Another c-brat on the St Johns

L

Larry K

New member
Leaving for the St John’s River FL and are putting in Sanford on the 25th, then heading up to Jacksonville (to see my brother) and back. We will be in the river about two weeks. If anyone out there will be on the river let us know.

This is a first in fulfilling my bucket list. My wife retired in December and it’s time to state checking things off the list. This is all new to us as for the last ten years we used The Odyssey to travel back and forth to our cottage. Last summer we spent six days on board but never 14 days nor have I pulled the boat more than 350 miles(this trip 1200 miles) but we are looking forward to the trip and spending the time on the boat.

All suggestions and information welcome.
 
"Absolutely superb" is the only description that comes close to describing the recent two weeks we spent on the river back in late January. I've no doubt it will be memorable for you as well. My only advice... go slow whenever possible... and explore off river every chance you get. You can make plans to come back again as "it's that big". You'd be hard pressed to explore it all in a couple of months, much less two weeks. That's what retirement is all about though and it's what I'm working towards. Fair winds!
 
The St Johns is my favorite boating venue. Be sure to linger in the upper St. Johns. There are so many diversions. Explore the creeks. Go through lakes Dexter and Woodruff and through Spring Garden Creek. The wildlife is spectacullar and you end up at De Leon State park ( the fountain of youth) where you can have all-you-can-eat pancakes cooked at your table for $5. Dont't miss the Hontoon Dead river. Murphy and Dunns Creek shouldn't be missed. We have been for the past 3 yrs and find new places every year. We haven't been north of Palatka much. The river is much bigger up there and we like it more intimate. This year we did venture into Rice and Etonia Creek. Rice Creek goes to a lumber miil, you can avoid that. Etonia Creek is beautiful. Take a look at our albums.

Carpy
 
The St johns is on our list to do this year. We want to start near the northern end and head south and then return. Any suggestions about where to launch and store truck and trailer for several weeks? Tks

Slowtrot
 
I agree with Carpy, making sure to vist Lake Woodruff and Spring Garden Creek as well as the stop in Deleon Springs Sate Park where you make your own pancakes. Weekends can get pretty crowded at the restaurant with a wait of 45 minutes or more. Further north on the river you may come across Smitty. Check out smitty paddler.com
 
Several people have recommended Spring Garden Creek and Ponce De Leon Springs to me, but in 5 years of coming down here every winter I have yet to try it. I just checked chart 11498-a, and though access to it through Lake Woodruff is shallow, there seems to be enough water for our C-Dorys. It's definitely on my bucket list. I'll be in Acosta Creek Harbor just north of Welaka until next Wednesday, 27 March, when I'll head back to Wisconsin (I'd stay longer but I think my wife would divorce me if I weren't home for Easter :-).

I second the kudos for Hontoon Island State Park, where Glen and Buzz live with two cats, Zoey and Trouble, on their trawler Bald Eagle. Also stop at Acosta Creek Harbor on your way, just north of Welaka; Jay and Cathy and their big lab Nelly, who own this place, are lovable and loving folks.
 
Several people have recommended Spring Garden Creek and Ponce De Leon Springs to me, but in 5 years of coming down here every winter I have yet to try it. I just checked chart 11498-a, and though access to it through Lake Woodruff is shallow, there seems to be enough water for our C-Dorys.

We have cruised the St Johns for 20 yr via poontoon boat which we'd enclose overnight as a camper. All the posts re the river are correct. We have charts that we bought at a marina 20 yr ago that shows everything you need for a shallow draft boat. We have explored many of the side streams from Jacksonville to the head of the river many miles south of Lk Monroe at Sanford. There are hundreds of quiet, protected spots to anchor. You can feel like you have gone back 500 yr in time in most areas of the river. Carry along some mosquito repellent that you light and burn, looks like an electric stove element. It would take months to see it all.

We have now been on the river 3 times with the CD since we purchased it a few weeks ago, once over night. We launch at Astor, FL, on FL SR 40. (25mi from our house 5 mi E of Silver Springs). Water depth to Ponce DeLeon Sp should be no problem. The only thing not mentioned so far is the fact that many parts of the river system has thick growths of water hyacinth that can be blown around by the wind and block side streams. We almost got trapped returning to the river from DeLeon Springs a few years ago.
 
I just got back from a cruise to DeLeon Springs. The way in via the Highland Park Canal from the St Johns River was quite pretty, and anchoring ovenight in Blue Peter Lake was a treat, with bird calls and gator grunts and growls all round, lots of gleaming red eyes in my flashlight beam. But once I got to Lake Woodruff it wasn't much fun. The chart would say I should have 5 feet of water under me, and my depth sounder would say 2.5 feet, and it very rarely got deeper than 3 feet, with lilly pads everywhere, not the thick-stemmed kind you see along the banks of the St Johns, but with long stringy stems that wrapped around my propellers like fishing line. I had to stop every quarter mile to raise the engines and unwrap stems from the propellers. The way into De Leon Springs is Spring Garden Creek, which was much shallower than the chart 11498-a shows, rarely deeper than 3 feet, and the nice deep channel along the north edge of Spring Garden Lake just wasn't there; I almost got stuck in the mud. I'd happily repeat the Highland Park Canal up into Blue Peter Lake for an overnight, but I'd pass on any repeat trip to DeLeon Springs. Photos are here:
http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cdx/ec2013 ... 30322p.htm
 
I love cruising on the St. John's. My wife and I go out on our 22 ft Cruiser Out2C at least once every two weeks. Last fall we ran from Aster to DeLeon springs and back......and we also had a hard time making way. I would do it again only if the water level comes up to its high water levels. Our number one run on the river starts an HW 44 at Ed Stone Park and boat ramp. Go south on the St. John's until you get to the Huntoon river. Follow the Huntoon south.....lots of birds and other wildlife. There is a channel that cuts back over to the St. John's river. After you get on the St. John's you can head north to Blue Springs state park and Huntoon State park.....then back to Ed Stone park....nice day trip. If anyone wants to get together in April for a C-Dory run on the river PM me and we can put something together.

Tom and Joyce
 
We never made it all the way in to Deleon Spring either and suspect the spot you had trouble is where we got stuck. On our attempt we did hit bottom but since our whole cruise was in the single digit knot range, we just poled off. We ended up anchoring at the mouth of the lake for lunch, watched the locals and talked to one about the way across. Seems for now you need to be on plane and take a "half moon" path to the other side. We tried, as you did, to find the deeper area at the edge as indicated by the charts, but couldn't find it either.
 
Once again ....I would not attempt it again unless the water comes up at least a foot. The west end of lake Dexter is shallow and in the winter a manatee zone. If you were able to be on the step it would be a lot easier. If you look at a areal photo of spring garden lake you can make out the route to the springs. I waited till a local cut across on plane and followed him. Now if I want to go for pancakes at DeLeon Springs I fly my float plane over and land on Spring Garden Lake.

Lots of other trips on the St.Johns

Tom, Joyce and the Out2C
 
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