- 24.2 miles
- 2 hours 57 minutes
- 8.2 mph average speed
- 2-3 mph winds
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.
