11.29.11

It was cold enough this morning for the generator and the little heater. We are anchored in a stretch of Deep Creek with tall trees on either side and it takes awhile for the sun to hit us. With these vinyl curtains it is like a greenhouse once the sun is up and very comfortable…until then it is cold and damp.

Once the engines were checked for oil and water we unhooked our docklines and started down river to the St Johns River. Larry still had to push that button and pull his anchor up. OOPS….he forgot to push it. We wondered why he wasn’t following us. Got a good laugh out of that one.

But you know how that goes….as soon as you laugh at someone else’s mistake…they getcha…

Yup…a little while later they cruised up along side us and mentioned the fact that we still had fenders flying… Larry took this with his phone and emailed it to me.

Our destination today is Doctor’s Lake. We’re having dinner at Whitey’s Fish Camp. They are on Swimming Pen Creek and we’re looking forward to seeing the Christmas Lights that the little creek is known for.

Jim says I will have to ride with Larry and Diane so we can get some pictures of our boat underway. Until then…here’s Diane at the wheel.

We tied up at Whitey’s….had a good supper….Larry was full of supper!  Diane ordered Calamari and the waitress made a misstep and the whole thing landed in Larry’s lap. She felt terrible..but Larry is a gentleman and just laughed it off…as did the rest of us. He and Diane did their best to make her  feel better about the whole thing…We had another laugh when we heard her telling the rest of the help about it.

We spent the night tied to their dock. No electric but again the price was right…free. Diane let us look through her collection of DVDs. Then we all went back to our boat and watched it on the computer. We put up the inside curtains and it was like being in a tiny theatre. After the movie they headed back to A Dollar More and bed.

There were several Christmas lights along the creek but not as many as we’d expected. Perhaps we were a bit early. Still….it was worth the trip.

 

11.28.11

The nights are cooling down a bit…

A good breakfast of Biscuits ‘n Gravy started the day off. You notice I mention “Shrimp R Us” a lot.  That’s because they have good food at a reasonable price and it is within walking distance of the City Dock.

Crab pots are found all up and down the St Johns River. You’ll see them tending their crab traps in all weather.

Here’s a shot of “A Dollar More” …you can see my elbow in the mirror as I took the photo.

The river gets much wider as you go N. In many places it’s like crossing a big lake. As the day progressed, the wind and weather changed.

It’s getting colder and clouding over. The wind is picking up and the water getting lumpy. We decided to head for the city dock in Palatka. They have electric hookups and the price is right…free. By the time we got there, the weather and current were not cooperating. Jim and I decided to anchor out.

While Larry and Diane were trying to get to the dock…Jim went on a rescue mission…Larry had lost a fender overboard and it was drifting away. It made for a fun ride in that little rubber dingy. He normally sits on the side but ended up kneeling in the center when coming back against the waves.

Larry and Diane made several tries at getting to the dock and finally made it.

They decided not to spend the night there. The wind and waves were hitting them broadside and it wasn’t a comfortable position. A short conference and we decided to head for Deep Creek and anchor there.

By the time we got to our anchorage it was starting to rain….but only lightly. Just enough to make it cold while tying along side A Dollar More. Larry has this neat little thing called a “windlass”. You push a button and the anchor goes either up or down. On our boat one of us has to go on deck and drop the anchor or haul it in by hand.

Oh….did I mention it was getting cold?