St.Johns River, Florida

[cdory25]

How do you get from the ICW to St. Johns River way south of Jacksonville? I live on the ICW between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach and would like to do a loop cruise. If I go south on the ICW, where can I cut over to St. Johns south of Daytona?

Thanks!
Blues Cruiser

[Molly Brown]

You can't. What we did in over the holidays in 06/07 was to pick up a friend in Orlando to drive over with us to Daytona, launch the boat, then he drove the truck and trailer to the I-4 ramp in Sanford. It sat there for 2 weeks while we cruised up to Jax on the intercoastal and then down the St.John's to Sanford. From there we loaded up the boat and drove home. Worked out great. You could do it in reverse. Have someone drive over with you to Sanford, go down river to Jax then pick up the coast route back to Flagler Beach.

What we call the Florida Loop is Ft.Myers to Stuart then down to the Keys, across the Everglades and back up the west coast to Punta Gorda. That was 700nm in 8 days, an exact opposite of the St.John's cruise we just completed. Much too fast but a trip full of memories nonetheless.

[bcassal]

The St Johns River is my favorite boating site. We'll be leaving in about a week for our third consecutive visit. I have paper charts, Garmin GPS, Navionics Charts on a tablet as well as the Tablet maps. All have been helpful. I have found the navionics charts to be the one that filled in where all the others were lacking. As I recall I have a Pic in my album of the navionics chart on the Okalawaha river where all the others had no information and the river was running in multiple channels. The tablet maps are land oriented, but have lots information on local features and is good to give you a quick "big picture".

We will be based at Sanford Boat Works, a very nice and accommodating marina, from 2/11 for about 2 weeks. This year we have no itinerary. We are familiar with the area now and are just going to wander. We are planning to spend about a week on the Suwanee, another favorite. Maybe we'll stop in Apalachicola on the way home.

Winter projects are about done. We're putting the boat back together now.
I just discovered today I installed one impeller backwards (oops). I'll change and test it tomorrow. We are anxious to be back on the water!

Bruce & Joyce
Carpy

[Molly Brown]

I found the Ocklawaha to have really changed from our last visit. I'm told that the digging of the Cross Florida Barge Canal radically changed the river. There were plans to fill in the lake to try and restore the area but the lake draws tourist and fisherman and the the surrounding communities fought it. In 06/07 we were all the way up to US19 but could not get that far this time. This is a pic of how far we went up (we did not make it to US19)

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=St-Johns-River-2013&id=IMG_0257&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

There was a wide open area beyond the "s-curve" but we just couldn't/didn't navigate beyond that spot. May have been doable in a 22.

[Molly Brown]

This next picture will show the range of potential water levels on this river system. As mentioned earlier, water levels are down.

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=St-Johns-River-2013&id=IMG_0021&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

[smittypaddler]

I think you went up Bear Creek instead of the main channel of the Oklawaha. Bear Creek is really a side channel, and meets the main Oklawaha a few miles upriver from the St Johns where your photo was taken, I think. Here's a link to my photo at the same spot:

http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cdc/fl09/photos/large/d090319/IMG_1828.JPG

Where you entered Bear Creek from the St Johns, if you'd gone 200 yards further north you would've found the main channel of the Oklawaha. I've been to Hwy 19 and further up to the dam several times in my C-Dory with no problems.

[Molly Brown]

I do believe you are right. Betty even mentioned that as we were exiting. Amazing how you have a picture of exactly that same spot. Kudos!