March 1, 2023 Destination Sanford, FL.

Wed. March 1, 2023  Butchers Bend to Sanford, FL  -  7 miles

Very nice evening at anchor in Butchers Bend.  Nice breeze all afternoon kept things comfortable and then the wind died down overnight giving a peaceful night's sleep.    Anchor up at 9:30 and down the last few curves of the navigable St. Johns River.   Railroad bridge with 7' clearance awaited us in the down position.  Waited just a few minutes for a Florida Sunliner train to pass and up it went.  We were concerned originally on seeing the RR bridge there was a construction project in process here too as it was covered in some sort of wrap.  As we passed under it the fabric appeared older and torn in places and we began to think it was more likely an enclosure to hold in all the flaking rusty metal bits that fall off with each passing train. Pretty rough shape.  Interesting that there are now 3 generations of bridges here.   Remnants of the original trestle bridge now a fishing pier, the current bascule bridge and a newer high rise. 

Florida Sunliner train passes over the Sanford RR bridge

Remnants of old trestle bridge and new highway bridge

Under the final high rise bridge and out onto Lake Monroe. Pretty shallow but we followed the marked channel with supposed 9' depths, although we marked a few places under 7'.   Anchored in the lake off the south end of the marina as they had no room for us due to flood damage. 

Exposed anchorage on Lake Monroe

St. Johns Riverboat taking tourists out for the day

Pretty much the entire trip today was idling along either because of the slow speed manatee zones or us being cautious in the shallow water.   Wouldn't mind the slow speed zones if we would have seen at least one manatee.   I will blame it on the flood but a bit disappointed in the lack of gators and manatees.  Water really backed up in Sanford cresting at almost a 9' flood stage.  Some buildings on the waterfront had water intrusion but businesses along the main street were spared. We plan to spend 2 nights here then have a few upcoming windy days requiring us to get off the lake.

We visited Sanford by land previously and thought the town had a unique vibe.  Part old Florida, part, artsy. part hip, and part touristy. Once anchored we took the dingy to the free town dock to do some exploring.  Found one of the local breweries, Sanford Brewing Co., and cleared our pollen laden throats with a tasty flight - 2 stouts, a red ale and a wheat beer. Good and varied selection of beers. Then on to early dinner. Hollerbach's is a German restaurant in town and an institution. Martha's German heritage had her happily dining on some sauerbraten, spätzle and red cabbage.  My equally Eastern European Polish heritage had me enjoying the 3 brat plate with red cabbage, sauerkraut and potato salad along with a nice Doppelbock beer. 

Sehr gut!

My plate wasn't too shabby either

We are getting low on critical fresh grocery supplies. Closest supermarket is Winn Dixie over 2 miles away. Just a bit too far for us to walk so opted to try their free delivery service. While many loopers regularly use these services it was our first time.  Overall, not a bad experience.  They got a few items wrong.  Between tipping your "shopper" and tipping the driver it adds up.  I found selecting items online was a bit tedious and time consuming.  Maybe it's my thrifty nature but I'd rather just shop myself. I like picking out my own fruits, vegetables and meats and walking the aisles to see what might spark an interesting dinner menu. 

Free town docks - no overnighting, shallow water

That chore accomplished we headed back to town.  Destination was Dee's Brothers Brewery. Awesome brews.  The Milk Stout and Imperial Stout were very tasty but we both decided the Kilted Dutchman Scotch Ale was our favorite. Great depth of flavors and so smooth despite an 11% ABV . Next stop was Deviant Wolfe Brewing. Pretty limited selection - not enough for a worthwhile flight so just settled on a glass of their stout.  Not bad, but overall would have enjoyed a full glass of the Kilted Dutchman back at Dee's.  From there we stumbled to Christo's for some Italian food. Was thinking about pizza but wound up with eggplant parmesan.  Big portion and had to bring half of it and a slice of their homemade strawberry cake back to the boat.  Martha was a bit more sensible with a sandwich.  Apparently, we were too busy drinking and eating to think about taking any pictures downtown.

Been a good trip exploring the St. Johns River.  Weather has been unbelievable.  Unseasonably warm days and perfect sleeping temps at night.  Humidity has been reasonable.  Pollen has been the biggest drawback.  We could use a good rain shower to knock it down and clean off the boat. 

Sunset behind the marina at Sanford

Journey for March 1, 2023