Eastern FL Anchorages – AICW, St. Marys River to Sisters Creek (Statute Mile 712 to 740)
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Fernandina Beach Waterfront Mooring Field
Fernandina Beach Waterfront Mooring Field (NOTE: No mooring balls as of October, 2016, due to Matthew)
Statute Mile: 716.5
Lat/Lon: near 30 40.204 North/081 28.147 West
Location: just off the Fernandina Beach waterfront and hard by flashing daybeacon #12
Minimum Depth: 6 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 50 feet
Foul Weather Protection: Fair, wide open to southwestern and, to a lesser extent, northeastern breezesRating:
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Bells River Anchorages
Bells River Anchorages
Statute Mile: 716.5
Lat/Lon:
30 40.700 North/081 28.777 West (downstream anchorage, just north of intersection with Lanceford Creek)
30 41.366 North/081 29.084 West (anchorage short of river’s turn to the west ‘“ after passing through this turn, the river splits)
30 41.316 North/081 29.581 West (anchorage on western fork of Bells River, east of charted Tiger Basin)
Location: these anchorages are located along the splintered course of Bells River ‘“ this stream intersects the ICW abeam of the Fernandina Beach waterfront, hard by flashing buoy #10
Minimum Depth: 7 feet in the unmarked channel
Swing Room:
sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet in downstream anchorage
sufficient room for vessels as large as 42 feet in anchorage short of river’s turn to the west
sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet in anchorage on western fork of Bells River, east of charted Tiger Basin
Foul Weather Protection: Fair in downstream anchorage ‘“ open to northern winds; Good in both upstream anchoragesRating:
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Comments from Cruisers (3)
- Reply to George
We have anchored our 60′ LOA Hatteras with plenty of room in the north/south stretch of Bells River three times, twice below the charted shallow spot and once above. This is one of our favorite stops and we coincidentally rode out some bad weather in the fall of 2008 there. As noted there are some soft places, so take the time to get a good set.
Great dinghy dock facility, but be courteous and check in with the marina. We had a very good experience with the marina when our generator had an issue, they quickly made a spot for us and got us a local tech pronto.
- Reply to John
Rode out a 4-day storm in May, 2008 in the branch of the Bells that turns south between the two upstream anchor marks. Anchor did drag a couple of boat lengths when the winds went over 40 kts, then reset (44 Bruce on a 21000 lb ketch). Otherwise secure and at worst moderate seas. This storm dumped so much water in N. Fl that at high tide the Bells River became the Bells Lake. All of the marsh land that forms the banks were under several feet of water. The tops of the marsh grass was under water. With no channel marks in this portion of the river I would have had to blindly trust my chart plotter to re-anchor if the Bruce had not reset. Bottom line: A good anchorage, but if a really bad storm is coming I would now try to get into one of the marinas on Amelia Is. See also: http://www.svsarah.com/Sailing/ewBahamasNorth.html for more details on my adventure.
John – SV Sarah
- Reply to Joanne
We stayed in the “downstream” anchorage and it was fine with a good anchor and plenty of rode. A bit spalshy ride to town but that is what the dink is for. Great lunch intown. Another ruiser said the marina facilites (available to us on anchor, too) were really nice.
J. S. Woodward – MV-Avalon
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Waterway Anchorage
Waterway Anchorage
Statute Mile: 718.5
Lat/Lon: near 30 39.623 North/081 29.160 West
Location: south of flashing daybeacon #1, just off the western shoreline of the combined track of the Amelia River and the ICW
Minimum Depth: 6 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 55 feet
Foul Weather Protection: Fair to poor, particularly open to southern windsRating:
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Jackson Creek Anchorage
Jackson Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 719.5
Lat/Lon: near 30 38.700 North/081 29.014 West
Location: off from the Waterway’s eastern banks just south of flashing daybeacon #3
Minimum Depth: 6 feet BUT channel is MUCH narrower than appears to be the case at high tide
Swing Room: sufficient room ONLY for vessels as large as 32 feet
Foul Weather Protection: FairRating:
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Upper Amelia River Anchorage
Upper Amelia River Anchorage
Statute Mile: 720
Lat/Lon: near 30 38.367 North/081 29.697 West
Location: on the waters of upper Amelia River, which intersects the ICW southwest of flashing daybeacon #7
Minimum Depth: 7 feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 38 feet
Foul Weather Protection: Good, except in unusually strong eastern and northeastern windsRating:
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Alligator Creek Anchorage
Alligator Creek Anchorage
Statute Mile: 726
Lat/Lon:
30 34.491 North/081 28.288 West (anchorage south of intersection with Alligator Creek
30 34.690 North/081 28.127 West (anchorage northeast of intersection with Alligator Creek)
Location: entrance lies north-northeast of the ICW’s unlighted daybeacon #36
Minimum Depth: 6 ½ feet
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels as large as 45 feet
Foul Weather Protection: Fair to good, but open to southwestern and northeastern windsRating:
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Comments from Cruisers (4)
- Reply to Has
Anchored here on 4/13/13. Entered and exited by the south end. Came in near low tide and bounced twice. Have anchored here last year also and find holding is good. Current is not too bad and protection is good. Waited in morning for rising tide, no problem leaving. Would rate it a 3 because of the problems entering at a lower tide. s/v Skye
- Reply to max
We anchored here recently and found the water deep and holding good. Our spade dug in instantly.
Our 2009 copy of Skipper Bob’s Guide to Anchorages warns not to enter or leave through the northern end of the anchorage but we found good water in the center when we left northbound.
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Fort George River Anchorage
Fort George River Anchorage
Statute Mile: 735
Lat/Lon: near 30 26.460 North/081 26.285 West
Location: lies just west of unlighted daybeacon #5 ‘“ the westerly entrance to Fort George River, from the ICW, lies east-southeast of flashing daybeacon #72
Minimum Depth: 6 feet minimum in the channel
Swing Room: sufficient room for vessels only as large as 36 feet
Foul Weather Protection: Fair, except with strong eastern winds in the offingRating:
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Comments from Cruisers (10)
- Reply to Will
Had no trouble exiting ICW to Ft George River. Anchored overnight 11/30/2011 opposite plantation main buildings by mark “5”. Depths 10’+, good holding. Dinghied to park dock just before ranger closed the gate to it at 1630. At dawn, slack tide left it to the wind to push us close to the southern shore. Started engine to keep us off. Tidal current took over again and gave us time to walk the plantation, before leaving mid morning. Recommend this anchorage.
- Reply to Chris
We anchored here winter of 2011. Came in at low tide. Sticking close to the southerly shore. Anchored initially just to the east of the plantation. We experienced a great deal of boat traffic. Center cockpit fishing boats racing through. Felt like we were taking up the whole river. I was not comfortable with it. Picked up and moved just to the south east of green #18 Chart showed a little 5 ft deep area .We draw 3’10” did a lot of sounding around to pick a spot as close to the north shore as possible. Felt better about it then being in the center of the channel. That night the “Flounder Barge” spent about 3 hours around the plantation. For those not familiar with the “Flounder Barge” from what I could tell it looked like a giant air-boat, with a huge generator on it. This was to power the billion candle spotlights used to search for the flounder. Being not only the loudest machine man has ever made. It appears to be one of the deadliest. It skims the shallow areas looking for prey. On the deck stand what seem to be drunken college kids with spears which they stab at whatever looks like something that might be alive on the bottom. The only thing louder then the generator and giant fan are the hoots of a successful kill. It was a tough night to sleep.
- Reply to Allen
On 4/9/2010 we entered Fort George River from the ICW, passing closely to the ICW (R”72″) marker at the mouth and favoring the southern shore all the way past Kingsley Plantation. At dead low tide, we never saw less than 7 feet. We anchored just beyond the plantation and went ashore witht he dinghy for a very informative visit of a unique piece of American history. Lots of no-see-ums and it is a main thoroughfare for a bunch of center-cockpits in a hurry, but they are gone after dark. Lots of current too, but a nice anchorage and lovely spot.
- Reply to Rick
We’re presently in this anchorage, with two boats near G “3” and three closer to G “5”. We arrived at about half tide and found the bottom coming up uncomfortable quickly (6′ draft) as we approached the dock (shown as two pilings in the chart) for Kingsley Plantation (marked “ruins”), a National Park Service site. We opted for the bight on the north shore near the G “3”. There’s more swing room and holding is good. One source suggests following a line between Fl R “72” and R “2” to enter the river – don’t. It leads through a charted shoal. Instead, favor the north shore and follow current charts. Otherwise, this is a standard issue SE GA, NE FL anchorage with lots of marsh, no-see-ums, and tidal currents – but it sure is pretty.
About the plantation – this is a good trip ashore. The park closes at 5PM but the dock closes at 4:30PM; “closes” means a ranger comes to the dock and chains the gate shut. Curiously, the same sign announcing the 4:30PM closing time also states that docking is limited to 59 minutes (one wonders what bureaucrat dreamed that up…). Plan your visit accordingly. - Reply to Capt
After leaving St Mary’s, Kittiwake stopped here for the 3rd time in 5 years. No trouble getting in , with tide rising (about mid-tide, almost full spring Nov 1), but had vibes. Sure enough, aobut 4 AM, front came through with some NW and N wind, and Kittiwake was heading for the plantation docks. Up the hook, ride around in the dark and settled in a little further West until enough light to start traveling. Can’t figure out anything I could have done different, but next time will try to Talbot River anchorage (oxbow on W side of ICW, just N of Ft George River anchorage) – not as much water or room – but talked to the folks anchored there overnight, it had better protection from NW and N in the south end.
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Comments from Cruisers (5)
Payment in Person
Some sources mistakenly report that you need to dinghy ashore to pay the mooring fee. In our experience (two visits), this is not the case. If you don’t have a dinghy, or don’t feel like launching your dink, simply phone Fernandina Harbor Marina at 904-491-2090. You can provide your credit card information over the phone.
The rates have increased slightly, posted on their website as: $20/day for a mooring, $3/day for dinghy dockage, and $7/day for dinghy dockage with shower access. Weekly rates are available. More rate details — including the marina’s tiered pricing for inside versus outside slips — are here: http://www.fbfl.us/index.aspx?NID=102
Farmer’s Market
And while you’re in the area, don’t forget the Fernandina Beach Market Place. It’s a popular farmers’ market a short walk from the dinghy dock, gathering every Saturday from 0900-1300 hrs.
Mark and Diana Doyle
We stayed at this anchorage on 11-18-11, and there was a fairly strong northerly wind, and it was quite challenging anchoring because the strong current made it difficult to get the nose of the boat to point into the wind. Our boat sat at a funny angle to the wind all night and it was somewhat uncomfortable. The wind also blew very foul smelling fumes from the two factories nearby all over the anchorage. Not pleasant. The town of Fernandina is very nice, however, and there is a fabulous farmers market on main street on Saturday mornings. You can also take showers at the Fernandina City marina for just a few dollars.
Way Happy
Ditto on a good stop here. Same for the quaint town
We are a 41′ trawler and used them in May 09 and loved it….just call them and they pass you a mooring number and you have full use of all the facilities. Nice town too…..we will go back. Plus it is a great place to get fuel…..
Knot Tide Down
Heading to Knoxville on the TN Rvr
We just used them when we went by last week. Joe guesses when you call, they assign you a mooring ball for your vessel size. We saw some 47-45 footers on them. They are in the open. They have an area inside the marina that is $1 a foot that’s a little tight to get into so they mostly put boats on the seawall’s inside and outside ($1.75 a foot). Get there before too much wind, and if we got into an inside slip I know you can.
Mik and Joe,
Asian Lady
anchored there spring 09, but a little further north, at the end of the group of anchored boats SW of R10. good holding.. came in around 1am and i wasnt’ going to be picky about the views! just a safe stop to catch some zzzz
pascal
MY Charmer, 70′ Johnson