First “Daytrip” to the Spring

They say there’s a first time for everything. This trip would be a first for us in many ways. This would be our first time to the Spring without our boat. The first time we would come and leave in the same day (daytrip). Oh, and our first time across Lake George at over 60 MPH!!

If you have read our previous posts, you know that we have yet to make a trip to the Spring this year for a number of reasons. But recently, we were invited out for a Sunday boat trip across Lake George and to one of our favorite spots, the Silver Glen Springs.

Jen and I were heading out of Orlando after work last week, and thought we’d stop in and see our friend Steve.  You’ll remember Steve from our previous post “Engine Problems Persist”.

Steve tells us that he and his wife Trish are heading up to the Astor boat ramp on the St. Johns River and making the short ride to the Silver Glen for the day. Then he asks if we would like to go with them.      WHAAAATTT?!!!    You know it!!

Friendos

Steve and Trish have been our good friends for some time now, and we’ve had a lot of fun boating together over the years that we’ve known them. Since we’ve moved closer to the coast, we don’t get to do as much with them on the weekends as we used to.

But, because their full-service marine business in Orlando is literally just a mile or so down the road from our shop, we still get to see them regularly during the week.

This trip would be a great opportunity to catch up with them and have a blast partying at the Spring for the day.

What Could Be Easier?

Wow. Steve and Trish tell us to just show up and hop in. Sometimes the best boating is when someone else does it all. We didn’t have to pull the boat, we didn’t have to put gas in the truck or the boat. We didn’t have to do anything except load our cooler and jump in the car.

To get there, we head up I-95 just north of Daytona and bang a left onto Hwy. 40. We go west straight to the boat ramp located just over the Astor Bridge. This was probably the easiest and most enjoyable trip to Astor we’ve ever made.

We made it to the public boat ramp where we have launched dozens of times with our boat and being there without it seemed really weird.  Then, Steve’s truck rounded the corner and I knew this was going to be another first for us.

FAST!!

Not surprisingly, Steve owns more than one boat and we’ve been on all of them.  All but one.  Today’s ride across the lake will be in his fully-restored, beautiful, and Bad Ass 1984 Checkmate Entertainer.

 Even though this baby has been finished for years and used regularly, Jennifer and I have never ridden in it. Our son Robert has already raced around in it at least twice. This was our chance and the weather and water conditions couldn’t have been better.

Just like everything Steve works on, this restoration went from the vision in his head to a completed reality. All of the body, paint, motor, upholstery, and even the trailer are finished to detail.  And, it doesn’t just look fast…   it IS fast!!

We start up the St. Johns River following the winding tree-lined banks of the black water channel. Soon we were clear of the idle zones and as we entered giant Lake George, we were greeted with calm and glassy conditions.

Here We Go!!

Now, I’ve been on “Go-Fast” boats before.  Big, long, deep-V hulls with massive twin engines. They do go very fast. But with Jennifer and Trish riding in the bow of this smaller boat and the hull cap sitting so close to the waterline, this turned out to be a totally different kind of fast!  Quick up on plane, and soon we are doing  50 mph.

The Checkmate runs across the glassy water so smoothly that it’s hard to tell just how fast it’s really going, but then I peeked at the speedo and realized that we were doing over 60 mph!!!      It was Awesome!!

It’s Been Awhile

It has been almost a year since Jennifer and I have been back here and we’re curious to see if there have been any changes made with regards to anchoring and access to the Spring.

As we enter the run to the Spring, the clear outflow waters from the spring begin to push against the dark brown water of Lake George. These super clear waters allow for excellent visibility all the way to the bottom. Fish, turtles, fallen trees, and even alligators can all be seen from the boat on the way into the Spring.

Approaching the boat anchoring area, it was obvious that nothing had changed since our last visit and the gathering of boats and people remind us of so many great times here.

Big Thanks

Jennifer and I want to give a huge “Thank You” to our friends for giving us another boating daytrip to remember. The four of us had an awesome day in the sunshine, wading around in the crystal clear water, eating lunch on the boat, and meeting even more like-thinking boaters who can’t get enough of this place.

We’ve got some saltwater boating coming up soon, but this daytrip already has us trying to find an open weekend for a boating overnighter (or two) at the Silver Glen Spring.

Hope you’ll check in with us soon for our next post. Please leave a comment and subscribe below.

See you on the water!