April 9 - Jacksonville, FL

Ortega Yacht Club Marina

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”—Jawaharlal Nehru

The new fuel pump for our outboard came today and Stan has the dinghy running smooth again. We’ll need it for the next leg of our adventure. The St. John’s River has a lot of little creeks and tributaries we want to explore. The weather is amazing at the moment and we look forward to heading upriver tomorrow.

The St. Johns River is an amazing body of water and one of Florida’s most important natural resources. In 1998, the St. John's was designated as one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in the nation because of its unique historical, cultural and environmental importance. It’s the longest river in Florida, wending its way 310 miles from its marshy beginnings west of Vero to the Atlantic Ocean east of Jacksonville. Our trip up this river will cover about 170 miles from Jacksonville to Sanford. The river south of Sanford is too shallow for a large boat. 

We will be traveling south on the river, but will actually be going up river. The St. Johns is one of only 33 north-flowing rivers in the world, including the Oswego River in New York and the Richelieu River in Quebec, Canada, which we explored in 2012.

This map gives you an idea of where we will be, while we are on the St. John's.