A lazy cruise on the St. Johns River Florida

[Herschel]

And our absolute favorite for lunch stops with the family and a popular anchorage as well, is Butcher's Bend:

This is probably the best secluded anchorage before you emerge into Lake Monroe and get to Sanford.



I'll leave you guys with that. Its been fun. Looking forward to joining others on their journeys.

[ris]

Herschel I just stumbled on this trip of yours on election night. We returned home on the 25th from our summer travel trailer trip to the U P of Michigan and northern Wisconsin (Jun, July, Aug.) then moved over to eastern shore of Maryland for a couple of weeks then to Adirondack Mountains of New York for 3 weeks for the fall colors. We will at some point do a St. John river trip again. Glad you folks got out on the boat. We were planning to haul the boat to NY summer of 2021 and spend the summer in NY and Canada doing the canals. But because Covid might keep the border closed we plan to go out west again in our trailer. If they have finished all the work on the Kissimmee River we plan to go from Lake Okeechobee up the Kissimmee River to Kissimmee Lake and then on up the lakes to the town of Kissimmee in southern Orlando sometime during the winter using the Mac.
Stay safe my friend

[Herschel]

Herschel I just stumbled on this trip of yours on election night. We returned home on the 25th from our summer travel trailer trip to the U P of Michigan and northern Wisconsin (Jun, July, Aug.) then moved over to eastern shore of Maryland for a couple of weeks then to Adirondack Mountains of New York for 3 weeks for the fall colors. We will at some point do a St. John river trip again. Glad you folks got out on the boat. We were planning to haul the boat to NY summer of 2021 and spend the summer in NY and Canada doing the canals. But because Covid might keep the border closed we plan to go out west again in our trailer. If they have finished all the work on the Kissimmee River we plan to go from Lake Okeechobee up the Kissimmee River to Kissimmee Lake and then on up the lakes to the town of Kissimmee in southern Orlando sometime during the winter using the Mac.
Stay safe my friend

Good to hear from you. We are a little envious of you and your upper mid-western trip. That is an area we have missed in our RV travels. As you might infer from my post, this was our first real "outing" since COVID. We do have some health issues (as well as age) that leads us to be a tad more cautious than most. It was truly good to get out and travel a little. Out next challenge is how to deal with the holidays. Our kids and grandkids have been safe, but are, of course, still very active with jobs and schools. After the holidays, we hope we can plan some more travel for 2021 either with the Mac or our travel trailer. The TT gets the nod a little more these days due to greater room. We'll see. I am still interested in a "Florida loop" from Sanford to St. Pete via Lake Okeechobee. Consequently, your Kissimmee River trip sounds particularly interesting. Keep us in the loop for that one. With family in California and Georgia we haven't seen in a while, just not sure what the next step will be. Here is our "land yacht" and "states camped map". Cheers.

[OverEasy]

Hi Herschel!

What a nice trip!
We had just purchased Over Easy at the time of your trip.
(Had not even gotten our toes wet really)

We really appreciate your sharing.

We hope all continues to go well for you both and 2021 was a better year.

Best Regards
Over Easy

[Herschel]

Well, I noticed our old 2020 pics were "not hosted" anymore. Not sure what to do about that if anything. but just wanted to share that we are planning another 6–7-day trip on the St. Johns later this month (March '22). This time we will experiment with sleeping aboard rather than staying at a motel. We hope to transit from our marina slip in Sanford to the northern end of Lake George. We will try out my port side V-berth extension and that much heralded new head door latch! See mods section for both. The somewhat "serious side" of this trip is to see if we enjoy traveling by Mac at this point in our lives (I am 77; admiral a few years behind me) as much as we did up to ten years ago when we bought our travel trailer and started doing that for trips. We have mostly used the Mac for day sails since. We have made the investment in upkeep and upgrades to make the boat reliable and useable, thinking we are in this for the long haul. Can't imagine NOT having my Mac. New gas tanks, new dual battery charger, new Optima batteries, new bottom paint, annual engine maintenance, wax job; also, caught up on those nagging DIY projects that I had been postponing, as well. Totally rehabbed my trailer, too, during COVID. So, we are good to go. I will say this. We find the process of hauling out, lowering mast and transiting home from the marina, then the reverse, just a little challenging these days. Easily a two-hour job each evolution for us even methodically using my checklist with admiral acting as safety observer. Yet, we are hopeful that this trip will be every bit as enjoyable as it used to be a decade ago. We'll see!

[OverEasy]

Hi Herschel!

Keep at it!
As Red Green says: “We’re pulling for you! We’re all in this together.”

Keep posting on your adventures.
We really enjoy them (and the vocabulary lessons)

Best Regards for a better 2022 Season!
Over Easy

[Herschel]

Hi Herschel!

Keep at it!
As Red Green says: “We’re pulling for you! We’re all in this together.”

Keep posting on your adventures.
We really enjoy them (and the vocabulary lessons)

Best Regards for a better 2022 Season!
Over Easy

Thank you. Hopefully my upgrades and DIY projects will not turn out like Red Green's efforts, otherwise we will be in a heap of "coprolite"!

[Herschel]

Rather than begin this trip log with a "first day on the water" entry, I thought I would start with the prep for a week's trip. I keep my '98 26X lightly loaded for day sails from the marina slip where she is homeported in Sanford, Florida. Consequently, when we want to cruise overnight, some ferrying of gear is required. As I write this, my F-150 bed is loaded with the duffel containing the cockpit enclosure canvas pieces, another two duffels with bedding gear (inflatable mattresses, pump, memory foam topper, sheets, blankets, etc, for the admiral , my trusty sleeping bag and four pillows ), a small microwave, coffee pot, and a fan. That will be taken to the boat in the next few days. We decided to buy a 12volt/110 volt portable cooler that we can use on the boat as a frig and in our travel trailer as a beverage frig while on the road out west this summer. So that, too, will go up to the boat with our clothing and food the weekend of our departure. I have called ahead to possible marinas to check availability for over night stays and have lined up availability in Hontoon Island State Park in Deland and Georgetown Marina on the north end of Lake George. I was surprised that the marina in Astor where we have stayed in the past so often is full---no space for transients when we go through that area. So, it is shaping up as a Sanford, Hontoon, Georgetown round trip over a 7-8 day cruise. Lastly, I'll just mention that despite having done this stretch of river several times between 2004 and 2010 and the run up to Hontoon in 2020, each year of age seems to add just a little less comfort with novelty, so I have to challenge myself to address doing something a little out of my comfort zone. Obviously, for septuagenarians such as the admiral and myself, COVID shutdowns and guardedness did nothing to help that slow age-related retreat from ambitious undertakings. And to add a little frustration, we were caught in the shutdown of G3 cell systems and are in the process of buying new cell phones. Wasn't technology suppose to make life easier?

[OverEasy]

Hi Herschel!

Glad you are able to plan on getting out on the water again on your beautiful St.John’s River!
(We’re up north and ice bound and green with envy )



We’re hoping you enjoy the live aboard experience of your upcoming trip. While there had been the occasional nap or two on Over Easy while in SC we actually had only overnighted in her while on the road in transit as an RV until getting to Lake Champlain VT last summer.

We found that given the choice a ‘down wind’ (or current) dock tie was much more comfortable than being pushed into the dock. Much calmer and quieter.

We also found that a couple extra fenders on the side toward the dock were also beneficial should the wind change direction.

We tried our boat with and without the water ballast being full and found it much nicer full for stability and sleeping.

We found that having the swing keel, rudders and engine up and secured was much quieter than down. Having them down and secured did somewhat calm the sway somewhat but was noisier.

Our first night on the water was a real novelty for us () all together. The gentle minimal motion was calming and the lapping water against the hull was enjoyable. The () critters were initially on curiosity high alert investigating every nook and cranny with each new noise and sensation. It was funny. Eventually they decided that cuddling up to the Admiral in the Vee Berth was the best place on the boat for the night (albeit a bit crowded for the Admiral ).

It was hot and humid at the start of the trip so the Air Conditioner and shore power were appreciated. Later as things cooled off into November the portable 115VAC heaters came into their own (especially as frost would form outside). The dehumidifier function of the A/C was appreciated as it kept the damp and condensation at bay.

A Royobi dual voltage (18 VDC/115VAC) fan was also appreciated as much as the box fan we brought. The Ryobi ran for hours on the 4AHr battery pack so we could move it anywhere desired without concern of depleting the house battery.

( Being we had access to shore power we took advantage of that with wall chargers for both the boat batteries and the ones for the Ryobi.)

We really enjoyed the cozy comfort of our Mac26X and look forward to many more overnight trips.

We hope you have a great trip!

Best Regards
Over Easy

“Age is a matter of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. )

[Herschel]

We tried our boat with and without the water ballast being full and found it much nicer full for stability and sleeping.

All good recommendations, but I found this one especially interesting. With just the two of us onboard, we typically cruise on the river with ballast tank empty for fuel economy at cruising speed (8-10 mph), but the idea of filling her up for better stability at night has real merit. And I agree from pervious cruises, blades up at night. I like to use three fenders on BOTH sides when tied up. One set is for me as I pilot into the dock, the other set is for the other boaters in the next slip that might not be so skilled or have engine trouble.

[OverEasy]

Hi Herschel

Like your idea of the extra three fended on the untied side!

Given my relative newbie status, developing docking skills and mobility limits that is a great idea for “ME” to do when coming into slip! … That or as I envisioned from my first landing with a side wind a 360 degree Bubble Wrap! ). Note: The skill for initial have improved but there is still room for improvement….

Take lots of pictures to share with those of us who are still ice bound!

Best Regards
Over Easy

[Be Free]

Herschel,
If the Georgetown marina falls through you can spend a very nice night on the SW corner of the lake in the Silver Glen Spring run as long as it's not a weekend or holiday (crowded and noisy those times).

I've also anchored at the NW corner and spent the night many times.

Have a great trip!

[Herschel]

Herschel,
If the Georgetown marina falls through you can spend a very nice night on the SW corner of the lake in the Silver Glen Spring run as long as it's not a weekend or holiday (crowded and noisy those times).

I've also anchored at the NW corner and spent the night many times.

Have a great trip!

Re: Silver Glen anchorage. The river is pretty low right now, do you think the bar at the Silver Glen run will be passable? Years ago we anchored there a couple of times for a lunch stop coming and going from the marina in Astor. Saw some pretty scary houseboat renters "bowling" through the glen until they got themselves anchored.

[Be Free]

I've never had a problem getting into the run due to low water. I have turned around when it was filled with weekenders on rented houseboats. As long as it's not a weekend or holiday I've never had a bad experience in there.

The alternate anchorage in the cove at the NW corner of the lake has also been consistently good. The only bad time was due to midges (but that would have happened anywhere on the river that night). The best was waking up with the lake covered in a low fog and the boat completely surrounded by a large flock of ducks. I guess they thought I was a really big duck .

[Herschel]

The alternate anchorage in the cove at the NW corner of the lake has also been consistently good.

OBTW is it possible to get the Mac with mast up through the Salt Spring run. Just curious.