We set off with the crew of Sojourn, Jack and Vickie, around 8am. It would be our first day buddy boating with them and their first day on their Loop! We were headed to the St. John's River, one of the few rivers that flows from south to north!

Just outside the marina we found birds enjoying treats left behind in the mud by the low tide. Once back in the ICW, we headed for downtown Jacksonville on the St. John's River. Along the way, we passed by a number of different boats - crab boats, sailboats, cruise ships, tug boats, huge barges, and other cruising boats like ours. After ducking under several Jacksonville bridges, we decided to make a stop in downtown Jacksonville for a short walk around the town. We pulled into the municipal dock and left the boats tied up, not too far from the Jacksonville Jaguar football stadium. We walked into town, past the Maxwell House factory where the air smelled yummy! A few blocks farther and we happened upon a greek restaurant. Jack and Vickie from Sojourn bought our lunch, a delicious gyros and chai tea! Then we headed back to the boat for the rest of our trip up the river.

Before reaching Doctor's Lake, we turned left to get cheap gas for $4.47 a gallon, 89 octane, ethanal free. However, the flue dock was pretty shallow and narrow. Might not have been worth the savings. But we were able to get in and get out just fine.

We tied up at Doctor's Lake Marina, washed the boat down, and then made dinner for all of us - pork loin in the instapot, baked potatoes, and a salad. We treated ourselves to a few drinks at the tiki hut later that evening. The tiki hut allowed people to write messages and names on their bar. I wrote a note on the bar at the tiki hut about us as Loopers and our boat names.