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.