Great Loop & Cruising Adventure Blog

Quite by happen-chance we hooked up with Terry and Judi Wilcox who keep their Huckins, Litenup III, at the Huckins Marina just up the river from where we’re docked. They had us over to their boat where we discussed long distance cruising as well as getting a tour of their 65-foot wooden classic. We enjoyed dinner together a few nights later at the Florida Yacht Club and really got to delve into our mutual boating passions.

Huckins was started here in Jacksonville in 1928 and was one of the pioneers of the planing hull of which Huckins calls theirs the Fairform Flyer. (www.huckinsyacht.com) Huckins also helped in the WWII war effort with the PT boat design (the hull is the same) and construction and today uses modern technology in the construction of their classic hulls. It was fun to walk the docks and boat-yard to see so many Huckins in one place and to think we would have most likely missed if it wasn’t for a chance encounter with the Terry & Judi.

After a two-night layover, due to high winds, in Palatka, our last stop on the St. Johns River was also where we began it. However that day, a couple of weeks ago, Bella Luna was with us heading south on the river.

One of the nicest things about traveling on this river during the off season is that, other than the small fishing or pleasure boats we only saw one or two boats our size the whole trip DOWN & BACK. Look at all the photos of the river… we felt like we were by ourselves most of the time.

It’s cold and rainy today so we sought refuge at the free dock in Welaka. We made note of this dock as we were heading south on the river. As boaters are always looking for an inexpensive (or even better) free dockage. We think it’s important to make sure we go into town to re-provision, eat at a restaurant and make use of the town’s services when visiting a town dock, especially one that is provided free of charge to the boating community. It’s a two-way street in our opinion.

Tonight we had dinner at Shrimp “R” Us & More. Good food and very friendly establishment.

After another leasurely morning and with no exact destination in mind other than turning our boat around and heading north towards Jacksonville, we decided to make a big day of it by traveling 34 miles to Silver Glen Springs, just off Lake George.

Silver Glen Springs 

We weren’t sure we could make it into this reportedly shallow area but we were determined to give it a good try. Wow, are we ever glad we did.

Silver Glen Springs goes about three-quarter’s of a mile east off of Lake George and because we did not have clear directions on how to get into the spring, I called TowBoatUS to get instructions. Even with their instructions it was still tricky maneuvering through the channel. Not so much in finding the place but in finding water deep enough to get into the springs as the entrance is not well marked.

You are supposed to stay (when approaching from the south) on the left side of this marker (which has two blue reflectors just below the sign) when coming into this channel. After that there are not many markers to help you inside.

We draw 3.5 feet and we were told this would be no problem. Well, luckily, we found the water that was right at 3.5 feet, so it was a good thing the bottom was soft sand. We forged forward and finally found the deeper water (6 feet or so) and with the help of Larry, a local and regular visitor to the springs, who was anchored nearby.

The water is very clear, as you can see in the photo of our anchor set in the sand (above-left). Although we have seen our anchor in clean, clear water in the Abacos this is the first time we have been anchored in such shallow water so we could see our anchor very well.

Silver Glen Springs is, as it name implies, a fresh water spring. Fresh water pushes up from the earth and feeds into Lake George, the water is a constant 72 degrees year-round. With the cystal clear, warm water and mostly sandy bottom it all made for great swimming, even for Lisa. Our boat rested at anchor in 5-6 feet of water.

We read, swam, played games and got caught up on some chores, Lisa even made some sourdough bread.

Sometimes we get tired of always traveling to get somewhere or we are usually tied up to a dock in a marina, with towns to explore, for extended stays. But a real treat for us is to anchor out in a beautiful spot for several days, it really gives us time to just relax.

This stop was an extra special treat because we could swim in the crystal clear water, sun ourselves on the bow, watch the fish, who were constantly jumping out of the water to catch bugs. We also became familiar with the resident birds who glided through the air from one side of the spring to the other. The sounds of all the wildlife activity serenaded us all day and night. What a treat.

 Apparently the county line is right here almost to the, far eastern, end of the spring.

I (Jim) took advantage of the conditions to break out my mask to do a boat bottom inspection. I cleaned barnicles off the prop and rudder, checked all the zincs and thru hull strainers and found the bottom paint to be in great shape. This is something I have not been able to do since the Bahamas, that’s how clear and clean the water is. Silver Glen Springs is a very special place. So special in fact that Larry told us he’s been coming here every Tuesday for 14 years (check out his website – 2sdaze.com). He has a theory about this spring being the fountain of youth, so he likes to be a regular visitor.

There are a few boats that look like they call the springs their year-round home, mostly houseboats and we met George (a permanent resident) when he helped Jim with our dinghy motor, which had decided to be temperamental one morning when Jim took off in it.

We thought the TowBoatUS sign on this houseboat (below-left) was quite ominous and a big a reminder to boaters to keep a careful eye on where they are in the spring.

We rowed over to the park and designated swim area of the park where the hole to the springs was. It was windy that day but we got in another swim and did a loop around our anchorage area. We found it so relaxing we decided to spend three nights, all the while hoping that we’d find the right route on our exit back out into Lake George!

Because we were only traveling eight miles today we had a leisurely morning at anchor enjoying the beauty of nature before heading to Hontoon Island State Park. In the course of these eight miles we saw three bald eagles, five or six mannatee, several alligators and a big stork.

The only way onto Hontoon Island is by private boat or a pontoon ferry that runs from across the river. This is a State Park that has slips for dockage with a charge of only $20 ($5 more for electricity). While docked at Hontoon we had mannatee swimming by the back of our boat most of the day making it easy for us to watch these graceful creatures maneuver thru the water. One of reasons we stopped here was to walk the three-mile trail on the Island and although they have alligators and bears the only wildlife we saw in our hike were three armadillas. Very funny looking creatures! Lisa was glad not to see snakes or gators this time out.

After our farewell with Louis and Diane we had a nice walk through Sanford before we embarked for a leasurely eight mile cruise north, to an oxbow across from Wekiva River.

We had heard taking a dinghy ride up this river was something we should not miss and we were not disappointed. The river meanders back off of the St Johns River for about five miles and the further you navigate back the wilder it becomes. Wild in that this river is basically a remote wonder of nature surrounded by a flooded cypress tree forest, lots of birds, flowers and turtles. Although we’re sure there are alligators lurking in the dark shadows, we saw none on this journey up the Wekiva.

For the last six weeks we have had the pleasure of sharing our boating travels with Louis and Diane Wade, Bella Luna. We have had dinners on-board one or the other boat or we’ve all gone out to have a taste of the local cuisine. We’ve played games, made repairs to our boats, visited with each other’s friends and family, took shore excursions and just plain had fun.

So it was bittersweet today when we gave each other hugs and said goodbye to our friends on Bella Luna. They need to get home sooner than we do, we’re both heading back to Jacksonville just at different speeds, to get home for the holidays. We have more time in our schedule and have decided to make some stops on the way north back to Jacksonville  that we may not have the opportunity to explore in the future.

I said it was bittersweet… bitter in that we’ll miss our good friends Louis and Diane and hope to meet up with them again soon… it’s also sweet because we’ve created some great memories together and now Lisa has me all to herself!