28. The City Marina
Posted by admin | Posted on 07-18-2008
Recent Reviews
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May 3, 2013 - In the past 5 years CAVALIER has spent over 15 nights at the Charleston City Marina.... read more
May 3, 2013 - Excellent marina and wonderful showers. People were great. Marina van will take you... read more
August 21, 2012 - The “Plan A”, 12/1 to 3/31, four month winter special is $17 per foot... read more
June 14, 2012 - We spent the winter this year at the Charleston City Marina (Megadock) and were very... read more
September 21, 2010 - Charleston City Marina – Charleston, SC, ICW mm 470. This is a terrific spot... read more
28. The City Marina
A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR
(843-723-5098)
http://www.charlestoncitymarina.com
Statute Mile: 469
Lat/Lon: near 32 46.699 North/079 57.174 West
Location: overlooks Ashley River’s northeastern banks, northeast of unlighted can buoy #5
Transient dockage: available
Transient dockage rate: $2.00 per foot per night, $2.15 per foot per night (greater than 69 foot), 30 amp hookup – $9.00, 50 amp power-$13.00, 100 amp hookup – $33.00
Type of Dockage: floating wooden slips and face docks, and floating concrete face docks
Total number of slips/berths: 450
Dockside Power Connections: 30-50-100 amp
Dockside Fresh Water Connections: Available
Showers: Available (Climate Controlled)
Laundromat: Available
Restaurant: on-site
Restaurant Recommendations: Marina Variety Store Restaurant on-site (all 3 meals of the day, but GREAT breakfast, 843-723-6325), many others available by bus or cab ride into southern Charleston including Slightly North of Broad (843-723-3424), and Garibaldis (843-723-7153)
Provisioning Possibilities: Harris Teeter 1 mile away, free courtesy van available
LPG (Propane) Availability: Marina courtesy van will take cruisers to local U-Haul dealer (843) 723-1605 for LPG tank refill
Free Wi-Fi internet access: available in a portion of the harbor
Gasoline and diesel fuel: Available
Waste pump-out: Available
Depths: 13 1/2-foot depths except on the extreme inner portion of the harbor which is quite shallow
Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Marina:
In the past 5 years CAVALIER has spent over 15 nights at the Charleston City Marina. A great marina as long as you follow a few simple rules:
1. Do not tie up on the outside of the outside pier unless you gross over 100 tons. It is pretty rocky.
2. Do not tie up close where the outside pier is connected to the stationery pier with a ribbed, non-slip steel ramp. The security cart that runs across that ramp all night long will make for a sleepless night.
3. Do be careful with the current – docking should be done into the current and slowly and carefully. When departing, plan your get-away carefully so that you have a safe basin to turn around, if necessary.
Jeanne and Terry Bieker
CAVALIER
Excellent marina and wonderful showers. People were great. Marina van will take you into the city and pick you up !!! Like a bus….
Many super large yachts…flowing water. Pump out boat is hard to get ahold of….
It is a VERY LONG walk to your boat ..no matter where you are located !!!!!!!
Barbara and Ernie Roberts
Bermudiana
The “Plan A”, 12/1 to 3/31, four month winter special is $17 per foot plus monthly power rates.
The new “Plan B”, 11/1 to 4/30, six month winter special is $18 per foot plus monthly power rates.
Both plans require pre-payment by check or cash and deposits are recommended.
Further discounts are available for referring another customer.
We spent the winter this year at the Charleston City Marina (Megadock) and were very pleased with it. I would not go in to the Maritime Center on the Cooper River or the City Marina on the Ashley side at other than slack tide if I didn’t have to. The current can be quite swift in either. Lots of folks love the Maritime Center for its proximity to the Harris Teeter, the hardware store, and the dog park. It is also a shorter walk to the main part of town. We like the City Marina much better for a variety of reasons – the docks and the bath facilities, the friendly and helpful staff, the van which takes people downtown every hour on the hour and to West Marine (and an adjacent Harris Teeter) every day at 11:30 AM. The pumpout boat come to your boat pretty much on demand for $5. The dockage prices aren’t
> that much higher than the Maritime Center, but the fuel prices aren’t cheap by any means. If you make a reservation ask to be on M dock near the bath house if possible. This shortens the walk to the parking lot. If you get at the end of the Megadock your shoes will get lots of wear during your stay. I would suggest you read the reviews of both places in Active Captain. Good luck!
Jim Laudermilch 48 Hatteras motoryacht “Snail’s Pace”
Charleston City Marina – Charleston, SC, ICW mm 470. This is a terrific spot to stop and see the sights. The marina is extremely competent, has all the services you could want, provides shuttle service from the marina to downtown, and is very professionally managed. There is a great restaurant at the entrance to the marina, called The Variety Store. They serve excellent southern style food, breakfast/lunch/dinner, with an unexpected gourmet flair to the menu.
Sabra Morgan
We spent several days here in spring 2008 and fall 2009. Great facilities, staff and experiences. A shuttle takes you just about anywhere in the downtown area. Lots of shops, historic sites and restaurants.
A pumpout boat will visit you dockside. The showers are private and well maintained. There only two downsides…the long walks ashore and how hard it is to cast off the lines and leave.
Rates are up there, but you get a lot for your money.
Stayed here 3/24/2010 thru 3/27/2010. Outstanding service. They don’t seem to be able to do enough for you. Trasient dock is easy to get into and out of. Is oriented with the current so you can approach in one direction or another and not worry about a cross current.
Shuttle makes trips to the down town area on a regular schededule at no charge. Really a great city to spend a few days.
SV Aquarius
Last Christmas we left ours at the City marina “Mega dock” for 10 days with no problems. The marina is very nice and near town. The dock is huge and it can be a very long walk to shore if you are out near the end. We had our dog and made the walk about 4 times a day.
Steve Willett
Monk 36, Gumbo
I second the City Marina. I live in Charleston and keep my boat at the sister marina. The person to contact is McKenzie who is the delightful and lovely dock master. She knows the marina like the back of her hand. They have a shuttle that will take you to a limited number of places. I don’t have the marina number handy but you can get it at citymarina.com I think.
George
Metafora
Sabre 36
Yes we have stayed there on a number of occasions recently. It is an excellent marina, although for us (41′ sail) the outside of the mega-dock can be uncomfortable in a strong wind out of the west or south-west. Shuttle to take you to and from downtown, groceries, West Marine.
James Lea
S/V Estelle
We’ve stayed there several times. After several negative experiences at the anchorage just off the marina (including being dragged for a half mile by our anchor chain when a trawler grabbed a hold of it) we usually end up staying there. Most often, transients get put on the 1/4 mile long Megadock. I would suggest that you ask to be put on the inside of the Megadock if you go to this marina for the reasons Tim mentioned – higher winds can make the outside pretty rolly. The good of the marina – private individual shower rooms, free courtesy shuttle to anywhere in town that you want to go, nice people, fuel at your “slip”, cable, etc. They also run a special – stay 6 nights and get your seventh free. The bad – very expensive, LONG 1/3 mile walk down the Megadock (did I mention long?) to shore (so 2/3 mile round trip to your boat if at the end of the Megadock, which is where we often get put).
Chris
S/V Pelican
Charleston City Marina is a great facility that has everything needed for a night or a permanet slip.Docking on the outside of the Mega Dock in winds above 20 knots can get rough & there are strong currents. Good power, clean rest rooms, fair fuel prices, great staff & management that helped revise the Charleston boat tax time limit from 60 to 180 days per year.
Tim Carter
We spent the weekend at the Charleston City (Megadock) Marina a few weeks ago, and it is really good (as usual). The service is great, and the van that takes you downtown is handy. It was pretty busy the weekend we were there, because a large yacht had come in from the Bahamas, and they were stocking up on groceries, etc., so the marina personnel were busy for most of Saturday helping with that. The yacht took on 20,000 gallons of diesel, so there are a lot of really big yachts that stop there. The Variety Store restaurant still has very good food, especially breakfast, and it is an easy walk from the marina.
The best thing is that the gasoline operation has been moved over to the Ashley Marina, so there is not a lot of boat traffic in the area of the bath and showers. That used to be very congested when gas was being sold there. It is now a good place to dock, because it is very convenient to the bathrooms and showers.
John B. Crouch, Jr. CIC
No change from what it used to be. Plenty of face dock available for fuel. Just be mindful of the current. Dock hands are helpful as always.
Name Withheld by Request
We stayed a couple of days at the City Marina in Charleston and found it to be very well run and enjoyable.
Bill & Susan Randall
SV Calypso
Sabre 38
We stayed at the city Marina in Charleston and found the facilities to be terrific and very hospitable. The free transportation is great to get around town. There are so many great restaurants our favorites were Justines kitchen and Sticky fingers for ribs. Anchoring off the marina is tricky because of the fast and reversing current. The anchorage near the coast guard station is too small and shallow space is taken up by what looks like more permanent residents.
Lawrence
Charleston City Marina – in 2005, I stayed in a 38-foot sailboat on the outside of the “mega dock” and found the wakes to be untenable. The boat was surging violently into the dock. I requested a space along the inside of the dock and was assigned a spot, but advised to wait unil slack tide. Because I feared for my boat, I moved right away, and had a near disaster with the current. All ended up well, however. I’d advise anyone with a sailboat or other “small” (i.e., less than mega proportions) to avoid the outside of the mega dock and, if the boat is lightly powered such as a sailboat, wait until slack tide to try for the inside of the mega dock. I haven’t had these problems in previous visits when assigned to a regular slip at the west end of the marina. I haven’t tried the part that’s now at the Ashley Marina, west of the bridge.
Julie Stocksdale
s/v Jolie
I stayed 2 weeks in May and liked it. This is a great place for large boats, and they cater to them. My 40’ trawler was small. Bathrooms and showers were excellent and always clean. WIFI works well. Being close to downtown is a plus. Courtesy van is very accommodating.
Jake Dye
Charleston City Marina is run very professionally. Easy fueling on the Mega Dock. If you want to stay on that dock, tell them you want to refuel, and that is where they put you. Beware of tidal flow if they put you on the inside.
Captain John Cashen
I keep my boat at City Marina and have had repairs/maintenance work done at Ross Marine for several years. I have found both of these facilities to be excellent. David Rogers is the dockmaster at City Marina and is always looking for ways to improve! The personnel are always friendly and helpful, the fuel is always fresh, the food at the Marina Variety restaurant is inexpensive and good. The shuttle service runs every hour and once per day goes to West Marine. I would recommend a slip inside of the mega dock since there is frequent traffice in the harbor and if you are on the outside of the mega dock you will have frequent “wakes”.
Good Luck!
Richard Boyd
Boyds and Gulls
We are arrived here on 9-20 for a 2 day stay. Shuttle service on the hour to 5 destinations including Harris Teeter on East Bay Street from 8am to 5pm. 10 cent discount on fuel for Baot US. Currently $2.95 with discount but last Friday it was $2.79. I needed 240 gallons. Nice Laundry facilities and friendly staff.
Scott Weaver
We spend a very pleasant couple of days there this March, staying on the face dock of the original Charleston City Marina (not the Ashley Marina facilities). We had no trouble coming in against the current, and found all the dockhands we met to be very pleasant and helpful. We filled up with diesel right at our slip, as the fuel hoses there are quite long. The shower facilities at the marina were not too wonderful, however — cramped and not all that well ventilated. Otherwise, it was a great visit.
Best regards, Bob and Janet Schwerzel
M/V Harmony, Beaufort, SC
We stopped at City Marina this year and were put on the mega yacht dock. The day we were leaving, the current and wind were pushing on the dock. We were a single with a bow thruster. The staff didn’t have a clue how to get us off the dock. Thankfully, the captain did and got us off without a hitch. Other than that, the stay was great.
Kathryn Jeidy