Green Cove Springs

Going Nowhere Fast – Green Cove Springs to Ortega Landing

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Green Cove Springs to Ortega Landing

Our journey back down the St John River, north towards Jacksonville, couldn’t have been more different from the journey we’d done in the opposite direction last March. Then, Carina had tossed frighteningly in the waves and driving rain, and we had been unable to see the river banks in the thick mist.
On Sunday, the sun shone, the water was calm, and Carina made a smooth exit from the dock.

Leaving Green Cove Springs

Leaving Green Cove Springs

Ian had decided that after a few days hard work in the heat and humidity getting the boat sorted out, we deserved a night in a good marina, and the upscale Marina at Ortega Landing would be just the thing, ‘upscale’ being the American word for posh, but without the divisive class connotations of the English word. Shaun, the dockhand who welcomed us, said that when the marina had opened 3 years ago, they had wanted to make it feel more like a resort than a marina, and in this they’ve succeeded. The marina fee included all electricity, water, wifi, use of laundry(free), use of rest-rooms that wouldn’t be out of place in a 5-star hotel(free), use of bicycles(free), use of swimming pool(free), and use of a beautifully furnished and decorated air-conditioned lounge, with a verandah overlooking the Ortega River (free).

Clubhouse Lounge, Marina at Ortega Landing

Clubhouse Lounge, Marina at Ortega Landing


And of course, friendly and helpful staff around, to sort out any problems and answer such questions as ‘What does that notice mean, exactly, the one dated 9th September saying that the FEC (Florida East Coast) railway bridge lifting mechanism is broken and might not be fixed for 2 weeks?’
It turned out that the notice meant exactly what it said – that the FEC railroad bridge, which we would need to be lifted for us to pass through on our way through Jacksonville, was probably going to be closed for another ten days. There were several other boats also stranded.

Hell really hath no fury like that of a Bridge Engineer whose plans are thwarted by the apparent incompetence of other Bridge Engineers, and it was hard to imagine that had it been the trains which were inconvenienced, rather than a few boaters, the repairs would have taken so long. The prospect of kicking our heels in Jacksonville for 10 days wasn’t an inviting one.
Ian adopted a two-pronged attack. He posted on FEC’s Facebook page, and got an email from the Communications and Marketing Director. He sent an email to the Senior Vice-President, Engineering and Mechanical, and got an email from him, too. The essence was the same. They were sorry for any inconvenience, and the bridge would be open (probably) at close of business, Friday. Result!

It could have been worse. The Marina is really a very pleasant place to be holed up, and they gave us a generous discount on the daily rate when it turned out we would have to stay for 6 nights instead of one.

I’d like to say we made good use of our time in Jacksonville, but we didn’t, really. The weather was oppressively hot and humid, and that, combined with the disappointment of not being able to get on with the journey, induced a certain lethargy and led to lazing about inside the air-conditioned boat, reading books and looking at social media websites, instead of going out and making the most of things.
Ian has done some maintenance work and we did manage (of course) a trip to the local branch of West Marine, where we bought two new chairs for the bridge, and we also commissioned some mattresses for the aft cabin, so we are now officially able to receive visitors!

Yesterday we stirred ourselves and took a taxi through the historic Avondale district to the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens , which has grown from a bequest in 1958 into an impressive gallery and beautiful gardens on the banks of the St John River.

The English Garden, Cummer Art Museum, Jacksonville

The English Garden, Cummer Art Museum, Jacksonville


The Italian Garden, Cummer Art Museum, Jacksonville

The Italian Garden, Cummer Art Museum, Jacksonville


The Italian Garden, Cummer Art Museum

The Italian Garden, Cummer Art Museum


Lower Olmsted Garden contrasts with the urban landscape

Lower Olmsted Garden contrasts with the urban landscape


Upper Olmsted Garden

Upper Olmsted Garden

Today we managed a bike ride over the bridge to Ortega Island.

Crossing the Ortega Bridge

Crossing the Ortega Bridge


Elegant houses sit surrounded by shady trees and lawns, and we found a small restaurant called Simply Sara’s, and went in for coffee, and were so impressed we went back (again by bike) for dinner – Southern home cooking, smothered steak with rice and vegetables, followed by peach cobbler.
Mission Statement from Simply Sara's

Mission Statement from Simply Sara’s

It was almost dark by the time we got back to the boat. The hot days are a trial, but the warm evenings are magical.

The good news is that the bridge is going to be open sooner than expected, between 9 and 10 am tomorrow, so we have to be up early to get through. The bad news is that it’s probably going to be raining.

Homeward Bound

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Almost as soon as we had left St Augustine, it felt as though we were on the way home.
Our first anchorage was at Pine Island, a beautiful, remote spot. The clouds looked as though they had been painted onto the sky.

Pine Island

Pine Island


Sunset at Pine Island

Sunset at Pine Island


Morning light, Pine Island

Morning light, Pine Island

We had a few days to get to Green Cove Springs on the St John River, 30 miles south of Jacksonville, where Carina is going to be stored over the summer. But first we passed north along the Tolomato River, and then through a narrower canal, before docking at Sisters Creek, at the mouth of the river.

Tolomato River

Tolomato River


The canal stretch north of the Tolomato River

The canal stretch north of the Tolomato River

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View from the dock at Sisters Creek

View from the dock at Sisters Creek

But the next few days were a bit grim. We woke up on Tuesday morning to find the temperature had dropped, it was misty, cold and windy, and we decided to stay put for the day, even though there were no shops within walking distance and it meant scraping round the cupboards for something for dinner. Even the egrets weren’t very happy.

Egrets huddling in the wind, Sisters Creek

Egrets huddling in the wind, Sisters Creek

The weather failed to improve, and after a cold wet journey on Wednesday, we had no choice on Thursday but to move 20 miles up the St John River from Ortega Landing to Green Cove Springs, as we had booked an engine service there on Friday. The river is about 4 miles wide on this stretch, and we couldn’t see the opposite bank, so we were navigating on instruments in 25 knot winds, heavy rain and heavy chop. Fortunately everyone else appeared to have had more sense, so there weren’t any other boats about. Emergency doses of stugeron were needed to counteract the effects of Carina’s violent rolling, and I found Ian’s ‘Of couse it’s not going to bloody capsize. It’s got a bloody great iron keel on it!’ quickly followed by ‘Even if it tipped over by 90 degrees, it’d still pop up again!’ less than reassuring.

But we got there, and on Saturday the sun came out, so by the time we had packed everything away it was all nicely dried out, and we’ve even had some time to do a little sight-seeing. We couldn’t resist a last look at the ocean, so we drove over to the beach at Guana River State Park. We’ve now seen several places on Florida’s east coast which claim an association with Juan Ponce de Leon, and in the park the spot is marked where, at 30degrees 8’N, he sighted La Florida for the first time.

The spot where Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida in 1513

The spot where Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida in 1513


We had another view of the Tolomato River.
Tolomato River, from the Atlantic shore

Tolomato River, from the Atlantic shore


This afternoon, with Carina safely out of the water and covered with tarpaulins, we had a quick look at downtown Jacksonville.
Memorial Park, Jacksonville

Memorial Park, Jacksonville


Great War Memorial, Memorial Park, Jacksonville

Great War Memorial, Memorial Park, Jacksonville


The waterfront, downtown Jacksonville

The waterfront, downtown Jacksonville


A freight train passes over FEC railroad bridge, Jacksonville

A freight train passes over FEC railroad bridge, Jacksonville

We have met with universal courtesy, kindness and friendliness while we have been in Florida, but even though I now remember to ask if there is a restroom, and to specify that I would like milk with my hot tea, it’s probably inevitable that I still feel like a foreigner, and sometimes acutely so.
Last night we went for dinner at Joey Mozzarella’s (‘We let our food do the talkin’), Tripadvisor’s number one recommendation for Orange Park, where we’re staying. It’s a diner rather than a restaurant, and we discovered too late that if you want wine, it’s BYO.
But it’s sufficiently authentic to assume that the customers don’t need explanations of the various dishes on the menu, so when Joey himself, a small, thin, Italian-looking chap came over to check us out, I had no hesitation in asking him what Fettuccine Alfreddo consisted of.
He looked at me in stupefied amazement for several seconds.
‘You don’t know what alfreddo is?’
He walked off round the room, looking up at the ceiling, before returning to our table.
‘Are you serious? You’re really asking me what alfreddo is? What state you from?’
‘Er…..Britain,’ I replied uncertainly, feeling by this time that I had chanced upon Orange Park’s answer to Basil Fawlty.
‘Britain? Britain?’ He was momentarily mollified, but then looked at me with renewed suspicion.
‘But you must have alfreddo, even in Britain!’
I pleaded advancing years, and a failing memory.

But it was just Joey’s way, and when the Chicken Alfreddo came, it was very good indeed.

Tomorrow we have to be in Orlando at 5 o’clock to check in for our flight home, and the plan is to indulge ourselves with breakfast at IHOP, then go by the scenic route via Ocala National Forest to Orlando.
We’ll be returning in September to take Carina up to Chesapeake Bay, and it will be good to come back, knowing Carina, and perhaps feeling a little less foreign.