St. Johns River Cruise

Boaters embark on a journey on Florida’s longest river

BY TOM DIETRICH

Sponsored by the Sunnyland chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, the annual St Johns River Cruise celebrates the beauty and history of Florida’s longest river while honoring the timelessness of classic boats.

During the five-day event, participants cruise a portion of the 310-mile river, which starts at the St Johns Marsh, about 30 miles west of Vero Beach, and heads north where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport. From start to finish, the elevation drop is only about 27 feet, making the St. Johns a slow-moving river.

Sunday, March 17

During the opening banquet on Sunday evening, my wife, Marbeth, and I were nervous because we didn’t know anybody or what to expect However, the group graciously welcomed us There were 15 boats, 36 people and two dogs on the cruise.

We were surprised to find that the boaters came from all over, including Wisconsin, Ohio, the Carolinas, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Texas and Tennessee, with a few Floridians in the mix. Most people had done the cruise before and were quick to tell us we were in for a wonderful event.

Monday, March 18

The weather was the main topic of conversation at the captains meeting on Monday morning. The winds were blowing 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts. Undaunted and eager to get on the water, we launched our boats and headed downriver a few miles before turning off into Dunns Creek.

Running the long, narrow creek with its twists and turns was fun, but when the creek ran into Crescent Lake, we were hit with 3-foot waves We pounded our way across the lake, anticipating a wonderful lunch at 3 Bananas Restaurant However, the unprotected docks made docking impossible, so we turned around and headed back across the lake We found a restaurant in an area protected from the wind, where 36 wet and hungry cruisers had lunch and swapped stories.

Tuesday, March 19

On Tuesday the weather was again the topic of conversation This was the day we were crossing Lake George, the largest lake on the St Johns waterway With memories of getting soaked by spray as we pounded through waves on Monday fresh in our minds, most of us decided to do a day cruise and return to our trailers so we could tow our boats to Astor, where we were staying for the next three nights.

It was a beautiful day, and the cruise to our lunch stop at Shrimp R Us & More in Welaka was wonderful We then took a short cruise up the picturesque Ocklawaha River, turned our boats toward the banks and let the water lilies hold us in place while the cruise leader gave us a little history about the river.

Next, we headed for our trailers and drove 60 miles to Astor, arriving in time for happy hour followed by a group dinner.

Wednesday, March 20

We awoke to a sunny, warm and virtually windless day perfect weather for our cruise to De Leon Springs State Park To get there, we left the river and crossed lakes Dexter and Woodruff. Getting all the boats tied up on the small dock at the park was a challenge, but with lots of fenders and lots of laughter we managed.

De Leon Springs is one of many natural springs that flow into the St. Johns River. We never would have done this by ourselves because Lake Dexter is shallow; we often saw depths as low as 2.4 feet on our depth sounder.

The trip back took us through Lake Woodruff and up the Dead River to the St. Johns. The Dead River was like running the Tail of the Dragon but in boats! It was exciting. We enjoyed a taco bar at the St Johns River Grille, and then it was back to Astor for a social hour.

Thursday, March 21

Thursday morning brought rain, which delayed our departure. The sun emerged while we were enjoying a catered lunch, and by 1 p.m. we were heading downriver.

We wandered through Blue Creek, where the tradition of hanging a birdhouse in remembrance of a loved one is alive and well. We counted over 70 birdhouses of all sizes and shapes in the trees along the banks and saw a large alligator sunning himself and posing for pictures.

From there, we crossed a portion of Lake George and entered Silver Glen Springs It was a beautiful afternoon, and we enjoyed anchoring in the crysta-lclear water of the springs.

When we returned to Astor, we had an ice cream party. One of our fellow cruisers owns the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co. in Madison, Wisconsin, and he had ice cream flown in for the occasion.

Friday, March 22

The winds were once again blowing hard. Since crossing Lake George was the only way to get to the restaurant for our final meal together, most boaters chose to tow their boats to the restaurant. We met the brave, wet souls who opted to cross Lake George in their boats before heading into lunch.

Our cruise leader wrapped up our adventure with some humorous anecdotes about each participant before we said our goodbyes with handshakes, hugs and promises to see each other on next year’s cruise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Dietrich is a 29-year member, currently of America’s Boating Club-Knoxville/17. He has been power boating on the East Coast for 70 years. After retirement, he and his wife, Marbeth, sold everything and lived on a 47-foot Tradewind for seven years, doing the Great Loop, the Down East Loop on the St Lawrence Seaway and along Nova Scotia, and the Bahamas Back on land, he built the 20-foot Glen-L Barrelback they took on the St Johns River Cruise.