On South - Astor to Hontoon Island and Sanford, FL

Astor, FL - Leaving cousin Vic's and Barbie's home

We bid a fond farewell to Vic and Barbie on Friday, November 22.  Wayne and Vic had a bit of sewing fun as Wayne used his new found skills to repair some of Victor's boat canvas.  Notice the spiffy red-and-white boat to the right of Cool Change.  At the same time, Barbie and Colleen huddled around Colleen's sewing machine and Barbie made herself a cute little pencil (or sewing tool) holder.  A good time was had by all.





V & B's Marina




Captain, can we get out of here without knocking down any trees?

We made our way carefully through the narrow residential canals to return to the St. John's.  The weatherman had predicted rain and he did not disappoint.  Ten minutes into the trip it began to rain and we were glad of the short run to Hontoon Island State Park.  Even in the light rain that came and went, the river was beautiful.

A few St. Johns River Facts

The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida.  It's 310 miles long and it winds through or borders twelve counties. The St. Johns has a very low flow rate, 0.3 mph as it meanders through the state from around Vero Beach lowlands to Jacksonville.  It really doesn't become a navigable river until it reaches Sanford, 140 miles south of Jacksonville.  It is one of the few rivers in the US which flows north.  From 1700 through the 1800s the river was the main highway into the interior lands.  Roads were non-existent at the time.



Out on the river



The waterway we followed is the yellow winding line.
We pretty much had to travel eight miles in all four directions of
 the compass to cover five miles as the crow flies.

The St Johns river has not changed much since the days in the 1950's and 60's when Wayne fished in the river and the lakes and camped on the shore.  


Real river homes
 



Our typical view of the inhabited sections of the river

 Hontoon Island State Park

Hontoon was the destination of many boat trips when we boated in Florida with our boys.  Accessible only by boat or ferry the island features a nature walk that winds past an Indian mound and other family friendly outdoor activities.  Unfortunately, the lookout tower that was here in the old days is no longer standing.


Houseboats for rent at Hontoon Landings near Deland, FL



View from our boat docked at Hontoon Island State Park. 
Park office, small museum and restroom facilities

We were assigned an end spot on the westernmost dock and enjoyed a solitary evening, just us and the birds and alligators.  Oh, and one more critter.  In the morning, as Wayne walked up the gangway from the dock to the shore, he encountered a three foot water moccasin lying in his path.  Luckily, he was armed with a lethal garbage bag and just swept the snake off the dock.  The next morning we were awakened by sandhill cranes, large water birds with a cry similar to that of peacocks.  You won't sleep in once they begin their wakeup call.



View east and south towards Lake Beresford



View north of Hontoon Landings marina and hotel



Hontoon Landings Office and store
Boat rentals also



The camera does not do justice to this magnificent live oak



A small and cute riverboat passing us  at Hontoon Island



A Hontoon Island resident sand hill crane.
A gator was on the shore about 50 feet away.
You can see him if you look at the dark mark at the top of the photo in the middle.

A red shouldered hawk that Colleen sneaked up on



Resident heron on the dock.  There's something about his stance that
tickles my funny bone.



View of docks from ferry landing.  Cool Change is at the end of the dock on the left.

Visits From Friends and Relations

If we thought last year's trip was the people cruise, we're thinking this year is a people cruise also.  On Saturday the 23rd friends Bob and Debbie picked us up for lunch and a visit to their house.  Bob worked for us as the service manager when we owned our bicycle and lawn mower business in Orlando.  Bob and Wayne had not gotten together for over ten years.  Debbie and I enjoyed lots of "grandma talk" while Wayne and Bob caught up and admired Bob's babes (see below).



Debbie and Bob with us at lunch



Bob's babes

 



Colleen's cousin Tony came to visit

 Colleen's cousin, Tony, came to have lunch on the boat with us on November 24 and then took us on a tour of downtown Deland, the home of Stetson University.  Stetson is the alma mater of numerous family members on Colleen's side of the family so it was fun to walk around this beautiful campus and imagine the family footsteps that have walked the same paths.  Wayne's mother's family and Colleen's maternal grandmother's family lived in Deland at the same time in the 1920's and 30's and knew each other (Deland was a pretty small town in those days), long before Colleen and Wayne encountered each other at the Orange County Science Fair in 1965.  A downtown Art Show was underway and we spent a little time there until the wind gusts drove us away.



Worlds Fair fountain brought to Stetson campus



A Stetson University building



President's house at Stetson.  We were told that this was a Sears mail
order home early in the 1900s, purchased by a private individual,
 and eventually left to the university.



A residence hall, vintage 1890s

Thanks, Tony, we had fun and look forward to seeing you again.


Onward to Sanford



Florida clouds - There's nothing like the variety you will see here

On Monday the 25th we left Hontoon Island early to avoid predicted high winds later in the day.  Our big concern was whether we could maneuver the dock at Boat Tree Marina in Sanford where we planned to stop for several days.  There was a lot of gusty wind but Wayne handled the docking with the skilled aplomb he's developed over the past three winters and now we're settled in for a week.  First order of business - rent a car to take us back up to Jacksonville to pick up our car.  The trip that took us seven days in the boat (counting visits along the way) took two-and-a-half hours by car.  Nice to have wheels!

On Tuesday we welcomed Wayne's brother, Harlan, and his wife, Patty onto the boat.  We all went out to lunch and then went grocery shopping together.  Back at the boat later Patty showed me some iPad tricks while I stitched up the same pencil holder that Barbie had made with fabrics Patty chose from my onboard stash.

 



Wayne's sister-in-law Pat and his brother, Harlan

Ready to fill with pens and pencils, just what Teacher Patty needs

Steamboats were the main transportation mode for the north Florida interior before 1900 when the railroads pushed south into the state.

 

 

A new winter aboard Cool Change

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

After four days in Doctor's Lake Marina cleaning and provisioning Cool Change for this winter's trip, we were hoping to head out Tuesday morning of the 19th.  However, the night before the weatherman predicted winds of 20-25 miles/hour.  At 2:30 AM we awoke to rocking and rolling caused by high winds and Wayne muttered, “No way are we leaving today.”  When we got up in the morning, though, the winds had died down and we vacillated between go and no go for several hours.  Finally, the captain said, “We’re going” and with the help of Don and Bob, two of the many friendly boaters at Doctor’s Lake Marina, we cast off and were on our way into the St. John’s River, heading south.  Sometimes you just gotta decide that it's time to get going.

This year’s winter adventure has now officially begun!

Let's move on!

 At first the St. John's River is broad but about 40 miles south of Doctor's Lake it takes on the appearance of a snake, narrowing and meandering from south to east to west and even, briefly, taking a swing to the north.  The names of the small towns and communities along the river reminded me of my last winter's reading of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' book, Cross Creek. Palatka, Satsuma, Welaka, Acosta were names bequeathed by Florida's earliest Native American settlers.

Here's our chart.

The old salt, Captain Wayne

We enjoyed a pleasant trip with a brisk wind on our tail and our eyes peeled for the ever-present crab traps that invade the channel space, no matter where we travel.  Around 3:00, we pulled up to the dock at Corky Bell’s Restaurant in Palatka.  We had heard good reviews of this restaurant from the Jacksonvillians and it didn’t disappoint.  Delicious fried shrimp and flounder and shrimp fettucini with sides of collard greens and cheese grits reminded us that we’re now in back country Florida.

Corky Belle's from the dock

The prevailing theme at Corky Belle's is alligator and, of course gator tail is on the menu.

Morning view of the St. John's River, where the land meets the sky
and it's hard to tell what is real and what is reflection.

 

We spent a calm and peaceful night on the river and awoke determined to cross notorious Lake George (also known as Lake Welaka).  Lake George is Florida’s second largest lake, broad, shallow and brackish with an average depth of only 8 feet.  When the wind blows, it can build high waves across the length and breadth of Lake George and nobody wants to get caught in the middle while traversing the ten miles of channel markers that run the lake’s length.  Rain was predicted after noon and 15-20 mph winds and 30 mph wind gusts were forecast.  When we awoke and looked out, we decided to head out anyway and got an early start by 7:30 AM.  The day was overcast but the river was beautiful and calm.  We were the only boat on the water most of the day.  By the time we reached Lake George at 11:30, it was beginning to rain a little but we could still see the markers so we headed out – only to be assaulted by waves of 1 to 1 ½ inches.  Yep, you heard me correctly – the waves were wimpy and the entire crossing was a cinch.  It was a beautiful, if slightly damp day. 

The blue line you see across the middle of our chart is part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal.  It was intended to link the Atlantic with the Gulf of Mexico to provide a route across northern Florida. The project was finally stopped in 1971
due to pressure from environmentalists and the right-of-way now belongs to the state of Florida.

In Astor, at the southern base of the lake we docked at the home of Victor and Barbie who are cousins of Wayne’s.  We all went to the Blackwater Inn for lunch and had fun catching up with family news throughout the afternoon and evening.  We found Cool Change 3 years ago on Yacht Trader pictured in front of Blackwater Inn.  The ladies, by the way, ended up as the champion players at the game of Sequence that evening.

Interesting docks and comfortable homes are part of the riverside scenery
but there are many more modest river cottages.  Most of the riverside is
 a wild, uninhabited landscape, decorated with oaks festooned
with Spanish moss and tall cypress trees standing guard over
this quiet, peaceful gift of nature.

Victor and Barbie generously shared their showers, indoor bathroom and washer and dryer with us.  They are wonderful hosts.  We're happy to be tied up at their dock as the damp Wednesday moved into a rainy Thursday.

 



Preparations for our 2013 - 2014 Winter Cruise

 

Repairs and additions during the March to November layover

Ice maker fixed:
We have an ice maker aboard.  But it has not worked for the three plus years that we have owned Cool Change.  Two years ago I replaced the water control valve - it costs only $32 while the timer switch mechanism for the ice maker cost was $140 to $180.  This summer I went to the internet and found the exact same timer assembly, which is made by Whirlpool, could be purchased for a range of $24 to $180.  Scared of the $24 piece, I sprung for the $32 version.  It is the same timer that I have replaced in several home freezers in past years.  I also needed to replace the small water hose from the water valve to the ice tray.  We now have a working ice maker to use when we are at a marina and have constant A/C power available.  We will probably use it as a meat freezer to supplement our refrigerator freezer.  And...for ice cream!

 

 

New outboard motor for our dinghy:

In previous blogs you may have seen our new Yamaha outboard that we purchased in Jan 2010.  Well that engine ran so roughly with its one non-counterbalanced piston that it shook our hands violently on the control handle.  Colleen was reluctant to pull the starter rope because of its propensity to kick back and snatch the rope from her hand causing extreme pain. In fact it kicked back on me and snatched the rope from my hand so violently that it flew into my other wrist tearing my watch away and sending it down to Davey Jones locker never to be seen again.   All Yamaha needs to do is add compression release and counter balancing to the motor and it would be a great motor.  Bye bye Yamaha 6hp.   Hello Nissan 8hp electric start.  Tohatsu makes this motor for both Nissan and Mercury.  Note the new mount to store the motor on the back of the big boat.  It was too big to fit in the locker - I did not think to check that first!

 



New mount bracket for motor







This motor gets our dinghy up on plane with both of us aboard and runs 15mph.  The Yamaha would not plane even with only one person aboard. Oh, and we sold the Yamaha 6 for the same amount that we paid for the Nissan electric start 8.

 

Sealing air leaks in the dinghy

Every time that we went back to the boat in Jacksonville we found that the dinghy was completely flat.  After pumping, the dinghy was low on air again the next morning.  We found several pinhole leaks through the rubberized fabric when we painted the dinghy with soapy water.  After reading good reports about a liquid sealer that is squirted into the tubes of the dinghy we purchased the $55 per quart stuff and tried it. Getting the sealant into the tubes was like getting a two year old to take castor oil.  And that was the easy part.  I had to drag the dinghy onto land and roll it over and end for end every 30 minutes for 3 hours.  Now this is harder than it sounds because the dinghy is bottom heavy and had to be held at 15 degree increments repeatedly until it was rolled a complete revolution.  Then I had to turn it on its bow and then its stern. After the 3 hours in 88 degree weather I was beaten. I had my doubts that one quart would cover both tubes of a 10 foot dinghy and find any and all leaks. Well...it worked!  When I got back three weeks later the dinghy was still fully inflated and again 3 more weeks later.

 

 



Motor mounted on dinghy





 

Apprenticing at the local canvas shop:

From April through October Wayne apprenticed at Rick's Boat Canvas and Sail shop in our home town.  Rick was a fantastic teacher and Wayne learned much while assisting there.  He actually can sew a straight line on a 42 foot sail.  He can repair any boat cover, replace clear vinyl, make side curtains and boat covers and much more.  Maybe he can trade canvas work for $$ to buy diesel fuel.  In Jacksonville he traded canvas repairs for boat buffing and waxing.  Great trade for both people!

 

Making a cover for a sailboat

 

Solar Panels Installed

 

I finally decided to install a solar charging system.  It consists of two 215 watt solar panels that measure 40in by 60in each.  Gary and Jann aboard "Tieing A Knot" (www.tieingaknot.blogspot.com) said that their same system supplied the charge to run all of their 12 volt systems including the refrigerator without running the generator daily.  The attached pictures tell the story.

 





getting access to flybridge arch to pull wiring



Pulling the wires





 





Corner bracket with specially-made-by-Wayne spacer



 

Both solar panels installed



cutout for control panel



Control panel (lower panel) and solar charge controller

Replacing a side curtain

 

One of our side curtains had clear vinyl that was turning brown around the edges.  From my apprenticeship at the canvas shop, I determined that it was about as easy to make a complete new curtain with zip-up window as it was to replace the clear vinyl and utilize the old blue canvas. Here is the result,

 

Newly installed side curtain at helm side of flybridge
 

Repairing our drop-down table

Screws were repeatedly falling out of our table on the aft deck and unexpectedly dropping the table and all on it a foot.  My sewing machine wreaked havoc on the screws with its vibrations as it stitched.  With some skinned knuckles and arms, I managed to install through-bolts and elastic locknuts where screws had been before.  Now the table goes from high to low and back with little effort and no longer collapses without warning.



 

 

 Sea strainer repair
I opened the air conditioner strainer to see if it was clean and that the basket bottom was still intact.  The strainer was clean and the basket was good.  But...the cork gasket on the cap had self destructed upon disassembly.  For $12, NAPA provided a 26 inch by 12 inch piece of cork gasket material from which I cut a new gasket.  Now I have a 100 year supply of gasket cork.  And I brought from home a 12 inch square piece of 1/8 inch thick rubber sheet from which to make any future gaskets that I might need.

 

Gasket sheet and new gasket ready for installation.

 

New side floor bolster panel

The wood in the port lower side panel on the bridge was rotting out under the vinyl.  I made a new backing board and recovered the panel with matching new vinyl upholstery material.

 

Finished bolster

making new backer board







 Re-stitched the top canvas

Several weeks before the winter cruise I finally made time to stitch over the decaying stitches in our big bimini top.  This top is twelve feet wide and 14 feet long.  Both the front and back stitching was starting to come apart and I did not want it to fail in a high wind episode.  After removing the canvas from its frame, I laid new stitches on top of the existing stitches in the front and aft seams of the top as well as the rubber attaching slide that holds the canvas to the boat at the flybridge arch.

 

 

 

Canvas top removed from frame

 

 

 

Canvas top and slide adapter

New batteries

Three weeks ago I checked the specific gravity for all nine batteries and found two batteries that failed and one battery that was borderline.   The two bad batteries were removed and only one was replaced.  I had kept one extra battery when I previously installed four deep discharge batteries three years ago.  Well this week the borderline battery failed the specific gravity test.   So before commencing the trip, that battery was replaced also.

 

Some photos that you might like

Coast Guard boat with triple 300s

  

It comes with its own custom trailer and truck

 

 

Beautiful Chris Craft runabout

 

NASA Shuttle's external fuel tank in Green Cove springs docks awaiting trip to local museum

 

 

No guards!! Just walk up and touch it!

 Five manatees cam to our boat to eat the weeds trapped between the boats in the marina

  

 

Early morn at the marina

Look what happened to that clear morn