St Johns River Side Trip: Green Cove Spring to Palatka to Murphy Island

February 10, 2024: I cruise from Green Cove Spring to Palatka, decide I don’t want to stay, and continue on to a free dock on a secluded island.

Yes, I made yet another change to my plan. (This side trip was full of plan changes.) Read on to learn why.

The Cruise to Palatka

I had a good night sleep and didn’t wake up until 6, which is late for me. I did my morning chores and had breakfast. I took my pups for a nice, long walk in the park. That’s when I learned more about the pool and caught a slight whiff of a sulphur smell, which is pretty normal for natural springs.

Here’s a look back from my slip at Green Cove Springs just before I pulled out that morning.

We left at around 9 AM, continuing a slow cruise south. It was not an interesting cruise. The water was calm and we seemed to have the tide in our favor again. The river was still very wide with little traffic and few points of interest, other than what looked like a nuclear power plant just before Palatka. I listened to a recorded book to keep myself entertained.

We arrived at Palatka at around 1 PM.

The Docks at Palatka

Palatka has two free docks and I’d read the reviews for both of them. The older of the two docks is closer to the bridge and smaller. Reviewers complained a bit about bridge noise. There was a medium sized cruising boat at it with a humungous American flag on a pole above it. Knowing that not all patriotic Americans are the same, I decided to check out the other dock.

The larger dock was newer and there was some question about whether it was open. I cruised over to it and saw a sailboat parked near the ramp. The dock was absolutely covered with white birds — gulls, I assume — and below them was just what you’d expect from a huge flock of birds on a dock: bird crap. The dock had short finger piers, which meant I’d have to back in. As I did, all the birds took off. I stepped onto the dock, glad I’d put my water shoes on, and tied us off.

I’ve never seen so much bird crap on a dock.

The dock didn’t seem to be closed, although there was a gate with a lock on one end. I went to check it and discovered that the lock didn’t work. The gate swung open freely.

On Shore at Palatka

I leashed up my dogs, locked the boat, and went ashore. Not only was there bird crap on the dock, but it was also littered with chicken bones, as if all those birds had been enjoying hot wings for the past few weeks. I had to keep kicking the bones into the water to prevent my dogs from grabbing them.

On shore was a nice park with a playground and families and a boat ramp. It was Saturday, which explained the crowds in the park. I hoped to find a farmer’s market. (Spoiler alert: I didn’t.)

I followed the signs for the Historic Downtown. It might have been historic, but it was also mostly empty or closed with very little going on. I walked for several blocks along the street one block south of the very busy road that goes over the bridge. There were few shops and fewer restaurants. There was litter. The place seemed neglected, like no one cared about it.

I stopped at Dairy Queen and got a hot fudge sundae and a pair of tiny pup cups for my dogs. I sat at a picnic table belonging to a BBQ place next door. It was lunchtime and the BBQ place was empty. A man sat outside holding a sign that wasn’t attracting any customers. The big smoker outside was cold and idle with no smoke coming from it. I like BBQ, but I had to wonder when their food had been made. I skipped it.

I walked back to the boat, thinking that the first thing I’d do when I settled in was to wash down the dock. I’d already checked to see if the hose spigots worked and they did. I hadn’t checked the power pedestals.

A Change of Plan

When I got back to the boat, there was a wind coming across the river that made the water choppy. Small pleasure boats were using the boat ramp and they zipped around with no concern about how their wake might be affecting other boaters. My boat was bobbing around. I thought about spending the next 18 hours dealing with a bobbing boat in a town that had nothing of interest to me and decided I’d be better off spending the night elsewhere.

I consulted Aqua Map and saw the Murphy Island free dock about 6 miles farther up the river. A reviewer mentioned “quiet” and “secluded.” Sounded good to me. I fired up the engine, cast off, and left the bird crap dock behind.

In less than an hour, I was approaching Murphy Island. There was a sailboat at the dock and, at first, I thought I could fit on the perpendicular portion of the dock behind him. I was almost in position and the sailboat captain had my midship line when he told me they were leaving shortly. I got the line back and circled around. 10 minutes later, they were gone and I was tied up in their spot.

Here’s my Nebo log for February 10, 2024. Download a PDF log file with more info. Track Do It Now on Nebo.

Afternoon and Evening at Murphy Island

Murphy Creek Conservation Area is managed by the St Johns River Water Management District. Murphy island is part of that area and is accessible only by boat. From their website:

The Murphy Creek Conservation Area is predominantly hardwood swamps associated with Murphy Creek and the St. Johns River, with the limited uplands containing sandhill, flatwoods and hardwood hammock. The Murphy Creek and Murphy Island parcels that make up this conservation area protect the water resources of both the St. Johns River and Murphy Creek. The island portion contains one of the few upland areas along the St. Johns River, providing visitors an opportunity for a spectacular view of the river.

There were some campers on the island who had kayaked and canoed in. Although their boats were on land beside the entrance to the dock, their campsite was out of sight in the woods not far away.

I took my pups ashore, not quite sure after reading a sign whether they were allowed, and then went back to the boat. I got dinner started early — it was short ribs and they needed to cook for a while — and flew my drone. The dock was exposed to wake from the river and quite a few small boats went past at various speeds, but wake was never really a nuisance.

At sunset, the campers came to the dock to watch the day end. We chatted a little. They went back to their campsite. It got very dark and very quiet. It was exactly the kind of evening I needed.