More wind….

Still having some technical issues. Not able to download several photos, but I think you will get the gist.

Well, the wind got us again. Maybe not a bad thing this time. We stuck our bow out into Lake George and pretty much determined it was too rough to cross. Having been in a narrow river channel for quite some time, we didn’t realize how strong the winds were building. Lake George is big and shallow, not good on a windy day. The waves end up short and choppy and very uncomfortable on the boat. Lake George is a brackish lake six miles wide and eleven miles long, with an average depth of 8 feet. Yes, 8 feet! We were traveling the length of the lake. It’s the second largest lake in Florida (Okeechobee is the largest).

So, having encountered these shallow bodies of water before, and not liking the results, we spun around and headed back into the river. Right about the same time, we noticed a sputter in our Diesel engine. This was not a good development.

We had passed a Marina and Campground earlier that Joe had researched as a possible stop, so we called Renegades for a slip. We were too big for their slips, but they took pity on us and said we were welcome to stay on their fuel dock. We made it in there with the motor making a few more coughs. Yikes. Additionally, the wind was really blowing now, so we were glad to be off of Lake George and back on the St. John’s and very happy to see a dock hand to help us on the dock.

Now we were safely off the water so it was time for a meeting with the crew. Anyone bring donuts – what, only dog biscuits!

We discussed possible causes of our stuttering motor. We knew we were not out of fuel and so we checked the most obvious component—the auxiliary fuel pump. It was warm to the touch and not pumping fuel. Joe took it apart and we were shocked to see sludge ooze out of the pump. Now remember, we put in a new fuel tank, lines, filters and this fuel pump when we bought the boat two years ago. And yes, I learned everything there is to know about fuel delivery at that time. Who can forget our riveting story of the installation of the new fuel tank back in Rock Hall, Maryland?

A marina employee gave Joe a ride to Crescent City, where he purchased a new pump and filter. It wasn’t too difficult to install but working in small spaces is always a challenge. But, how did we get that sludge? We saved the sludge and may have it analyzed. In thinking back, we recalled…. mud daubers!!! These hornets build little nests from mud. We find nests every time we come back to the boat. Ah ha… in Surf City, NC, Joe recalled the little bastards building a nest in our fuel tank vent (we now cover all boat openings when we leave the boat). We cleaned out the vent tube at that time, but feel some of the mud may have migrated into the tank. We are hopeful that the problem is taken care of but will be closely monitoring our filter systems. All in all, the wind did us a favor by chasing us back inland.

Renegades on the River was a great spot for our repair and one additional day. Yes, once again we spent an additional night at a spot due to high winds. This time it also threw in brutal cold. We would really recommend this campground/marina to our camping friends if you want to experience the river or are passing through the middle of the State. It was immaculate. The driveways and pads were brick pavers, there was a pool, restaurant and real Tiki bar. We got a pizza from the Tiki bar that was really great — like really great! Plus it was dog friendly. We sat alone, safe in a corner by a standing heater, drinking a few $2 Yeunglings but had to leave when the Karaoke started….

So after 2 nights at the fuel dock, we left this morning (Wednesday) to cross Lake George on a much calmer day. We woke to about 40 degrees. Apparently, according to my brother in New Smyrna Beach, it’s colder on the coast. We are now at approximately the same latitude. We are reading that every State in the U.S., including Hawaii, will experience freezing temperatures within the next week. Well, looks like from this point forward, we may have some cool nights but should see 60 – 70 during the day. Good!

Lake George hosts a wide variety of wildlife ranging from migratory water birds and alligators to a number of normally marine animals. Local springs in Lake George (and throughout the St Johns River) impart enough salt to the system to make the habitat suitable to resident and migratory marine species like Atlantic stingray, various species of mullet, striped bass and blue crabs. There is a large enough blue crab population to support a local fishery, making it one of the only fresh water blue crab fisheries in the world. Just before we re-entered Lake George, a local crabber was checking his pots. He zoomed from spot to spot and at one point came very close to our boat. I was standing outside on the deck waving and he held up a crab for me to see! Huge. I wish I got a picture of him doing that, but here is the boat.

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The crossing was uneventful (thankfully) but the winds did pick up a bit and we had some waves, but nothing like our previous encounter.

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Once across, we entered the lock (not really a lock but it was described this way to us by the locals) and an even narrower St. John’s river. Several fisherman were trying their luck. Not sure you can call it luck, when each boat had 10-12 rods sprouting off the front of the boat in a semi-circle. They were being held in rod holders configured this way. There were never more than two people on the boats. So, passing these boats (who liked to anchor in the middle of the channel) was a challenge, but we managed to do so with out getting any fingers shown to us.

We have one more night before we get to Sandford so Joe called a marina which was a little more than half way. They wanted us to send them copies of our boat registration and certificate of insurance before they would take a reservation. Odd. We have never been asked for this documentation. Nah, we will pass. So, we ended up at Hontoon Island State Park, close to Deland. Very nice and $20 a night including the coveted electric for our heater!!!

There is a cute little ferry running back and forth bringing passengers from the mainland to Hontoon Island. No vehicles allowed. They rent bikes, kayaks and canoes. There is a campground and small rustic cabins. The Park Ranger told us the rules and gave us a map. There was a nature trail through the park, which we hiked for awhile. We didn’t want to get too far from the boat as it was getting late and we ran into a kid from Alaska who told us he got lost—the map was wrong 😑 . We had a nice hike; Miss Coconut would have gone on for much longer.

Back on the boat, two kayakers alerted us to a manatee swimming by us. It was really moving fast and didn’t pop his head up until passed us. We hope to get many more manatee sightings here as we approach Blue Springs.

Well, in summary so far, the St. John’s has many unexpected aspects. I never imagined it to be so wide in parts. It has a resort feel in some areas and an “up North” cabin feel in others. The types of boats have changed from cruising boats, to fast bass boats and now we are seeing house boats for rent. There are marinas and campgrounds combined like Renegades where we stayed. You pull in with your RV and go to your boat in it’s covered slip. How convenient. It’s all very quiet now, off season. Mostly fisherman. Oh, plus the fact it’s freakin’ cold. We wonder what it’s like in March, if that is high season and also what is it like in July and August?? Hot and humid. Bugs? We will be asking some questions ….

Other parts of the river are miles of leafless trees with flowing Spanish Moss. Some cypress in the water and lots of scrubby palms. We also started to see the invasive species Water Hyacinth. Florida’s worst floating weed. It reminds us of Creeping Charlie and is apparently as invasive.

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It is truly a wilderness in many areas and it’s so refreshing to see this in Florida. We see no litter and the water is clean but not clear.

We feel a bit like The African Queen chugging down the river.