Palatka, Fl Day 2

Miles Traveled 22

Total Miles Traveled 2913

Day 214

I had a very interesting conversation with Skip, the co-owner of the Boathouse Marina this morning.  He is a lifelong resident of Palatka and described the history of the town and his plans for the marina, they actually built wooden boats at this location.   At its peak, Palatka had the second largest Cyprus mill in the world. Skip showed me several pictures of the booming lumber town in the early 20^th century.

Skip also showed me Noah’s Ark, a boat that he and several others are going to restore over the next year and a half.  The builder was Noah Tilghman, he built the boat, a lovely two-deck creation of live oak, heart pine and salvaged cypress.  For more than 40 years after the boat’s launching in 1929, it travelled the St. Johns River carrying rich industrialist and movie stars—people who had come to fish for large mouth black bass while enjoying rustic luxury.  Skip also had pictures of Noah’s Ark when it traveled up and down the St. Johns River.

Our friends Judy and Pearl came aboard this morning and we cruised up the river about 10 miles to the Buffalo Bluff railroad bridge.  The bridge was open, but when closed it only has a 7 foot clearance.

Captain Judy at the helm.

We turned around and stopped on the way back at Corky Bell’s Seafood Restaurant at Gator Landing.  What a surprise to have a 22 foot depth at the dock.  We had a great visit during lunch, and then docked back at the Boathouse Marina.