Quite an enjoyable cruise on the St. John’s River today in our tour boat, ‘Osprey.’ Starting from St. John’s River Marina and RV resort, we departed from the dock in front of the St. John’s River Grille restaurant (2999 State Road 44 W, DeLand, FL 32720). Right away we were treated with the sight of a large alligator crossing the river, right in front of the marina! Had to be a 10-footer. After passing under the new bridge and sliding past the Pier 44 marina, we sped up and soon found ourselves in front of the Riviera Resort. Waving to guests sitting at the shore, we continued just a few hundred yards further to check out the Wood Storks, with their rookery in full swing. Dozens of nests were occupied by recent hatchlings, squawking at their parents to hurry up with the next mouthful of nourishment.
Further downriver, we passed two more marinas and waved at the campers on Hontoon Island State Park, enjoying their July 4th picnic celebration. Continuing upriver, we took in the view of beautiful Lake Beresford, and suddenly there it was, the WWII tugboat, ‘Tiger!’ Originally constructed on this same lake, the tug participated in the Normandy invasion in 1944 and just last year, returned here to Deland for its final journey. Next, we passed French Landing, with its usual brave souls swimming in the river. To our amazement, there were two horseback riders giving their steeds a drink (on a very hot day)! Just a bit further upriver we hailed the famous Blue Spring State Park, where we spotted a manatee right next to our boat! After this spectacular sighting, we decided to come about and sail back to our home marina. We were thrilled to have seen so many aquatic birds along the way, including Osprey, Great Blue Herons, Limpkins, Egrets, and others. Lots of turtles too! Please consider joining us for our next tour with Osprey Boat Tours, here in Deland, FL.
Captain Mike