November 23-25 2015 Ortega Landing Marina

Eric is the mechanic recommended to us by Jim's friend, Terry.  I had left him a message yesterday and as were were doing paperwork at the dock office this morning, he walked in.  Luckily he was doing some work on another boat here in the marina and said he'd stop by and see about our fuel problem.

 At least for now, we are staying until November 30 when the slip occupants, who vacated for a few months, are slated to return.  Bruce, the dock master is checking to see if we can stay past the weekend and into next week.

Making the Satellite work

I emailed KVH tech support last night asking about the satellite problem we are experiencing.  The DISH people said it was an antenna problem.  And as I found out from KVH this morning, they (DISH), altered some of their satellite parameters in late August which is when our TV went off the air.

Jack, the KVH guy, sent me a tech bulletin with the new parameters.  It reads like a Bash (Unix shell) script.  Hey, I sort of  remember some of that stuff.   Anyway once I update the satellite Mary will have all her channels back.  Thanksgiving day gift!

I started equalizing the batteries through the solar panel charge controller.  It'll take most of the day.  Basically it charge the batteries with voltages in the 14.6-15.2 range to desulfinate he battery plates.  This may extend the usefulness of the batteries for a bit, but we are going to have to replace them all pretty soon, especially before going to the Bahamas.

While we were at the office we also met Gene, an Illinoisan  who is a Door County veteran.  He spent summers up there when we also vacationed there.  Except he does't remember what is was like in the 60's and late 50's.  Turns out he's several years younger than I am which, he said chuckling, makes me a Door County elder.  Me an elder?  Come on!

The aft head sink faucet is leaking badly so I found the spare faucet and intend on installing it.  Some time soon, but not right away.  It's going to require contortions which I can do, but at a price.  So I'm limbering up in preparation.  And I know now, that seemingly simple repairs are never simple, and require a far larger investment of time.

Eric did stop over later and we hashed out some thoughts on the fuel imbalance.  He thinks it's a return problem and I agree.  The engines pump lots of fuel but only use a small portion of it, returning the excess to the fuel tanks.  We seem to be only returning fuel to the starboard tank.  So I'm going to check the fuel tank vent, and then the fuel return line connections.

We were going to rent a car and drive to Frenandina so I could get a prescription which was mysteriously transferred to the CVS there.   But this morning while it was 52 outside and a energizing 61 in the cabin, it dawned on me that Wednesday was the day before a major holiday.   There will be all kinds of people out shopping and driving.  I didn't want to be included, so I arranged for a car this morning.

Our little Versa parked at the chilly beach

Enterprise picked us up here at the marina around 11.  And once at their office, they gave us a Nissan Versa and sent us on our way in only a few minutes.  It took us about an hour to drive to the Frenandina Beach CVS.  Once that task was completed we took a little driving tour around Amelia Island since we have never seen much of the island except from the water.  Nice place, stately homes but it was windy and really cool so we didn't do any beach walking.


We started back out of town but made a stop at the Walmart and stocked up on some sundry items which are remarkably cheaper than Publix, the grocery store nearest to us at the marina.  Although we did have to make a stop there for some more exotic Chinese type food items Mary wanted..

Chilly beach with white caps out on the ocean

We went directly to Enterprise from Publix to return the car and get a ride back to the marina, bags of groceries and all.

As we were walking back to the boat we had another of those "small world" episodes.  The tour boat next to us is Foxy Lady.  Mary noted it had Green Bay, WI as its port of call.  She told me but that bit of information somehow missed its mark and I promptly forgot.   As we were walking out on the dock I noticed the activity on board and of course went over to talk with them.

As it turns out, this is the same boat that was based on the Fox River up in Green Bay.  And we never went on of the cruises!

Small world

Mitch and Carolyn, owners of Foxy Lady, ran cruises on it in Green Bay for years.  But they decided a few years ago to move it down here.  So they drove it all the way from Green Bay to Jacksonville.  Cant wait to hear about that trip.

We were invited aboard and had a nice talk with them.  The boat is in a great shape!   And it has a bar on each level.

The annual lighted boat parade in Jacksonville is this Saturday and they are participating.  We're thinking of going along.  Prime Rib dinner and fireworks after.  The boat hangs around on the river in downtown Jacksonville so the view is fabulous.

Bruce, the dock master here, informed us that we can stay in this slip until December 1 or beyond.  He contacted the absent slip occupants and they're being delayed so wont be back right away.   So we can enjoy the place for a few more days.

We've been waiting for a pump out today.  The marina is closed tomorrow and Friday so I'm hoping the guys gets here this afternoon.  Meanwhile Mary decided to do some laundry and I thought I'd swap out the leaky faucet in our head.

Sawing out a faucet is a first for me

Guess it was time to replace it

I got the short end of that deal.  In a house, changing a faucet is maybe a 45 minute job.  Here on an old boat, I spent almost three hours crunched in a little cupboard.  I ended up having to slide a hacksaw underneath the base and cut the threaded pipe fitting because the water line was so corroded  a crescent wrench wouldn't budge it.  I tried a few times but just ended up rounding off the nut.  So the only way to remove the faucet was with a hacksaw.  Luckily I bought new water lines.

So three hours later, we have a new faucet, no leaks and an aching plumber.

The winds are howling out of the east. Our stern faces directly east so were bouncing around a little in the slip.  Glad we're staying here until next week!

They all came running as I walked into the yard

I walked around Ortega again and stopped in at Huckins where we'll be in a few weeks.  We've spent time here before but I was surprised that the yard cats all seemed to remember me, the old guy with cat treats.

Guardian of the dock

We seem to be engaged in a turf war with this uppity, great blue heron who hangs at the end of the dock and squawks its displeasure when I get on or off the boat.  It wont move until I'm a yard or two away from it either.  It flies off and returns right away to its spot on the dock.

I think tonight, maybe we'll enjoy a bottle of wine huddled up in the plush lounge where there is a fire place.  If the weather is this windy and chilly now, whats it going to be like when we leave here in mid January to head south?  Should I maybe bring a shovel in case of snow?  Ear muffs?  My Fleet Farm stocking cap?  Sheez ....

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and there are 87 people attending the party here.  We are bringing a Bob Evans mashed potatoes dish.  It's unclear how much galley time will be involved, but I suspect it wont consume too many hours of the day.

We did get pumped out so we should be good for another few weeks.

The high pressure here in the east is causing several days of high winds.  However when we leave on the 2nd the winds will have dissipated.   But that weather system sweeping through the plains over the next few days will be making its way down here at some point.  If its forecast to be a strong front we just may stay here and enjoy the marina until we have to make our way to Huckins on December 7th.

November 21-22 Ortega Landing Marina

We heard back from Ortega Landing Marina and have a reservation for at least 3 days and we'll try an extend that to a week while I fight the battery and fuel problems.  The marina is located on the Ortega river in Ortega which is a suburb of Jacksonville.

It's only a 22 mile trip to the marina from here (Hallowes Cove) so it was a leisurely morning.  We didn't start hauling up the anchor until 9 figuring on getting in near slack water on the Ortega River.  The current isn't too swift there normally but less current makes docking easier.

We followed the deep (7 feet) tongue of water out of the anchorage.  The charts were accurate I guess because we never saw less than 7 feet even though the area around was charted at 5 feet which we can handle.  Barley.

Out on the river the swells had died down and it was as pleasant journey.  We were contacted on the radio by a Nordic Tug heading south.  They were asking for information so I passed along what we discovered about anchorages and Palatka.  I even gave them Rodney, the Palatka taxi guy's phone number.

We've been in and out of the Ortega River a dozen times now and have tracks of all those trips but I  still forget the small section of the route that is quite shallow.   Always gives me a jump when I see the depth sounder creeping down to 5 1/2 feet.

We called the Ortega River Bridge for an opening and they complied immediately.  This bridge is supposed to be the busiest opening bridge in Florida.

The marina on the right as seen from the Ortega River Bridge

The marina is right after the bridge and we saw Joe, the dock hand at the end of A dock.  Slip 14 is right off the river and since I didn't want the stern of the boat facing west because the sun heats up the cabin too much, I pulled in bow first.  We were tied up in a few minutes.  Our neighbor is the excursion boat, Foxy Lady.  I assume its just staying here in the off season.

Tied up on A dock in slip 14

The downside to bowing in was eliminating the possibility of getting out dinghy down unless we man -handle the boat around in the slip.  Jacksonville Landing is only 5 miles down river, an easy run in the dinghy.  And there are "doings" there leading up the Holiday.

We went to pay for the slip and do laundry (free!) but Joe told us to wait until Monday for Bruce the dock master, who would decide where we could stay through the holiday.

While Mary did laundry and lounged by the pool, I fiddled with the dock lines and walked the docks in search of people we've met along the way and sure enough, Jim and Rhonda from Brunswick were hear visiting some friends.  Small world.

After laundry we walked to Publix in Roosevelt Square (mall) for a few staples and then decided, after we returned to the boat, to just go back to the Square and eat at Panera.

Back on the boat we fired up our new digital TV antenna and were dismayed to only get 7 channels.  Shopping and church seem to be popular for broadcasters.  So we decided to finish off season 4 of West Wing.

It was misting when we went to bed and when I woke up the next morning there was light rain and it was in the mid 60's.  I turned off  the AC units and readied the heaters.

Walking to breakfast

We walked to the Metro Diner located in the same mall area as Publix and Panera.  It was 10 AM which seems to be the most popular breakfast hour.  The waiting line spilled outside.  We had to wait about 30 minutes so I made a quick visit to West Marine a few stores down to purchase a suitable clamp to replace the spare clamp I put in the port exhaust hose earlier.

Crowded Metro Diner

We ate and then headed back to the boat where I finally solved the TV problem.  The antenna is equipped with a signal amplifier which I assumed was a typical low power type.  Not so.  I had it set pretty high and the TV couldn't deal with the strong signal.  Once I dialed it way down, we had 33 channels of digital TV, most of it in HD.

And only abut a quarter of them were shopping or church channels.  The Packer game, which of course is why Mary insisted I fix the thing immediately, was being carried on a local channel which we were able to receive.

Bob.  The baron of  barricades here in Ortega?

We walked back to Publix for chili fixings and then Mary made chili and watched the game while I went out on my favorite walking route across the river and back.  Its a pleasant, 4 mile walk.  Seems pretty much as it was the last time I strolled through here.

McGrits avenue on the other side of the river.  Nice place to walk

Ortega River Club.  Yes, that is blue Rolls.  No, I was not allowed in.

I did notice the Ortega Yacht Club where we stayed in April of 2013,  has seemingly changed its name.  Its now the Ortega River Marina according to the sign on their parking lot.  This is another option for us if we get booted out of Ortega Landing Marina.

Ortega Yacht Club in front and Ortega Landing Marina further in the distance. 

The Packers won.  And I was able to find a local mechanic here with a good reputation so I gave him a call to see if he can diagnose this fuel problem.

Tomorrow will be busy as we figure out how long we will be here, schedule a car to drive back to Wisconsin, and get this vexing fuel problem hopefully repaired.  I'm going to equalize the batteries tomorrow too and see how much that will help.

Did I mention the high is supposed to be 58 degrees tomorrow?

November 20 2015 Hallowes Cove (near Green Cove Springs)

Our batteries were pretty much flat this morning.  Luckily the inverter didn’t go off line so the freezer and fridge were still running.

We decided to see if we could get into Ortega Landing earlier than the 24th because now, the batteries don’t seem to sustain enough charge to last the night. Not good.  And oh so expensive to replace.

Leaving Palatka

We left around 11 AM waiting to hear back from the marina.  Even if we couldn’t get in, we could anchor closer to the Ortega River where there are other marinas.  But they called soon after we left and we'll be in a slip tomorrow.

The wind gained strength out of the NE as we made our way down the river towards Jacksonville.  Aside from the crab pots being unusually difficult to see, it was an easy journey.

Getting ready to anchor

Highway 13 runs along the cove

Looking into the shallower sections of Hallowes Cove

Once we passed under the bridge just south of Green Cove Springs, we turned east into Hallowes Cove.  Comments made by previous cruisers indicated this was a great place to ride out winds from the NE.  Nothing around except Green Cove Springs across the river, but as we came in close to shore it seemed very protected.

We anchored in about 9 feet of water and the anchor seemed to bit right away.  No other boaters around except for some go-fast fishing boats. 

Oddly enough the sunny skies which clouded over as we left Palatka,  reverted back to clear and sunny once we had the anchor down.  But the cold front which is passing us now has the temperatures in the low 70's to mid 60’s.  For us that’s frigid.

I also discovered an issue with our fuel tanks.  It appears the port side tank is dispensing fuel while the starboard tank is not.  The starboard tank is reading 23 ½ inches while the port tank sits at 18 inches.   We sort of lean to port a little.

The fuel return lines from each engine seem fine.   And I had swapped filters.  Guess tonight I’ll have to change the fuel filter on the engine and see if that helps.

Meanwhile we're huddled on the sundeck watching the setting sun taking the last vestiges of warmth away.  But it almost dead calm here in the anchorage.  Out on the river though, its still kicking up some swells.  \

It'll be a nice night though with those cool breezes and us under 3 layers of blankets!
.

November 18-19 2015 Palatka

November 18 2015

================

We woke up to an intense rain shower.   After I closed everything up, of course it stopped and the sun peeked out for a few minutes.  And then shortly after, dark heavy clouds rolled in with another intense but short-lived rain shower.  For the next 6 hours this was the pattern.  Bursts of intense rain, followed by sun.

We were effectively tied to the boat since taking the dinghy down and running it the mile or so to town while in a rain shower somehow missed our list of favorite things to do.

I also didn’t want to haul the anchor up and travel to Murphy’s Creek where we would have to re-anchor, most likely in driving rain.   Cajoling someone to stand in the rain to determine if the anchor  set is, well, fraught with risk of mutiny.  Besides at least here there is a town.   Murphy Creek has only critters which I think are hunkering down for the winter.

So we just stayed put.

In mid afternoon the sun came out for a few hours and it got hot.  Then, the clouds began to roll in again which is consistent with the forecast which did mention clouds.  The other details such as rain and temperature, not even close.

We are supposed to be drenched tomorrow during the day so we had planned on staying put again.  Seeing no reason to suspect an erroneous forecast, I’m looking to where we can anchor tomorrow if by chance there are forecast errors.

Meanwhile it’s another bottle of Pinot Noir for us tonight

November 19 2015

===============

It’s a gray, overcast day.  Winds clocked around to the south and will move through to the northwest tonight leaving us sort of unprotected.  But they aren’t strong so no worries unless we run into a heavy thunderstorm.

I changed the dinghy outboard oil and filter today.  It took twenty minutes.  Just have to start it up and check for leaks and maybe add additional oil.

Yellow Rescue Tape to the rescue

Also found two broken clamps on the port engine exhaust.  It’s a large diameter tube which carries engine exhaust and cooling water out the back of the boat.  I had two clamps on it and they both corroded through because of a small leak in the hose.  We’ve been in salt water most of the year and the leak was sufficient to rust away two big stainless steel clamps.  I used Rescue Tape to seal the leak until we can replace the hose in a few weeks.  And then used my last large clamp to replace the corroded ones.  It should hold together for the 100 miles or so we have to travel before we get to the boatyard.

We did fabricate a rough cover for the windlass.  We used some old, left over Sunbrella that was left on board and it worked great.

We were getting sporadic internet connections from Beef-O-Grady's across the river buts is glacially slow and tends to drop out quite a bit so its back to the cell phone.   We've used 6+ GB already.  Guess we are data hungry?

Otherwise we haven’t done much today.  Batteries are still weak, solar panels are struggling with the overcast skies.  Tomorrow we leave for somewhere.  Just not sure.  We have a slip reservation on the 24<sup>th at Ortega Landing Marina.  Maybe we'll head back to Jacksonville Landing.  Dont think we'll head south though because of that single clamp in the Port engine exhaust. 

There is a cold front that supposed to descend on us tomorrow and Saturday.  Temps will plummet to the 60's.  Frost on the windows maybe?</sup>

November 16-17, 2015 Palatka, FL

We made a leisurely delayed departure from Mandarin this morning.  Slightly delayed because the anchor chain was caked in mud and it took some extra time to clean it off before letting it chunk its way down to the anchor locker

In my mysterious wisdom I figured we should put out 120 feet of chain because the winds were going to be blowing hard from the northeast.  As for the winds I was right.  As for the chain, well, it took us nearly an hour to clean it off as we hauled it up.

Our wash down pump draws fresh water from our water tanks, but making water here in the river isn't the best idea since its so muddy.  The primary filters clog up rapidly.  So we try and conserve water.

To that end I employed the time honored method of , "the water bucket".   Basically, that  means pouring a bucket of water over every few feet of chain to clean off the mud.   120 feet of chain.   It took a large number of buckets.  The water here, is fresh so is fine for washing the chain off.  And the  mud here isn't as sticky as Chesapeake mud so it came off rather easily.

Once we got the chain cleaned up we headed back to the main channel with the anchor swishing in the water to get all that mud off while leaving a muddy trail behind us.

The St. Johns is a broad river and averaging 15-20 feet deep

The river is very broad here as we made our way up river (south) with the tidal current noticeably lessening the further south we went.  The only complaint on an otherwise relaxing trip, were the crab pots.  These are traps set on the bottom and marked with a float tied to a line which is attached to the trap.

Here, in the St. John's, crab pots are strewn most anywhere with many ending up in the main channel.  The crab pot floats are usually small and consist of almost anything that floats.  Heading into the sun makes it difficult to see them.

The relaxing trip I had in mind where the auto pilot steers evaporated within a few miles of leaving Mandarin.  It was hand steering and eyes straining the 33 miles up river.

It only lasted 30 minutes before I had to take over and weave around crab pots

The river shore is mostly forested with private residences here and there.    We were the only boat traveling south except for a few fisherman.  We did see one of the fuel barges which ply the river between Jacksonville and Sanford which is near the terminus of navigable waters.

It was a nice sunny day.  A good travel day although I did take note of the water temperature, a chilly 72 degrees.

Bad picture of Green Cove Springs and the old Naval Piers

We even passed by our home town, Green Cove Springs.  Its where we have our domicile which is basically a small cubbyhole in large set of other cubbyholes where our mail sits until I request it.

 Unfortunately there isn't much to see from the river except for the huge piers the Navy built during WW II.  There a re a few marinas here and shop extensive ship repair facilities

As we approached Palatka, we noticed the huge Georgia-Pacific plant.  It looks like a nuclear power plant with those huge evaporators.

In the anchorage looking southeast

We pulled into the anchorage, Carman Cove and saw only a small sailboat which left soon after we arrived.  I could only see some of the city, but we'll get a more detailed view tomorrow when we get the dinghy down.  We have to hit the store and there is a Publix about 4 miles away.  But getting the bike down and into the dinghy is a pain so we'll just figure out Palatka's  Public transportation or take a cab.

It was pretty windy Monday morning but we are in a cove which offers some protection from the blustery southeast winds.  We weren't bouncing around too badly so getting the dinghy down and us into went smoothly.  Now days its a fifteen minute operation versus 3 years ago when it took us more than an hour.  

We were finally under way to the city dock around 11AM.

The City docks

The city has two docks, but one is a fixed seawall and meant for bigger boats and is not that well thought-of from what I’ve read.   We went to the two floating docks, aluminum platforms that slide up and down on large poles driven into the river bed.  This eliminates any concern with tides since the docks move with the water level.  And we are tied to the dock.

Securely tied up

We secured the dinghy and found a receptacle for our recycling and lone garbage bag.  Not knowing if there were cabs in the area (goggle wasn’t’ particularly helpful) and having arrived 30 minutes after the last bus left for the area near Publix, we simply went to a bar. 

The hotel and Beef-O-Grady's

The bar, Beef-O-Grady's, was in the Quality Inn right across the street from the dock.  We asked the hostess there and they gave us Rodney’s number.  Rodney provides rides within the city.   Just what we needed.  He's sort of the taxi service for the city.

Mary called and he was tied up for 45 minutes but said he’s meet us at the hotel.  So Mary sat at the bar and had a soda while texting Laura and I went out to explore a little of the town.

I didn’t find much in interest but was only gone about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile Rodney called back and said he was 10 minutes away so I ran back to the hotel, and Mary and I walked out to wait for Rodney who, as promised, appeared a minute later.

Rodney is a great guy, with a new really nice, clean car.    He' has a nice little tai business.  Not to taxing (sorry!)  but stimulating enough to ward off the boredom.  He loves meeting people.    We had  a nice conversation for the 10 minute ride to Publix from the bar. 

 

Mary at Publix

He let us off at Publix even though he did tell us there was a Wal-Mart a few blocks further up the street.  We opted for Publix because, well, we sort of miss going there.  It’s been Winn Dixie for us the past few months.

W loaded up on some essentials (Publix sells wine and although not the best, it was still wine).  It took us maybe 45 minutes.  As I checked out, Mary called Rodney and he showed up a few minutes later.

He took us back to the dock ($15) and after loading up the dingy we went back to the boat and put everything away. 

I wanted to check out Murphy’s Creek which is 6 or so miles up river (south) so we got in the dinghy and cruised up the river,  It was a little rough in sections because of the wind, but nothing the dinghy couldn’t handle.  We made the turn into Dunn Creek and then turned into Murphy Creek which joins Dunn Creek ½ mile up from where Dunn Creek joins the St. Johns River.  Luckily I have a little GPS with charts of the area.

Entrance to Murphy's Creek

Murphy's Creek is a few hundred feet wide, 20 or so feet deep and is a well known anchorage.  It’s also a great place to watch gators, snakes and other wildlife.  Very desolate and eerily jungle-like, it’s reputed to be a nice little place to hole up because of the wind protection and slow currents.

There was a large yacht in the entrance of the creek as we turned in.  Running up to the first bend we saw a barge with Air Stream trailers and a few school buses on its deck in front of a crane.  The anchorage spot, round the bend a 1/2 mile, was about 400 feet wide which is good for us.   It's tidal but the tidal currents are rather weak. 

Barge with buses and a crane

We passed a small fishing boat within the anchorage area and just ran up the creek about a ways to see what we could see.  The only wild life we saw were a few birds.  Must be the cool fall temps here that keep the critters from poking out from the tress lining the shore. 

We could have kept going and gone out the south end because the creek is plenty deep, but opted to turn around start heading back towards Palatka because we had letters to mail and walking to do.

The anchorage area

I’m toying with the idea of taking the boat there tomorrow.  My only concern is the forecast which calls for potential thunderstorms which, having experienced such things before, can bring sudden very intense downdrafts which can toss our boat around.  In a confined anchorage we could be pushed up on the shore, where as here in the relatively wide open space we’d just bounce around a little.  We’ll have to see what the forecast is for tomorrow.

But meanwhile we went back to the dinghy dock and walked about a mile through downtown Palatka to the post office. 

Mural

Mural

Mural

Palatka is making what appears to be a big effort to make the city an appealing place.  There are some vacant buildings etc., typical of a the river tows we’ve seen.  But I noticed improvement efforts.

There was a fort here

For example the wall murals.  many of the buildings, vacant or not, have these large murals covering the whole side of a building.  They are really intriguing.  Some talented artistic folks are here. 

The new river front Hampton Inn

The streets and sidewalks in some areas have this pretty brick border and aren't strewn with litter or debris.  Either are the vacant buildings.   And then there is the new Hampton Inn being constructed on the water front.  Time will tell I guess, but I’m hopefully the city will succeed.  We’d return.

 

A bad picture of the Post Office

After our Post Office stroll we went back to the boat, had a bottle of wine on the sundeck and then brought the dinghy back aboard after I started the generator. 

The batteries are a mystery to me, one bank appearing weak, then suddenly the other.   We were hovering at 12.1 volts when I started the generator at 6 PM.  Guess we need more sun time for the solar panels to do their thing.  And new batteries I fear.

Leonoid meteor showers are supped to be peaking tonight and tomorrow.  Just out luck, its cloudy and showers in the forecast.  Oh well …

The tiny white dot is us anchored in the bay

Tomorrow brings a greater threat of showers and thunderstorms at night into Thursday.  It' always interesting out here.

November 12-15 2015 Jacksonville, and Jacksonville Landing

We were on the move by 8 AM.  We left the Fernandina dock easily enough and made our way out to the ICW channel.  There is a big bend on the ICW just outside the city and its not an infrequent occurrence for someone to go aground there.  It can be a little tricky and most of us wise old guys go through on a rising tide just to eliminate the risk.  And so that's what we did although we did have to get up early.

We made it through just fine, and cruised leisurely along at 7.5 MPH.  We were passed by a number of other boats.  I waved.  Mary would too, muttering something about speed and 95 year old men.

Every time we get to Nassau Sound I get a bit disorientated for a few moments.  There is low bridge that spans the whole Sound and it appear as though you have to go under the bridge.  In reality, there is a sharp turn to starboard which takes you into a long cut (waterway) the skirts the bridge.  For some reason I never seem to remember it.

After a few miles we end up in Sisters Creek where they have a 24 foot bridge.  We're able to clear 24 feet easily if I take the big antenna down.   Otherwise we'd have to request an opening.  But in Florida and elsewhere, openings for raised antennas are frowned upon and may result in a citation if your able to clear a bridge by simply lowering your antennas.

So I lowered the big antenna and we drove through without a problem.  Made a turn to starboard and ran up a few miles to the old channel between Blount Island and Little Marsh Island.  This is in the commercial shipping area, but the channel is used primarily by fisherman and recreational craft.  And its a great little anchorage.   Every time we've been here I can sit out on the deck and watch a big freighter or two go by.

So we anchored, and had cocktails on the sundeck and watched all the shipping activity.  After some more West Wing episodes we went to bed anticipating an adventure with high currents while snagging a cleat by ourselves.  

We woke up late and had a leisurely little cruise up the St. Johns River to Jacksonville Landing.

Buoy Tender at work

Along the way we passed this Coast Guard buoy tender working in the middle of the river.  Neat to see them pluck a large buoy out of the water.

There was a stiff incoming tidal current which was moving us along at over 9 MPH.   I was trying to time our arrival for near slack waters so we would have some current to drive into to give us more steering control, but not so much current to make it difficult to nestle up to the dock.

Well, we were close to slack water but the current was still running swiftly so I  had to head past the spot where we were intending on tying up and then turn back into the current.  We pulled in to the south end of the long dock at Jacksonville Landing and as I got the bow in close Mary did a great job of snagging a cleat.  Remember, out boat is pretty high up off the water but she was able to lean way over the railing and get a line on one of the small cleats.

Approaching Jacksonville Landing just beyond the blue bridge

Once we had that spring line secured it was a simple matter of powering ahead and turning the wheel to move either the bow or stern in towards the dock where we could attach the other lines.  As gently as we came in to the dock the current still smacked us against the dock fenders.  But no damage.

We put out fenders and lines and were secured in a few minutes.    It was early afternoon so we took a stroll along the dock.  There were only two other boats tied up.  They were tied at the other end of the long dock.

It's a long waterfront.  We're way in the distance by the bridge

This is a free dock, 1200 feet long with a couple of other smaller docks at either end.  It's free to use for a maximum of 72 hours.  There is water available, but no power.  The dock runs generally east west and is near parallel to the generous currents that flow here.  The currents are tidal changing direction every 6 hours.  And the river is quite deep, up to 60 feet in some places.

Jacksonville Landing itself is sort of an entertainment complex with several bars/restaurants and a few shops all surrounding a open air atrium of sorts where live music scheduled several days a week.  There is also a museum, USS Adams Museum and a music venue of sorts, Mavericks.  No one will remember Shank Hall in Milwaukee, but I'd stop in there every so often to see bands.  Mavericks is almost like Shank.

The dock is lined with restaurants.  We tied up in front of  Fionn MacCool, an Irish pub.  But there is the ever present Hooters too.  And Chicago Pizza among others.  Oddly enough, there is also a huge food court on the second floor.  One cant starve here.

We needed to eat and despite our efforts aimed at eating on board  more often Mary, had spotted a 99 cent taco special at a Mexican place along the dock.  And so guess what we did?

After that we had to have a beer at the Irish place, Fionn MacCool's.  I, being "dull and unimaginative", consumed a Michelob Ultra while Mary had one of their many varieties of imported brews.  But in an unexplained,  sudden gush of imagination, I ordered an Irish Pretzel which was rather good.

An old tugboat had was pulling into the dock and I went to help with its lines.  It's a boat that is part of a program designed to help young men get away from a criminal lifestyle by learning to be maritime workers.  And they had a few tough characters on board who didn't have a clue about handling lines.  The tug itself was a single screw,old, old boat in pretty rough shape.  But the program is impressive.

There was a TV crew on the dock doing a bit on the tug and a plea for funds to keep it running.  As I found out the next morning, the thing began sinking before dawn and they had to scramble to find extra pumps to keep it from sinking at the dock.  Wish I had  a picture, sorry!

Looking down at our boat from the Main Street Bridge

After consuming food it was getting late so we walked across Main Street bridge to the other side and strolled the Jacksonville Riverwalk.  They really have done a great job downtown with this river walk and the buildings.  Really impressive.  Its clean, and heavily used with joggers, walkers, families and strollers all enjoying the vista.

Looking at the Landing from across the river

We returned to MacCools to eat.  Again.  This is all we do I fear.   Eat and drink.  We split a salad and had some lamb sliders which were really good.

We headed back to the boat and tried to decide whether or not to stay Friday night or leave and go up river.  Up river on the St. Johns River.  The St. Johns flows South to North, which is unusual as most rivers flow North to South.

Staying Friday night isn't conducive to a peaceful night since there is live music at MacCools until 1AM.  And a rap music concert at Mavericks that runs until 2AM.  The Landings is definitely a party place.

Leaving that decision until tomorrow Mary settled in with TV and I took another stroll along the river walk.  It;s really startling how stunning all the city light are along the river.  I ran into any number of people out strolling even at 9:30 PM.  

Bikers get to park right on the grounds

At Jacksonville Landing they had a rousing Allman Brothers type band playing to a host of bikers who were able to park their (mostly) Harley's around the inside of the large open atrium.  It was pretty fun.  Good people.

When I got back to the boat I noted MacCools had left there Irish jig music playing.  It went until  midnight.  But aside from some people loudly talking along the dock a few times, it was ok.

Next morning we decided to leave even though the winds were supposed to pickup overnight, blowing 20-30 MPH for a few hours.  But there was a nice big anchorage at Mandarin about 15 miles up stream from Jacksonville that looks to offer decent wind protection from the northeast.  So we'll go there.  We plan on leaving at slack water, about 1:30 PM and should arrive at Mandarin around 4.

Meanwhile, I made the coffee and then took a long River Walk, walk again.  On both sides of the river.  The weather was near perfect.  When I got back I helped a sailboat come in and tie up near us.  They are Australian and are over here cruising half the year before having to return to Australia for a short time before being allowed back in the States.   They're on their way to Cuba! We traded stories for half an hour before I headed back to the boat where Mary was up and drinking coffee.

While I was gone two smaller runabouts had docked.  One right in front of us and the other right behind us.  The guy behind us told me he commutes to work on his boat every few days to save the headache of driving on I-95 and fighting traffic.  His office is only a few blocks from the marina.

We were just tied up between the two boats on the dock.

We waited until slack water when the current wasn't running so fast, about 1:30PM.  With the two  boats next to us, stern and bow,  I  had to jostle our un-petite little monster up close to the boat in front of us before spinning it around by kicking our bow into the dock and backing out.

The infamous railroad bridge beyond the roadway bridge.  Its open at the moment.

Unfortunately, the Railroad bridge went into the closed position as we were pulling out from the dock so we had to circle around for 15 minutes waiting until the train passed.  The bridge is normally open unless a train is about to use the bridge.  Then it closes automatically and opens again once the train has passed.

We  took a slow comfortable cruise up the St. Johns (remember, the St. Johns river flows from South to North) to this big open anchorage on the east side of the river at Mandarin.  It was a beautiful day, with clam winds which picked up in the evening.

We drank a bottle of wine out on the bow and watched the helicopter pilots practice hovering over the water a mile or so away from where we were anchored.

We stayed here the next day.  Well anchored so just decided to ride out the 25-35 mph winds here rather than search for a different anchorage.  Mandarin offers pretty decent protection from the east and north east so we aren't rocking too badly.  Its just a relaxing day writing blog eateries and updating logs etc.

And this morning Mary wasn't feeling up to moving so we stayed put.  We did however, get a dock reservation at Ortega Landing Marina on the 24th for a week so we'll be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner there, like we did last year.

I fixed the dinghy vhf radio antenna and had to redo the battery brackets too.  I didn't notice but the repair guy didn't put on the cross brace to keep the battery secure.

Our calm, peaceful anchorage sporting an occasional dolphin or two, was just now assaulted by loud, unsavory comments directed at some football team I'm vaguely aware of.  I cant imagine why this just occurred?   Perhaps there is a disgruntled stock holder aboard?

Mandarin Anchorage

We anchored right in front of this large home

But tomorrow, we plan to be moving further south on the River, past Green Cove Springs (hey, we sort of live there!) to at least Palatka.  There are some anchorages close by which are creeks lined with sun bathing gators and all manner of critters, some slithering, some not.   In any case it should make for some good pictures.

Now we just need the weather to cooperate.