052: St. Johns River Part 3:

 The next morning, we had hoped to get an early start on our way to Blue Springs State Park (“BSSP”) so we could have a lunch-stop to explore one of the many tributary creeks in the dinghy, but a clogged galley sink got in the way.   I fixed the clog, but not without getting half a sink full of dirty dishwater spilled over our foodstuffs and salon rug.   It was 11:30 a.m. before we cleaned up my mess and started on our twenty n/m run.   All but a few miles of this trip are undeveloped shoreline.  We spotted eagles, hawks, alligators, osprey, and many other birds.    We also spotted the WW2 Tugboat “Tiger,” a veteran of the Normandy Landings, which was brought back to Florida and is looking for a permanent home as a floating museum.  A wonderful run.

 

We dropped the hook just south of the kayak landing at BSSP and after setting a stern anchor rowed to shore.  To protect the manatees the spring is closed to all watercraft traffic during the winter months, but as consolation there is a boardwalk that runs the entire length of the spring and provides great aquatic and land viewing opportunities.   We saw manatees, and various fish species in the water, and two armadillos rummaging around and a snake sunbathing on the landside.    For the $2 per person access fee, the Park offers the boardwalk, a playground, historic home tour, flush-toilet restrooms, a playground, concessions, kayak/canoe rentals, tour boat rides and a picnic area.   There were 127 manatees in the spring by a count on the board, down from the upper hundreds a few weeks ago.  The weather is warming, and the manatees are starting to move down river.

BSSP:

 

The marinas and free docks are nice, but nothing (IMHO) beats anchoring out in a protected spot out in Mother Nature, we had lovely and peaceful evening admiring a Bald Eagle perched up high on a tree surveying his domain.  The park closing at sundown brought several deer to the water’s edge to quench their thirst.

 

We got an early start the next morning to make up for lost time creek-exploring.   Six n/m up the river we anchored at the mouth of the Wekiva River Inlet in seven feet of water.   (The inlet is better than five feet deep several hundred yards into it.)   We spent a few hours exploring the Wekiva and its tributaries spotting seven alligators and countless birds.  After one particularly large gator slithered into the water as we passed by it, I grabbed Susan’s side (she wasn’t as amused as I was by this.) 

The Wekiva:

Mr., or Mrs., Gator:

We could have spent all day exploring here and happily stayed the night, but Hygge had a stern thruster shear pin that needed to be replaced (that’s two sterns and one bow if you are counting) and Nancy and Susan wanted to visit the Sanford Zoo and Botanical Gardens.    After having lunch on the hook, we headed the final ten n/m’s upriver to Sanford through the Black Bear Wilderness Area wishing we had time to hike the 7.2-mile loop.   On the way we passed the Barbara-Lee paddle wheeler which gives rides from downtown.   With high winds and no stern thruster, I was grateful for the extra help at the Downtown Sanford Marina, and we pulled into a slip without incident.

 

After I fixed the stern thruster and Nancy and Susan toured the Botanical gardens, we strolled the mile- long river walk and went to dinner in the nice downtown area.

Sanford is as far as you can navigate a Great Loop-sized boat up the SJR, so we look forward to our return trip down the river, hopefully exploring more creeks and tributaries.

Dave

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