Sailing or Kayaking?

[Ocklawaha]

Long time paddler and veteran of my own Hogan's Creek safari, I don't think there is a single thing wrong with the river downtown. Staying near one bank or the other, for protection from the wind, and it's a nice paddle. There are a couple of things I would consider, but YES, a rental should do really well.

1. There is no, ZERO, zip, nada, nunca, places to land or put in a canoe or kayak, short of bootleg landings on private property. Ideally canoes or kayak's should NEVER use boat ramps because of stability issues, scratching and getting your butt run slap over by some bass boat with the 588 HP Merc on the rear!

2. Never buy or use a canoe or kayak with an old style keel, because the keel will keep you tracking in a straight line and nearly helpless to spin or maneuver out of the way of something.

3. We have no place on the downtown waterfront that is canoe or kayak friendly.

In all cases the city should look at a sandy beach style put-in for paddle craft. Such a beach could be developed with a cut into the sea wall. Any such cut need only be a foot or so below mean low tide, so the wall remains but the beachette occupies a 100' segment.

We have only a few put-in's in downtown and most are hard if not impossible to get to...

Hogan's Creek off the East end of Beaver Street.
The River Walk under the Acosta Bridge.
The parks off the ends of the Grand Avenue Bridge.
Oriental Gardens site, creek just south of San Marco.
Pottsburg Creek at Beach Blvd.

last but not least...





Long Branch Creek near Evergreen, (AKA: "The Nile River" according to a JTA planner demonstrating why we could NOT build a streetcar bridge over that ditch!)


OCKLAWAHA

[billy]

I have noticed a small sandy beach next to the little strip of park at Lake Marco.
It was probably formed by backfill sand leeching through the seawall.

Total area about 20 square feet. Big enough to make a nocturnal landfall land and hit the bars and restaurants of San Marco.

[fieldafm]

For example the power boat races never came back after 1986 when that driver got killed infront of The Landing.

It sure doesnt stop em at Daytona...

They're on the ocean, which is where offhosre boats belong.  The power boats did come back(92-94?) after that tragic event in 86, but it was at Jax Beach(whose course layout was pretty awful btw).

[Sportmotor]

who loves to jetskii btw?

[Ocklawaha]

I have noticed a small sandy beach next to the little strip of park at Lake Marco.
It was probably formed by backfill sand leeching through the seawall.

Total area about 20 square feet. Big enough to make a nocturnal landfall land and hit the bars and restaurants of San Marco.

I'll have to check that out billy, these spots are few and far between. Even with the agressive ramp building program that swept through the state in the early 90's, they managed to completely ignore paddle craft. Weird thing is, many of the ramps we're mini-parks with plenty of room. The one in the north end of Lake Monroe is typical. Historic bridge as a pier and attraction, large boat ramps, trailer parking, hose bib's, trail, plenty of fishing parking, and a few tables. Beyond the concrete boat ramps on the North is highway 17 and to the south is a sea of water line shrubs and trees that completely block access.

OCKLAWAHA

[stjr]

Has anyone ever tried putting a kayak in the creek/ditch in the park on the west side of Hendricks Avenue just south of River Oaks?  I know this water goes to the river but not sure if it is navigable.  If not, maybe the City could dredge part it at some point and make it another close to Downtown option.

In Mandarin, you can launch at Goodby's Creek, Mandarin Park (River/Julington Creek), Hood Landing (Julington Creek), and County Dock Road (River).  County Dock is a very shallow launch, good for canoes and kayaks, not boats, is somewhat protected between Mandarin Point and Forest Point and there are a number of small tributaries you can explore from there.

In that part of the river (3+ miles wide) you need to stay within a couple of hundred feet of the dock line or go under the docks for the best kayaking.  As you get out into the open river, aside from increased currents, the chop from even a light wind and the occasional speeding boater will wear out many of us.  And, in the summer, you don't want to be caught too far offshore and unprotected in a thunderstorm with blinding rain, strobe-lightning, and 75+ mph downdrafts causing 4 to 5+ foot breakers.

Guana River and Timucan Preserve also are great experiences.  You might also contact Blackcreek Oufitters.  They have seasonal outings where they bring all the boats, gear, food, water, and guides.  Call them for a schedule, pricing, and reservations.

I understand there is good sailing at the junction of the St. Johns and Julington Creek from my sailing friends.

[JaxNative68]

Sounds like someone needs to set up a MetroJax kayaking excursion.  I have two extra kayaks and paddles if it is a novice included trip and extras are needed.

[billy]

If you launch near the river, isn't it pretty wide off of River Oaks?
Are you talking about Oriental Gardens? (what about bacteria count?)
Where the St. Johns is wide , it pretty much is a matter of wind direction.
You can be protected, or in the soup.

[JaxNative68]

who loves to jetskii btw?
[/quote

who loves to jetskii btw?

I the jet skiers didn't intentionally f with the kayakers in the intracoastal, I would like them more.

[billy]

In the right (or wrong) conditions, sailing in the St. Johns can be formidable.

[stjr]

If you launch near the river, isn't it pretty wide off of River Oaks?
Are you talking about Oriental Gardens? (what about bacteria count?)

Anything south of Downtown is "wide" by the standards of most rivers.  I would guess as long as you hang within or close to the dock line in most parts of the river you could hold your own under fair conditions.  By the way, below is an aerial of the River Oaks park/waterway.  Looks like it has potential.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=jacksonville+florida&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.223579,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Jacksonville,+Duval,+Florida&ll=30.295573,-81.651345&spn=0.006605,0.009645&t=h&z=17

As to bacteria, I would imagine at certain times of the year, particularly the very warm ones, that could be factor in many of our waterways and the river.  I would never deliberately expose an open wound to area waters or swallow/drink any of it.  Just a given.  But, in a boat, I would take some chances.  Some tributaries may have higher counts due to surrounding drainage or septic tank failures.  I think DEP or the City tests area waterway quality as the T-U reports on results from time to time.

[strider]

fieldafm, we normally sail the F24 tri (Actually belongs to a friend). In 2008 we also had an all women crew on the blue boat in my pic (sold last year). This year, either the F24 or perhaps the new i550, haven't decided.

We used to sail the old Capri 22 smack downtown on a regular basis a few years ago.  About the right size for that sailing area and enough power to handle the current - though docking that thing at River City was very interesting! Often gave the diners a show. The new little i550's would be good for there as well, though I was more thinking tying up the boats at the landing and moving them to a racing area to the south between the bridges. Small enough area so that the event could be easily seen from the riverwalk yet large enough for the smaller 18 foot or so boats. Just a pipe dream of mine to see an event like that downtown.

[billy]

If you launch near the river, isn't it pretty wide off of River Oaks?
Are you talking about Oriental Gardens? (what about bacteria count?)

Anything south of Downtown is "wide" by the standards of most rivers.  I would guess as long as you hang within or close to the dock line in most parts of the river you could hold your own under fair conditions.  By the way, below is an aerial of the River Oaks park/waterway.  Looks like it has potential.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=jacksonville+florida&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.223579,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Jacksonville,+Duval,+Florida&ll=30.295573,-81.651345&spn=0.006605,0.009645&t=h&z=17

As to bacteria, I would imagine at certain times of the year, particularly the very warm ones, that could be factor in many of our waterways and the river.  I would never deliberately expose an open wound to area waters or swallow/drink any of it.  Just a given.  But, in a boat, I would take some chances.  Some tributaries may have higher counts due to surrounding drainage or septic tank failures.  I think DEP or the City tests area waterway quality as the T-U reports on results from time to time.

I meant not the river itself , but the creek (?) off of River Oaks. A lot of smaller boats have moored there for many years.

[Ocklawaha]

If your in Florida waters you might as well ignore it or get a new sport. Some creeks are worse then others but all have UFO's in them (unidentified floating objects). I've paddled in Hogan's and will paddle McCoy's or Moncrief but that doesn't mean I'm going to swim in them! IE: Boat - DRY, Water - WET.

OCKLAWAHA

[Keith-N-Jax]

Arent there Alligators in Guna River? I'll stay in the car and watch you guys.