Captain's Log - 1425

32 minutes from the entrance to the Cedar Key Northwest channel. I have slowed to 5 mph so that clothes can dry.

Washer

Dryer

Captain's Log - 1310

       Out in the Gulf making 5 mph toward Cedar Key. Left the Suwannee behind after resupply at Millers Marina. We took on 22 gallons of fuel to top off. I also without notice asked the dock hand if he knew a mechanic to change our oil, etc. No problem - he did it right then, changed oil in engine, generator, and topped off our hydraulic steering in about 30 minutes - awesome! And labor was less than $40? WOW.
       We were delayed about 30 minutes when we ran aground in 1 foot of water. I was distracted and ran up the main river channel which is well marked but way shallow. We timed our departure with a rising tide, so 30 minutes later we broke free and turned around to the correct channel.
       Dolphins are jumping about in front of the boat. Seems they love our boat, I think because there are not many boats out here, and we go slow enough for them to hang out and cruise our wake. Pretty much every time we see them they join up and play. I wonder if they are using our boat's shadow to hide in and then attack fish that they see scatter out of our path? Who knows?

Back to the Heart of Darkness

       Civilization slips behind us as we sail smoothly down the mighty Suwannee. Giant Gulf Sturgeon startle us as they crash into the water with the force of small artillery shells hurling skyward geysers of dark river water. The river widens now, the trees grow higher. The river assumes a thicker tannic consistency. The blue sky opens from horizon to horizon. The current pushes us onward. The escape from civilization is confirmed by the increasing static as the only working radio station starts to fade. Cell service was lost some time ago. We will soon be on our own, alone in this true wilderness.
       Sturgeons break the surface as alligators startled by our slow approach slide from their sunny roosts atop logs into the deep water. Flocks of white water birds glide overhead as vultures sit on top of their favorite perch awaiting the inevitable death in the forest below. The thump of woodpeckers mix with strange noises eminenting from the deep forest. What we can see I am sure is but a fraction of the wildlife hiding within the darkness of the trees and beneath the impenetrable water.

       The trip upstream is behind us. The upper Suwannee is a different river. Narrower, rocky, steep sandy banks, and riddled with springs and spring boils. The brown water there is often interrupted by underwater springs boiling upward like a giant soup kettle. We reached the rapids and that was far enough. That part of the river had its own attractions, but this, the lower Suwannee, is what I came here for.
       On our ascent as we struggled up the river through this section of the Suwannee it was dark and rainy. Now the brightness of the blue sky is only interrupted by the occasional puffy white cloud hanging in a sea of blue. The weather is perfect, the faint humidity tempered by the gentle breeze of the boat's progress down the river. The bright green of the forested banks stands out against the sky. This is a truly gorgeous place.
       We have now anchored in the middle of the primordial forest and plan to explore the myriad channels emanating from the river in our dinghy, today, and in the darkness tonight.



       The forest appears thick with brush but it is not at all. Only along the bank, where sunlight can be gathered by shrubs is it like this. We landed near here and once in the forest the high canopy of trees blocks most sunlight and small plants cannot grow. When I tried to take some pictures it was so dark at 3 PM that the flash went off. You can walk comfortably through the jungle-like forest, well you could if it were not so damp and boggy anyways. Sometimes the odor was oddly foul for such a pristine place though.



       We return to the well-lit Mothership after our night gator hunt. We spotted several of the beasts although none were very big. There were lots of bats out tonight diving through our searchlight beams to eat the flying insects they attracted.

The Suwannee's straight course assited our explorations.

Today:

1. We attempted to kayak up a dark little bayou. It was pretty spooky. Tamara became concerned and we had to turn back.

2. We explored some dark twisted channels off the main river in our dinghy. Crusing all alone in the wilderness, far from any help should we need it, Tamara jumped every time she heard a strange noise or splash.

3. We left the boat into the dark night looking for signs of life on the river. Tamara was not comfortable with us going very far and then started to freak out as bats started diving inches from her head as they ate insects gathering in our searchlight beams. We had to go back to the houseboat.

When we got back Tamara told me this was the best day she's had on this trip so far!

Escape from the Upper Suwannee

Events of 18 September 2009

       At first light we descended the Santa Fe as rain continued to drizzle from a leaden sky. We soon left the narrow Santa Fe and once again joined the mighty Suwannee.

       Although the Santa Fe River had been up about 2 feet at one point during the night it was only up about 6 inches when we pulled anchor. The Suwannee seemed unaffected. Once meeting the Suwannee we throttled up to 3000 RPMs and settled into a nice 6 to 6.5 mph cruise with the current now on our side.

       We passed under the railroad bridge no problem. We still had about 4 feet or so of clearance. It felt good to be past that obstacle.

       Completing the 30 mile slog we reached Fanning Springs and tied up to the State Park Dock. We then commenced to resupply the boat in a constant drizzle. 35 gal of fuel, 35 gal of water, 80 lbs of ice. The dock ramp rises at about a 25 degree angle and is about 200 feet or more long. Moving the approximately 650 lbs of supplies was a good workout. Hopefully the last time on this trip as we will have marinas after this.
By the time the resupply was complete the rain had ceased.
        We then headed into Town for a few drinks at the Bear's Den Pub, and then brought a huge BBQ feast back to the boat from a local stand called Huckleberries BBQ. The BBQ was excellent.
       We then moved downriver a mile and anchored.

We stopped to talk to this guy. He appeared as a long distance sailor on a liveaboard. He was living aboard but was from Fanning Springs, a few miles up the road. I gave him a 12 pack and he was grateful.

This houseboat converted into a floating store/ice cream truck was closed for business.

This local was laying around drunk and cussing us as we returned from BBQ. His butt was hanging out the back of his cut-offs. He kept rolling around mumbling in my general direction about how I don't know what he knows, that I did not grow up on the Suwannee, that I don't know about the Suwannee, that he knows things that happen around here. He really reminded me of the opening scene in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". In any case I walked up to him and gave him two ice cold beers. He then completely changed and expressed ethernal thanks, God Bless you, etc. He is now my very good friend.

Rain

Events of 17 Sept 2009

       Today it rained, and rained, and rained.
       We slept anchored in Branford till 2 PM and then sailed back to the Santa Fe River as the sky continued to drizzle.
       We returned to the Santa Fe to kayak the Ichetucknee River. We ran by the mouth of this spring-fed stream when we were on the Santa Fe earlier but did not have the time then to investigate it. This river is renowned for its crystal clear beauty and we wanted to explore it further.
       If the weather clears in the morning we will ferry our yellow two place kayak to the mouth of the river and then paddle upstream to the head-springs 6 miles upriver. That is, if our arms hold out.
       Last time we were on the Santa Fe we left the Mothership where it and Suwannee met. We ran the actual Santa Fe in our dinghy. We had explored the river enough to know it was deep, over 15 foot much of the time, more than enough for our houseboat. My intention was to anchor our houseboat at the mouth of the Ichetucknee River in order to simplify getting our kayak to our start point in the morning.

       The trip up the Santa Fe was a bit scary. It was probably not a good idea to move the big boat up this small river. It was pretty exciting though. The river was dark, rainy, and seemed a very tight fit for our boat compared to the Suwannee. A few people out in the rain stared at us passing as this was probably the biggest boat they've seen up this river in a while. The thick trunked cypress pressed in on both sides. I promptly began to second guess whether this was such a good idea, and decided it was not. We gave up on the idea of reaching the Ichetucknee River and decided to either turn around when there was room to do so or anchor should we find a good spot.

       We came upon a wide spot in the river abeam Colleen's landing. I thought that it was better to stop here and anchor than to turn around in the rain and wind. Once our 33 pound claw anchor was set the wind overcame the current and put the back of the boat pretty close to some branchy trees. I reset the anchor toward the center of the river and then dropped our 44 pound Delta anchor in a Bahamian moor to minimize swinging. I did not want to wake up in a heavy wind with a tree branch poking through the window.
       There is no sign of life at Colleen's restaurant so we cooked aboard and watched movies. Rain continues, already the river has risen by almost a foot.
Captain's Note 18 Sept 2009/0530

       I just checked the river level. It seems to be up about two feet. We became concerned with getting stuck upriver from the railroad bridge down near Old Town, Florida. Plan is to weigh anchor at first light and run down to Fanning Springs. More rain is on the way and no use in getting stuck here indefinitely. The sky is currently clear and full of stars.

End of the Line

       We started the morning with a reconnaissance upriver from Branford in our dinghy. We found that about 12 miles upstream the Suwannee is almost impossible for our dinghy, much less the houseboat. We were cruising around some rapids when we hit bottom, rock bottom. I dinged the prop, it still works though. We could have made it a bit further but once again the possibility of severe damage to our equipment just wasn't worth it. Rapids, shoals, and a hard rock bottom hidden below impenetrable tannic water made further progress analogous to stumbling through a minefield in the dark. Well everyone told us that we could not get much further than Branford, so it was not that unexpected.

       What we did find is an exceptional stretch of this mighty river. The Gulf Sturgeon rules the river here and we were constantly being startled by the soundings of these river giants. They were everywhere. Once again we did not see any over five feet long. I talked to a park employee who claimed that the bigger ones ranging to 9 feet were there, they were just old, and hence did not jump about as the youngsters did. Not sure if that were true or not.

       What was truly exceptional however were the numerous springs along this section of the Suwannee. We explored four which made very short runs into the main river. We broke out the snorkel gear and swam about the largest of the springs for around a hour. The cold 72 degree water took some getting used to but the initial shock was well worth it. Turtles and large fish swam beside us as we gazed down into the abyss. I have no idea how deep the main boil was but I would guess fifty feet or more, and you can clearly see all the way down. Scuba gear is more appropriate to explore further, we were happy hanging about at the surface.

       When we got back to the Mothership we solved our water problem by siphoning jugs of water into the internal water tanks. The water fill ports in the boat were designed by an idiot and this is a bigger deal to overcome than it sounds. In any case, we will not have to ration showers after all! That is a huge deal.
       We loaded up with ice and hit a Laundromat. I changed the oil in the generator. We are ready to head downriver first thing in the morning.

Clean laundry and ice. This dolly saved our trip.

I am about to jump aboard as Tamara waits. We were racing back to the houseboat after a busy day in Branford as storm clouds bore down on us. It started to rain as we got back to the Mothership.

This map shows the major springs along the Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers. Hundreds of smaller springs and boils are not marked. The end of the line was about 4 miles upriver of Troy springs shown on this map.

Contrast Suwanne water to spring run.

If only the Suwannee were this clear!

Tamara smiles as we arrive at Troy Springs State Park to snorkel.

On the third spring of the day water erupts from this crevice located 30 feet from the river bank.

You can see the clear spring water mixing with the tannic waters of the Suwannee. The Suwannee begins life in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Its deep brown color is the result of rotting plant matter. If the river ran as clear as the springs we could have kept going further. Trouble is that you never know how deep the water is until it is too late. Absent forward looking sonar you are fumbling in the dark. There were times the depth went from 30 to 3 feet almost instantaneously - the only indication being the numbers on the depth finder. Only canoes and kayaks need go further than we did with the river at this level.

The main boil of the first spring of the day. It flows about 100 feet before mixing into the Suwannee.

       Had a encounter with a snake today. I saw a small relatively skinny snake hiding behind our storage container and gas cans on the upstairs deck. He looked harmless. No rattle, not black like a Water Moccasin. I assumed he was some sort of a harmless water snake. I reached down to grab him but his head looked diamond-shaped so I hesitated and he crawled inside the hollow aluminum railings. I did not think much of it. I told Tamara about the snake and she freaked out and said to get it off the boat. He was nowhere to be found.

       Some time later, as Tamara was sunbathing on the forward upper deck I asked her to retrieve the dolly which we keep beside the storage container. I heard her scream. The little snake was slithering out on the deck between her and the dolly. I got a piece of PVC pipe and went up to get him. I smashed his midsection and pinned him against the deck. I then tossed him overboard and saw him swim away downstream.

       As we were sitting here watching the movie "Vanishing Point" on the TV - I consulted the internet to see what kind of snake we had encountered. It turns out it was a baby cottonmouth. Very poisonous.

       Lesson learned:

All snakes are assumed to be bad until proven otherwise!

       Tamara and I are now in complete agreement on the subject of snakes:

 Death to all snakes on board!

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/fl-guide/Agkistrodonpconanti.htm#cottonmouth

Branford, Florida

Events of 15 September 2009

       As we made the last 9 miles or so to Branford the Suwannee changed. North of its junction with the Santa Fe the river was a bit narrower and shallower. The banks were steep, rocky or sandy, and cliff-like. The endangered Gulf Sturgeon run thick up here. We sighted numerous four and five foot long sturgeon jump out of the water and belly-flop in an enormous splashes. These ancient fish can grow to eight feet in length. So far none we have seen have been much over five feet long.

        The glassy surface of the undisturbed water reflected the morning sky. It was one gorgeous scene after another as the lush foliage and blue sky reflected on the dark water.

       We hit numerous shoals with the depth finder showing the river a mere 3 or 4 feet deep numerous times. On one short occasion the gauge jumped up to 2 feet for the first time on our trip. Down south off the coast of our home in Port Richey the bottom is sand and sea grass, you can hit it hard with no damage. Here the rocks and deadhead logs were an ever present hazard. Grounding here could be pretty bad.
       We had been considering taking the houseboat as far as we could get upriver in spite of numerous warnings to not go further than Branford, about 77 miles upriver from the Gulf. After seeing what the river is becoming we have come to the conclusion that it is not worth damaging the boat or eating up props by going further than Branford. We plan to leave the houseboat anchored there and take a long day trip up the Suwannee to explore as far as we can.

       Upon anchoring in Branford we immediately went into resupply mode. It took about 34 gallons out of our 5 gal jugs to refuel the Mothership's tanks. Another 4 gallons went into the dinghy. There is no dock in Branford so we loaded the empties in the dinghy and ferried them to shore. A gas station was about a hundred and fifty yards from the boat landing and it proved pretty easy to ferry the full tanks back to the Mothership. Mission accomplished.

       As we were conducting our resupply two long range kayakers paddled by with their little boats piled high with gear and supplies. We had a few conversations with these hardy souls. They started at White Springs about 85 miles upriver from Branford. The two intrepid kayakers intend to make the Gulf by week's end. I would not want to run the Suwannee downriver from here in a kayak. However, starting further north, maybe at the rapids along the Georgia border and ending here might be in our future plans. My only reservation is the camping involved in using a kayak. I did my life share of camping in the Marine Corps, one time for eight and a half months straight, including not taking a bath for two months at the end; hence I'm not big on camping.
       Fuel is proving to be a non-problem. What is a problem is water. We carry 100 gallons of water and we might have 35 gallons left in the tanks. Our nightly showers are a luxury that we do not intend to give up. We are going to have to find a friendly home owner with a dock and hose spigot to water up. We purchased a bilge pump here in Branford just in case – our backup plan is to run the houseboat up to one of the springs along the Santa Fe River and use our bilge pump to refill our supply. It Might be nice to bathe in pure spring water each evening!
        Branford is a charming little town, population 630. Every store, except for a Hardees, is a Mom and Pop operation. We bought our bilge pump in a genuine hardware store. We had a cone and an ice cream soda at an ice cream shop set up with bar stools and the whole deal as if we had stepped back into the 1950s. I actually think it has been that way since then. We had a hearty meal at Sister's café where the food was outstanding and the service top notch. Downtown Branford is a genuine survivor from the ever expanding Wal-Marts and Home Depots of the world. Kinda nice.
       Fuel stats: It took 42 gal to cross the Gulf to Suwannee-town, 14 gallons to run the generator and make some small trips waiting for Tamara, 28 gallons at Fanning Springs 32 miles up the river, and 38 gallons more here at Branford. This totals 122 gals. Going downriver with the current should decrease our fuel burn considerably on the descent.
       In spite of our walk around town and Tamara's internet search we cannot find a Tavern. The big brother finale is on tonight and she, um we, wanted to find a place where we could view it. No such luck. So we are hanging out on the boat lying on our king-size bed watching movies as it once again drizzles…. Those poor kayakers!

Historical Marker

Between the Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers there are scores of springs. Even small springs often lead to huge underground caverns, tunnels, and flowing rivers. The Suwannee itself changes in size from place to place as part of the flow goes underground. Best cave diving on Earth, if you are brave or dumb enough to be into that.

The front half of the Mothership is all windows. Tamara cleans them to perfection every morning.

Wild turkeys along the river bank on the way to Branford.

Life on the Santa Fe

Events of 14 September

The Santa Fe River stretches for about 75 miles. We are anchored where it terminates into the Suwannee River. It is a very unusual River in that further north along its course it completely disappears underground and then reappears 3 miles downstream. The river drops into a large sinkhole in O'Leno State Park and reappears in the adjacent River Rise Preserve State Park. A map of the watershed clearly shows the gap in the river where it flows underground. Numerous springs of all sizes empty into the river.
       I have never seen a river with as many springs as this one. They are everywhere. Underwater springs boil upward from below the surface at random intervals leaving the tea-colored water slightly clearer, for a bit. Several springs rise up a few yards from the shoreline dumping crystal clear water into the main channel.
       Several miles upriver the pristine Ichetucknee River feeds the Santa Fe. Nine springs feed this 6 mile spring run. This river runs crystal clear and 72 degrees year round.

       We started the morning with a dinghy trip up the Santa Fe intending to get as far as we can, maybe as far as Ginnie Springs. Many private homes and a couple of businesses spout up here and there. There are a few "no wake zones" spaced about the winding river. Scores of turtles sat piggybacked on logs along the banks.

       It was a scenic trip and we were getting used to seeing spring boils at random places along the route. A bit after we passed the confluence of the gorgeous Ichetuckee River we saw the water violently boiling up ahead. Roaring along at 20 mph I thought we had found a very large spring boil. I was wrong.

       I realized what it was as my engine started slamming into the rocks. We had hit rapids. WTF? This is Florida. The only rapids in Florida are on the upper Suwannee near the Georgian border. Well, no. There are indeed rapids on the Santa Fe. We skidded over the rapids with our momentum. We pulled over to the right bank to inspect the damage. The E-TEC is a stout little motor and there was no damage.
       We went a bit further and what do you know? More rapids! This set was pretty violent. Now I know rapids are graded 1 through 6, with 6 meaning you will probably die. These were probably about a "1", maybe a ".5", not so bad. The problem is that I only have one prop for the little boat and it just wasn't worth blowing the prop by trying to ascend this obstacle.

As we descended the first set of rapids I brought the engine into neutral so the current could carry us gently over the rapids. Wrong! We were soon stuck fast on the rocks. It took me getting into the water and pushing with Tamara shifting her weight and using the electric motor, a lot of trial and error, and advice from a friendly guy on the river bank, to get us free. Whew.

       On the way back down we stopped at the "only gas on the Santa Fe". A combination boat ramp, landing, campground, and restaurant called Colleen's. The gas wasn't really on the river. A single rusty pump sits at the top of a long steep boat ramp. Alas it was only open Thursday through Sunday, and today is Monday. OK maybe on the way back down the Suwannee? Further downriver we found a bar named Elle Ray's adjacent to a campground and a small spring. Two backwoods characters hanging about the boat ramp there told us it opened at 3 PM. Whoopee! We had a plan for the evening.
       We settled in sunning ourselves atop the Mothership when a sudden eruption 50 feet away got our attention. It was three manatees thrashing violently around in the water. This continued for about 10 minutes. It soon became apparent that they were mating. Hmmm. These manatees were completely oblivious to everything but each other. A passing boat pulled up alongside the thrashing and it continued without abating whatsoever. Eventually the manatees disappeared somewhere into the Suwannee. So now we have witnessed West Indian Manatees mating, no such luck with the white beach manatees as of yet. Maybe further upriver?
        At about 3:30 we rolled into a deserted Ellie Ray's Riverfront Saloon. We tripled the customer count as we walked in the door. But, it wasn't long before backwoods-types of sundry description started piling in one or two at a time. The only non-males out of the 20 or so people in the house were Tamara and the bartender. The crowd was friendly and full of advice on what to see and what to look out for on the rivers. We had a good time and returned to the Mothership in the rain.

Dave, one of the least backwoods of the happy hour crowd. Dave is in the lumber business and grew up in Miami. He used to own a Gibson 50 houseboat and gave us some good advice.

Not without effort did we avoid being barred for life.

We made our escape from Ellie Ray's in the rain.

Doublevision - Reflections on the Suwannee

Which way is up?

No, this picture is not upside down. That is the water not the sky.

Ditto.