut from an entirely different mold! No area goes unexplored; no sign, unread.

And, when I watch Clay at the helm, I can picture Daddy Dad with his calm demeanor, his keen observation, and his ability to fix almost anything. On a boat, those are all good qualities to have.

Clay readily nixed my idea to enjoy a week at Ortega Landing, deciding instead to explore the St. Johns River in this time before the boat is pulled (on Monday, November 17) for the 1000-hour check, bottom painting and routine maintenance work while we are home for the holidays.

As we depart Ortega southbound, I've been told we're on alligator watch! And, we're gonna be on alligator watch all week. Manatees, too! The St. Johns River is notorious for such. We have a whole new set of navigational maps in which I have no interest. In my heart, I'm still swimming laps and sunning (well, sheltered sunning) at the Ortega pool. Other than knowing we're heading south, I know little about the upcoming week. Oh, and that we're gonna be launching and using the dinghy; that's a good thing because a) we've not used it enough to justify it occupying our entire stern patio deck; b) we've not used it enough to justify Clay's having purchased it; c) the springs which we will be exploring offer depths less than 4' where SaSea won't go but the dinghy will!

Six hours cruising in an overcast chill landed us at the free dock in Palatka, FL. Gone from electricity and water, security, pool, laundry, familiar faces and surroundings to this free dock. You can tell what kind of a happy camper I'm not. It's a poor substitute! But the sun set on a cute waterfront landscape complete with a clock tower as we grilled the last piece of our grouper, asparagus and jasmine rice. When disappointment mounts, at least make your tummy happy! And news of Walter winterizing our pipes at 417 made my day! Thanks, Walter!

Twenty miles cruising Monday took us to the Acosta Creek Marina with daylight to spare, the time Clay spent unboxing and assembling our replacement bikes. We were thankful for recycling bins, a cheerful dockmaster/owner, and a hard-packed dirt road 0.4 miles long to accommodate our Tuesday morning walk. We were out in the Boonies! Oh, and we were still on alligator watch!

Awakening Tuesday morning, I realized I truly had no idea where I was...don't know that Clay did either. I waited in line to cycle a slim laundry load (on the honor system, throw your 3-quarters each wash and dry in the plastic cup) at this gem-in-the-road rural complex of boats/RV's/private home/weekly-room-rentals. Folks were friendly, and the sun was shining! And informative...we're in Welaka, FL...or the outskirts thereof.  Little did I know what Clay had in store for today! A ten-mile-diameter Lake George formed in the distance and awaited our exploration as we departed, followed by a flock of swooping gulls. I felt like I was living Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." We set anchor early afternoon, launched the dinghy which started after another 393 moment, and went off to explore Silver Glen Springs where water was crystal clear and a constant 72-degrees. This was purported to be a manatee haven, but none did we see. Still no gators either.

We pulled anchor after nesting the dinghy without incident and literally motored into the sunset as darkness threatened. Ooooo, this was not looking good for daylight anchoring. We found 'Tom's Favorite Anchorage' (one of many so notated on the map) soon after passing through the cattle-gate exit to points south. Well, SaSea didn't like Tom's Favorite Anchorage; our anchor wouldn't catch (a warning frequently voiced on the St. Johns). So, off we went in the pitch black (Sally wasn't happy; truth-be-known, Clay probably wasn't happy either) to anchor at another of Tom's Favorite Anchorages where the anchor caught, and the bugs played in bulk around our flashlight beams as the rays directed our anchoring. We were anchored South of Astor, FL. Another good dinner of grilled salmon, romaine and baked potatoes, my goal was to use up the supply of foodstuffs prior to going home.

We've been on alligator watch since leaving Jacksonville Sunday morning. It's now Wednesday morning; I don't think there are any alligators in this St. John's River. I kept asking Clay if we are having fun yet; he assured me we are! We were in slowwww manatee zones which mandate slowwww speed. So we traveled at slowwww speed to arrive on Lake Monroe mid-afternoon at Monroe Harbour Marina. As dockhand Allan caught our lines, he enthusiastically reported we were in Sanford, FL (under his breath, 'of Trevon Martin fame'). Our Florida road map (thanks, Randy Schmitt) revealed the bigger picture that The Villages were nearby. The big hoopla rec for dinner was a German restaurant, but we, by choice, ended up at the Breezeway Restaurant which was rec'd by a boating couple on their way back from dinner, presumably at the Breezeway. Our fish tacos (Sal) and pork roast special (Clay) dinners were topped by our delightful, upbeat waiter who was well-deserving of a 20% tip!

Thursday morning, after a refreshing walk along the lake, we turned north toward Jacksonville, still on the prowl for gators, but having seen mostly/only Uncle Woody's Henrietta birds (what are they, Woody?) and wasps. Yep, as our friends up north were dealing with snowflakes and dropping temperatures, we were dealing with wasps. We were lucky to have warmer temperatures today; even yesterday was nice. Day before, not so much. We took four days to get to Sanford; Clay had allocated only three to get back to J'ville by Sat eve. I don't think Clay had plans for stopping points--just keep on keepin' on until DST's darkness settles on us. And, remember, we can't go very fast due to manatee zone restrictions and nasty land people who get even nastier if we make even minimal wake.

On this particular Thursday, it was a 4 p.m. conference call commitment that had us anchoring mid-afternoon at Morrison Island, South Astor, FL. It was a familiar anchorage to us, having anchored here just two days earlier...in the dark with an audience of white birds in a nearby tree which were illuminated in my flashlight beam. Sure 'nuf, the white birds started landing in that same nearby tree just as the sun set. Such an intriguing sight...I wonder what draws these birds to this particular tree repeatedly? We ended the eve with grilled lamb chops, zucchini and a miscellaneous mix of carbs from the frig/freezer; as mentioned, we're attempting to use up our appliance's stash before next week's departure home.

Friday's travel was a five-hour trek to Murphy's Creek. With the Palatka, FL free dock nearby, we opted to anchor and to enjoy another evening of camping on the river. Complete with a terrific dinner of both grouper and sea bass (we split our entrees), jasmine rice (I seem to be hooked on jasmine rice), and leftover grilled greens, we added a bit more protein to the meal with an invasion of white-winged  bugs which undoubtedly made their way into our bellies. Yuk! But, in the many years of FiJi camping where the evening meal was prepared in total darkness, I've become somewhat accustomed to adding a bit of protein in this manner. Never liked it...but it is what it is!

I slept like a rock Friday night with earplugs in place, then awakened to a 43-degrees chilly morning. Our Mainship 430, like most trawlers, has no insulation in the hull, so the outside temp is the inside temp unless forces are applied (shore power/generator). Clay was quick to stoke up the generator lest he be 'blessed' with an unhappy, purple first mate! I kept informing the captain that, as long as the pros outweigh the cons, I'm in for the long haul. Well, this morning, the cons seemed to be accumulating in quantity to cause my oft-voiced saying, "This (first mate) would be a great job if it paid!"

We pulled anchor early and geared toward Jacksonville with a long day ahead. Clay must have been tiring of the routine (bored) as he spent much of the morning talking on the cell to friends afar. He simply had to catch up on the lives of friends Frank and Georg (who are now racing cars), Bill (who is in hunting mode), Randy (who is enduring shoulder problems), and others on his Saturday morning call list. Hugs to all of you! It's nice to make new friends, but we miss our gold friends!

Arriving Jacksonville, Ortega Marina mid-afternoon, we found that dockmaster Shawn had saved our spot. So, we snugged in D172 and prepared for the long walks ahead...to the grocery store, the laundry room, the check-in office, etc. We'd collected a full week's worth of laundry, so I targeted the laundry room (who does laundry on Saturday evening? so the machines were available!), and struck up a delightful conversation with a hot-tubbing lone sailor while Clay finalized his letters of instruction to maintenance folks involved in completing the paint job and the engine check on SaSea Sally in our absence over the holidays.

Just to update you. We will vacate the boat Monday morning (November 17) when they pull it at nearby Huckins Boat Yard (that'll be an early morning trek, albeit a short one). After a brief survey by Clay, we'll be 'on-call' for a couple of days before flying home on Wednesday, November 19th for the holidays. Being land-based in Jacksonville with be quite a change, with overnights in a motel and a rental car available until departure on Wednesday. So, on that note, I bid you a fond farewell until we reconnect mid-January upon our return to the Looping experience.