St Johns River cruise?

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cardude01

cardude01

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Joined
Nov 26, 2012
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5,290
Location
USA
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Bijou
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2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Wife and I are FINALLY getting back to the boat mid April (hopefully) to do some boat chores, cleanup, etc. Due to COVID we have not been aboard since May when my son and I moved her from Stuart to Jacksonville, so I anticipate some projects will pop up I’m not anticipating. We were able to get our shots here in Texas so we are excited about traveling again.

We want to do a “shakedown” cruise to make sure everything still works, and I’ve been thinking about cruising up the St Johns. We are docked at Ortega Landing Marina so it would be a convenient cruise, but I have no idea where to go or what to do.

Is a week too long to plan for a cruise up the river? What does one do on this river? I’ve heard this time of the year is better because not as many bugs? Are there any low bridges to contend with? Our mast is 40’.

Thanks for any knowledge and suggestions anyone can throw at me.
 
Stop at Hontoon Island State Park, a great overnight about 2/3 the way down to Sanford. It has low cost docks, first come first served. For your boat you will need one of the outer T head piers. The park is only accessible by water.

David
 
Awesome. Thanks.

I just stumbled onto MV Scout’s river cruise blog so that tells me quite a bit.

https://n37scout.wixsite.com/travels/blog

Are the towns on this river opened back up now? Any fun outdoor-type places to eat on this river cruise or mostly just sleepy small towns?
 
DavidM said:
Stop at Hontoon Island State Park, a great overnight about 2/3 the way down to Sanford. It has low cost docks, first come first served. For your boat you will need one of the outer T head piers. The park is only accessible by water.

David
Click to expand...


Cool thanks. Is my boat doable for this cruise? We draw 4’.
 
cardude01 said:
Awesome. Thanks.

I just stumbled onto MV Scout’s river cruise blog so that tells me quite a bit.

https://n37scout.wixsite.com/travels/blog

Are the towns on this river opened back up now? Any fun outdoor-type places to eat on this river cruise or mostly just sleepy small towns?
Click to expand...

Glad you found it. This was one of our most memorable cruises thus far.
 
Scouts' blog is an excellent source.

Lake Monroe ( Sanford ) is probably too ambitious for a one week round trip. Lake George is about halfway 75NM from Ortega, a couple nice springs there.
Not much shore based to do but everything is open , this part of the state pretty much believed Covid was a hoax anyway.

Get some worms and bream fish while just enjoying the natural beauty.
 
I just got back from my annual St. John’s fishing trip. We found a great German restaurant in Sanford. It’s only a couple of blocks from the waterfront.
https://www.hollerbachs.com/
 
Awesome. Thanks y’all. I’m excited to get on the boat and see how she does after sitting so long.

Jewel thinks the river looks “swampy”, but it looks cool to me. She really wants to go to a beach area but I don’t know any close beaches around Jacksonville.

Any cool sandbars on this river? Lots of alligators?
 
Jacksonville Beach is nice, you have to drive there or better yet drive or boat up to Amelia Island.
 
caltexflanc said:
Jacksonville Beach is nice, you have to drive there or better yet drive or boat up to Amelia Island.
Click to expand...

Fernandina Beach is a lot nicer as a town....... St Mary’s is a medium long tender ride from Cumberland Island and is a beautiful little town.

The St Johns is more like a river in Louisiana than Florida, all big trees growing right to the edge of the water, lots of birds, turtles and the occasional gator. It’s one of the few North American rivers that runs from South to North too.

Try the anchorage behind Murphy’s Island down by Welatka and go for a tender tour of the oxbows and streams.

Another good anchorage with good holding in 8 feet of water is Palmo Cove just past the fixed bridge beyond Green Cove Springs.

The anchorage at Palatka is a good one and is at the entrance to the narrow, twisty part of the river. There is a fun restaurant on the left about a mile upstream of the Palatka anchorage too.
 
Last edited:
Excellent. Thanks for all the good ideas.
 
Woodland Hills said:
Fernandina Beach is a lot nicer as a town....... St Mary’s is a medium long tender ride from Cumberland Island and is a beautiful little town.

The St Johns is more like a river in Louisiana than Florida, all big trees growing right to the edge of the water, lots of birds, turtles and the occasional gator. It’s one of the few North American rivers that runs from South to North too.

Try the anchorage behind Murphy’s Island down by Welatka and go for a tender tour of the oxbows and streams.

Another good anchorage with good holding in 8 feet of water is Palmo Cove just past the fixed bridge beyond Green Cove Springs.

The anchorage at Palatka is a good one and is at the entrance to the narrow, twisty part of the river. There is a fun restaurant on the left about a mile upstream of the Palatka anchorage too.
Click to expand...

Agree with all this.

Anchor the big boat off St Mary's though. I was more thinking of someone who was in Jacksonville and wanted to go to the beach, for which a car is easiest. Cumberland is the best bet if taking your boat; beautiful.
 
caltexflanc said:
Agree with all this.



Anchor the big boat off St Mary's though. I was more thinking of someone who was in Jacksonville and wanted to go to the beach, for which a car is easiest. Cumberland is the best bet if taking your boat; beautiful.
Click to expand...


I would rather drive the car to the beach for a day trip and still do the river cruise by boat. That’s a long trip down the river in the boat to go to a beach.
 
Not trying to hijack the thread ... but as a piece of navigational knowledge - how far south in the St Johns River is there tidal influence (current/depth), or is it mostly wind driven? TIA
 
If you’re looking for a nice place to swim, consider a stop at Blue Springs State Park. It’s closed for swimming now but will open soon. Following from their website.
WINTER WATER ACTIVITIES
Beginning Nov. 15, 2020 until the end of March 2021, the spring run will be closed to all water activities due to manatee season. This includes swimming, snorkeling, diving, tubing, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding. Please visit Wekiwa Springs or De Leon Springs state parks for winter water activity fun.
 
PJHoffnet said:
Not trying to hijack the thread ... but as a piece of navigational knowledge - how far south in the St Johns River is there tidal influence (current/depth), or is it mostly wind driven? TIA
Click to expand...
I haven’t noticed any depth changes south of Palatka but there seems to always be an outbound current. Not more than maybe 1/4 knot. I believe it is that “North” flow from springs and drainage.
 
Greetings, Dude. What everyone else said - the SJR is a beautiful cruise. The controlling dimension is the Shands Bridge, just above Green Cove Springs, with a minimum vertical clearance of 45'.

There is a municipal dock just south of the bridge at Palatka, an old river town that is trying to revive its charms. Supposedly there is a new craft brewery in the downtown area, and a couple of eateries. The restaurant about a mile upstream mentioned by Woodland Hills is called "Corky Bell's," whose specialty seems to be anything fried.

Once past Palatka, I have found lovely anchorages in the occasional oxbow just off the main channel - just watch out for submerged logs. Hontoon Landing State Park is worth a visit, as is Blue Springs.

Enjoy!
 
Not much by the way of beaches on the river. I'm most familiar with the portion from jacksonville down to about palatka.
Salt Springs is known to be a good swimming hole and can be accessed from the river, although I've yet to do it.

If it's beaches you want perhaps go down river and circumnavigate Cumberland Island....

I used to live walking distance to the marina on Otega river...it's a lot different now than the old boat yard was then. My friend had a catalina 22 kept there and we used to go out and sail circles in the river quite a bit together.... Now days I usually launch my little run-about either at Julington Creek or down at Trout Creek, and run around those areas....
 
cardude01 said:
Wife and I are FINALLY getting back to the boat mid April (hopefully) to do some boat chores, cleanup, etc. Due to COVID we have not been aboard since May when my son and I moved her from Stuart to Jacksonville, so I anticipate some projects will pop up I’m not anticipating. We were able to get our shots here in Texas so we are excited about traveling again.
We want to do a “shakedown” cruise to make sure everything still works, and I’ve been thinking about cruising up the St Johns. We are docked at Ortega Landing Marina so it would be a convenient cruise, but I have no idea where to go or what to do.
Is a week too long to plan for a cruise up the river? What does one do on this river? I’ve heard this time of the year is better because not as many bugs? Are there any low bridges to contend with? Our mast is 40’.
Thanks for any knowledge and suggestions anyone can throw at me.
Click to expand...

The St Johns is beautiful cruising from Mayport on the Atlantic to Sanford maybe 200 miles south on Lake Monroe. Please do not pass this along. ;)You may want to check the height of the Shands Bridge in Green Cove Springs. Other than that it is clear sailing all the way to Astor about 5 miles south of Lake George. For a week cruise that would make a good turn around point from Ortega. The Blackwater Inn is in Astor on the river. They have docks and there is a marina directly across the river. The name of the Palatka restaurant is Corky Bell's. Sit outside down at one of the tables at the Tiki Bar.
 
Excellent info!

I think the bridge is 45’ and we need 40’ plus antennas and stuff.
 
I've been the Waterway Guide cruising editor for the St. Johns river the past few years so I'm biased, but you'll find a wealth of information and answers to many of your questions in that part of the Southern edition.

There's immense variety along the river, from open water to winding creeks. Anchorages are plentiful, but facilities can be sparse. Fuel up before leaving Jacksonville (Doctor's Lake is a good place for that) because only gasoline is at the little fish camps until you reach Sanford.

I think it's worth going the entire distance to Sanford, which can be done easily in three days if you don't linger anywhere long. Ten days round trip would be better. It's a fine way to see Old Florida as it was decades ago.

There can be swarms of bugs for short times during the Spring, especially "Love Bugs" and "Blind Mosquitoes". They don't bite but they are annoying and messy. Ask locally to see if the seasonal outbreak is occurring.

-- Tom
 
+1 on the blind mosquitoes. This IS the season.

Diesel is available at St Johns Marina South , Hwy 44, Deland. This is 15nm+/- before Lake Monroe
 
tomdove said:
I've been the Waterway Guide cruising editor for the St. Johns river the past few years so I'm biased, but you'll find a wealth of information and answers to many of your questions in that part of the Southern edition.

There's immense variety along the river, from open water to winding creeks. Anchorages are plentiful, but facilities can be sparse. Fuel up before leaving Jacksonville (Doctor's Lake is a good place for that) because only gasoline is at the little fish camps until you reach Sanford.

I think it's worth going the entire distance to Sanford, which can be done easily in three days if you don't linger anywhere long. Ten days round trip would be better. It's a fine way to see Old Florida as it was decades ago.

There can be swarms of bugs for short times during the Spring, especially "Love Bugs" and "Blind Mosquitoes". They don't bite but they are annoying and messy. Ask locally to see if the seasonal outbreak is occurring.

-- Tom
Click to expand...
Acosta Creek Marina in Satsuma has both Gas and diesel at their fuel dock
 
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