Great Loop: Jacksonville Florida
March 17th, 2022
We have arrived in Jacksonville Florida. I always find it interesting to arrive in a
new city and compare what I see to how I imagined it would appear. Invariably, there is a difference, and often
quite large.
Jacksonville is a busy, active seaport. As seaports go, it is medium sized. Cargo ships were loading and unloading
containers. Vessels were arriving with
additional containers. The container
ships were smaller than what I was used to seeing on San Francisco Bay or in
Puget Sound on the west coast. Some were
registered in the Bahamas, so a portion of their trade must be out to there and
other offshore islands. There were also
bulk cargo vessels in port loading crushed rock and grain. Additionally, there was a shipyard with a naval
vessel in drydock and others tied to the quay for service. So, a very active port.
Jacksonville is inland, on the St. Johns River. We arrived at low tide and the ebb current was running quite strongly. Our progress upstream was slowed dramatically. Visually, downtown Jacksonville is attractive. The stadium for their NFL football team is very visible from the water. Tall buildings announce the city from a distance. Upstream travel requires an opening of the Florida East Coast Railroad Bridge as it’s vertical clearance is just under 10 feet. We arrived just as a train was clearing the bridge.
We obtained a berth at Ortega River Marina. The harbormaster, Paul, was very helpful. We arrived 30 minutes after the office closed for the day. He stayed and helped us dock. The marina has power and water on the docks, WiFi is so-so, restrooms are very clean, the TP was softer than any yet found on the loop, and restaurants and shopping are close. We stayed for 2-nights as we needed to fill propane and install a new inverter.
Our first night, we were entertained by fish that seemed to
enjoy launching themselves from the water and flying through the air. We were
surprised the birds left them alone.
We look forward to exploring the town and running our
errands. From here, we will explore
south on the St. Johns River. Already we
see signs of its character. The water is
a dark coffee color from the tannins of the deciduous trees that line its
shore. It’s shoreline, on one side, is a
huge nature preserve. We have been told
to expect some development on the eastern shore. It is also unique in that the river flows
northward. Its southern terminus is just
inland from Titusville, and from their it flows 310 miles to the Atlantic
Ocean. On this trip, we will only have
time to explore the first 150 miles or so.
Trip Log
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