Silver Spring, Florida
By Larry Nichols
After a five year hiatus, the Sunnyland Chapter of ACBS revived its popular Silver Run cruise from Lake Dora to the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park outside of Ocala, Florida. The Heartland Chapter was represented by Larry Nichols in his gallant privateer, ARRRGH!, and its Captain Emeritus, Captain Beaunay. The cruise navigated through three lakes interconnected by a canal, a creek, two locks, and two rivers, taking about 6 hours to get to Silver Springs.
We launched the boat about 6:00 pm and took it over to a Sunnyland member’s dock for overnight in the water, then we went to the infamous Lakeside Inn, and checked in for the night . . . but not until we had Cuban food for dinner at the Cocacabana!
About 20 boats (mostly classic wood boats) left Mount Dora in trail, across Lake Dora, then at idle speed (no wake) through the Dora Canal to Lake Eustis. The Dora Canal is a small river canal about 40 yards wide and a winding 2 miles long and is pure Florida wilderness. It is beautiful, lined with Cypress trees, and lots of wildlife, including alligators. The movie, The African Queen, with Humphrey Bogart and Kathryn Hepburn was partially filmed in the Dora Canal! Then, we made a fast run across Lake Eustis into Haines Creek; about half way up the creek is the first lock.
The lock, if you are not familiar with it, is a method to raise and lower boats from one body of water to another at a different level. You enter the lock; they close the doors; and pump water in or out before re-opening the doors on the other side. Once through the lock, we continued on up Haines Creek into Lake Griffin, crossed the lake and entered the Ocklawaha River.
A few miles up the river, we stopped at Nelson’s Fish Camp for gas, and a fine BBQ pork sandwich, then on down river to the second lock. The first one only lifted you about 5 feet, but this second one dropped you about 25 feet. Out of the second lock, we cruised at 25 -30 mph through the winding river until it narrowed and became sharply winding, where we had to slow down to maybe 5 mph. We shortly came to the fork where we had to make almost a u-turn to go upstream in the Silver River to the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park. The water in the Ocklawaha was an opaque, murky brown color because of so much vegetation.
The Silver River flows out of the Silver Springs at 550 million gallons a day and is crystal clear. Where the two meet, there is literally a distinct brown-clear line. You could have drawn it with a pencil, it was so defined!
Then for the next hour and a half, we cruised upstream at idle speed (because of shallow areas, downed trees, submerged logs and such) through pristine, beautiful Cypress tree canopies all along the winding river.
It was loaded with a plethora of wildlife, the omnipresent alligators and was just magnificent, even though we were occasionally jarred out of our wonderment by a thump/bump of hitting a submerged log. Both Everett and I were standing the whole way up the Silver River to try and see shallow areas and underwater obstructions in enough time to avoid them. After a 6 hour cruise, including the brief fuel and lunch stop, we arrived at Silver Springs, where they docked all of us next to the retaining walls around the main spring.
We were joined at the Springs by the Dippies and small classic outboards – 24 boats in all.
It was a marvelous sight to have so many classic boats ringing such a gorgeous natural wonder where Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller), Jane (Maureen O’Sullivan),
Boy (Johnny Sheffield) and Cheetah played to rolling cameras, Esther Williams swam seductively (seductive for the 1940s!) in her movie “Jupiter’s Darling”, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon menaced a 1954 scientific expedition (“up the Amazon River”)!
Granddaughter Sadie was quite the trooper, and a good second mate. She even got to drive for a while – great fun for a 5 year old on her first real boating adventure! She had a great cruise, even though she pooped out and laid down in the floor of the boat for a nap through much of the Silver River portion – didn’t even awake for the occasional thump!
We got the boats tied up at Silver Springs, and walked across the street to the Days Inn where our group was lodged, complete with swimming pool and hospitality room. Jean, Fifi and 2 year old granddaughter, Macy, met us at the Days Inn; we all got cleaned up and went over the Silver Springs Theme Park for a catered Captains’ Dinner. Sadie was one of the few kids on the cruise, and was by far the youngest. That impressed most of our fellow boaters, and during the announcements at dinner, the cruise Captains dubbed her “Commadorable”, and told her she would have certain duties associated with her honorary position. The first was to be the dessert tester! She was beaming! She did her duty well, proclaiming each of the desserts good enough for classic boat Captains to eat.
Saturday, we were on our own until the 2:00 pm Classic Boat Parade on the water around the Springs. As another of her duties, Sadie got to blow the official whistle to start the parade, which meant that ARRRGH! was the lead boat! AHA! A classic plastic Chris Craft led the wood boat parade! Woo Hoo! After the parade, there was more free time in the Silver Springs Park. Around 6ish, happy hour with margaritas in and around the pool preceded a deliciously catered BBQ dinner in the hospitality room next to the pool. (I hear strands of “. . . what do you do with a drunken sailor . . .” coursing through my head!)
Sunday, we all manned our boats around 9:00 – 10:00 am and headed back down the Silver River, sharp right turn at the clear-brown pencil line, then up the Ocklawaha through the 25 foot lock, lunch and gas at Nelson’s Fish Camp (Pork sandwiches again – they were gooood!). By this time, two boats had gotten lost (missed the sharp right turn into the Ocklawaha), two others lost their props to submerged logs and the rest of us were running on fumes when we coasted into Nelson’s. We re-charged at Nelson’s, and then departed on up the last leg of the Ocklawaha, across Lake Griffin, where yours truly missed the sparsely marked channel to the second lock – had to back track – found it – made it through the lock, then across Lake Eustis – (I found the entrance to the Dora Canal the first try, thank you, Cousin Susan!) – through the Dora Canal, topped off our fuel tank at Tavares (where the Sunnyland Annual Boat Show was held last March – 144 boats in the water, another 100 on land, but that’s another story) – and finally arriving at Gilbert Park in Mount Dora, the origin of our fantastic voyage.
But, the adventure wasn’t quite over. You see, I failed to mention that we had dinged our prop rather significantly on the way to Silver Springs. For the entire trip back we suffered varying degrees of vibration. It wasn’t so bad at idle, and it wasn’t too bad at 25-30 mph, but in between it caused some worries. I dropped Everett off at Barry’s dock to bring the trailer around, and I limped the last couple of miles into Gilbert Park. I got there before Everett. AND, for those of you who know the progression of my boating (docking) skills from novice to where I am now, you would be really proud to know that I docked ARRRGH! solo without even a gentle kiss of the docks, and all the while with a dinged prop. Everett came around with the trailer. We loaded ARRRGH! on the trailer and pulled her out far enough to inspect and change out the prop. Then we re-launched her to make sure that the prop was the only damage. MOST fortunately, it was!
It was truly a fine adventure and only cost us one aluminum prop! Aaaahhhhhh! All is well with the world!
Larry, thanks for sharing that awesome trip. I remember that place as a kid on the glass bottom boat tours.
ARRRGH is a cool classic plastic, a fun boat!!!
Thanks for the report, I had no idea you could get from Mt. Dora to Ocala by water. What a fantastic trip. I've been through the Dora Canal, (in fact was in the Sea Skiff that followed you through it last March after the picnic) and the Dead River connecting Lake Eustis and Lake Harris.
Thanks much for the great photos and narrative.
Al
Thanks for the comments. We had a nice Sea Skiff on the Silver Run, "Mayflower Madam". She faired quite well on the trip. But, then, the locals tell me the water levels are up this year, especially compared to 2009. We all had such a good time that I believe Silver Springs Nature Park and Sunnyland will sponsor it again next year. Come join us!
Great report! Wish I had been able to go. I remember driving & becoming addicted to the sound of my father's Chris Craft Rocket when I was Sadie's age. Bravo for letting her drive ARRRGH!
WoodyGal
Nice Lyman