We had originally hoped to travel all the way to Sanford, FL which is about as far south that a boat our size can travel on the river but we were not able to get in the marina there as they are still recovering from hurricane Ian and had relocated a lot of boats to the marina. There were a few other places we wanted to visit but, after being told by a couple of other marinas along the way that the water was too low for us to get in, we decided to head back north and explore these areas by car. We debated continuing on and anchoring and using our dinghy to get to shore but ultimately decided that we did not want to leave the boat at anchor while we were not there.
We had a wonderful dinner at Velchoff’s Corner and breakfast the next day at Angel’s Dining Car. Angel’s is Florida’s oldest diner. It was built in an old railroad car and has been open since 1932. Curb service is also available.
It was a beautiful day for cruising on the river and we enjoyed a peaceful night at anchor. This was the first night that we noticed Venus and Jupiter in the night sky and we would then enjoy spotting them every night.
We decided to go somewhat off the beaten path and take a side trip up the St. John’s River and back. The St. John’s River is the longest river in Florida and one of only a few rivers that flow from South to North.
Once we left Ortega Landing, we had to be diligent about watching out for crab pots. With the sun shining in the water directly in front of us and the fact that the crab pots were black, they were not always clearly visible but we managed to dodge all of them!
Along the way we passed the massive Jacksonville Naval Air Station at Piney Point. The primary activities at this base are anti submarine warfare training, helicopter training and P3 Orion (four engine turboprop anti submarine patrol plane) operations.
Green Cove Springs Marina, which is just south of the City Pier where we docked, occupies two of eleven 1,000′ piers of a former WWII era naval base.
Green Cove Springs is home to St. Brendan’s Isle mail forwarding service, a popular service that many Loopers, including Kevin, use.
Spring Park overlooks the river and leads to the spring. The spring water is discharged into a 50′ by 100′ swimming pool and then flows about 450′ to the St. Johns River. About 1,346 gallons of water per minute constantly flow and cycle from the spring so chlorine is never needed in the swimming pool and the temperature is 77 degrees. The spring has a depth of about 30 feet and has a cave opening into a big cavern with depths of 120 feet.
Spring ParkSpring BoilSpring fed swimming pool in backgroundSpring water flowing out of swimming poolSpring run to riverEnjoying the sunset
As we had spent so much time in St. Augustine last year, we decided to only stay one night this trip. This time we stayed at the municipal marina which is located on the south side of the Bridge of Lions and right in downtown St. Augustine. Stuart and Rod from Sea Turtle were also at the marina and we went to dinner with them at Columbia Restaurant, a Spanish/Cuban restaurant. The original restaurant opened in Tampa in 1903 as Columbia Saloon and became Columbia Restaurant in 1905 and there are now seven locations which are still run by the same family.
It was quite foggy on our journey to Palm Coast but, once the fog lifted, we saw several dolphin swimming in our wake.
Palm Coast was a new stop for us. It is a beautiful area but not a lot to do within walking distance of the marina other than a European Village with shops and restaurants which had condos above them. We had a delicious pizza at Mezzaluna Pizza.
Of all the “no wake manatee zones” we have been through the last several years we don’t think we’ve ever actually seen a manatee in these zones! But that certainly changed on our trip to New Smyrna Beach! We first started spotting them in the Haulover Canal north of Titusville and estimate we saw upwards of 30 manatee from there to New Smyrna Beach. They are heading back south after migrating to warmer waters for the winter. We are headed to Blue Springs State Park on the St. John’s River which is a popular spot where hundreds of Manatee choose to winter. We are hoping that some will still be there when we get there in a week but are beginning to doubt that after hearing the dock master here tell us that he was there a week ago and saw around 60 of these beautiful gentle giants.
We were excited to revisit New Smyrna Beach as we only had one full day there last year so we decided to stay several days this time around. We had a great time visiting Canaveral National Park! It was so beautiful! The park is situated on a barrier island which is the longest stretch of undeveloped Atlantic Coastline in Florida and covers 58,000 acres with 24 miles of pristine beaches. We walked around the Turtle Mound National Historic Site which is the largest shell midden on the mainland U.S. This turtle-shaped mound contains oyster shells and refuse from the prehistoric Timucuan people and extends 600 feet and along the Indian River shoreline. It was constructed between 800 and 1,400 A.D. but recent radiocarbon testing dates it at around 1,000 B.C. Archeologists have recently found 1,200-year-old pottery on the site. It is estimated that the mound was originally 75 feet high but it is now 40 feet high as a result of shell rock mining in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was difficult to get a good photo capturing the sheer size of the mound as it is now covered with trees but we were able to walk a boardwalk surrounding and up to the top of the mound.
We then visited the Eldora State House was built in 1913 and is the only house that remains in the Park. The small citrus farming and fishing community of Eldora was established around 1876.
Finally, we headed to visit one of the beautiful beaches. We were shocked to learn that one of the beaches was a nude beach – in a National Park! This is because the nude beach was already established prior to the National Park’s establishment in 1975. The beach was beautiful and it was so nice to visit a beach without any nearby hotels, restaurants or condos and see it much the same as it was thousands of years ago.
After leaving Canaveral National Park, our next stop was to visit the New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins. Once part of the Cruger-de Peyster Plantation, the steam-operated sugar cane mill and saw mill were built in 1830. The 17-acre site contains the ruins of the coquina sugar factory that was raided by the Seminole Indians in 1835.
We ate at several good restaurants while we were in New Smyrna Beach but were glad we were able to return to Riverpark Terrace which we had enjoyed so much on our first trip here.
We also enjoyed meeting new friends, Stuart and Rod, on Sea Turtle who are from the Birmingham area and have recently started their Loop adventure.
Shoreline at the base of the Turtle MoundAt the top of the Turtle MoundThe Turtle Mound overlooking the Indian RiverView from the top of the Turtle MoundWalkway to Eldora State HouseEldora State HouseEldora State HouseView of the beach sans nude sunbathersSugar Mill RuinsRiverpark Terrace Restaurant
Cocoa Village was another town that we enjoyed visiting our first time around but we chose to only stay one night this time around. We enjoyed walking around the historic village and had dinner at the wonderful Italian restaurant, Villa Palma, where we had eaten during our first visit here. We did not mention Travis Hardware in our original post. Travis Hardware was founded in 1885 and is the oldest continuously operating business in Cocoa and one of the oldest hardware stores in Florida. This store has survived two world wars as well as numerous hurricanes and financial busts. The building was completed in 1891 and purchased by Colonel S.F. Travis in 1902 who added a second building in 1907.
Vero Beach was a favorite stop on our first time around and did not disappoint this time. We can certainly understand why it is nicknamed “Velcro Beach” since so many people do not want to leave. We had a nice dinner at the Riverside Cafe and had a wonderful walk on the beach the next day. The walk to the town and the beach from the marina takes you through beautiful Live Oak-lined streets. The trees make a canopy over the streets and most of the houses have Live Oaks with limbs reaching and bending in all directions. It is truly spectacular!
Docked in the slip next to us were Christine and Joe on Sabbatical. They completed their Loop a year ago and are still traveling! They invited us to go to dinner with them and we had a great time getting to know them!
