St. Augustine City Marina is a fine municipal facility, and it is located within easy walking distance of the city historic and business district.

St. Augustine, FL, ICW mm 778. This is a MUST STOP for us on our way south!!! The staff is very skilled, the marina offers excellent services, and the proximity to downtown is unmatched! We love this marina and the town, and highly recommend it to all who are heading south. They have an inlet that provides superb access to the Atlantic Ocean, or you can stay on the ICW on your southbound journey. Either way, this stop is well worth the effort!
Sabra Morgan

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For St. Augustine City Marina

Click on Chartlet Below to Open a Chart View Window,
Centered on the Location of This Marina:

If you have been following the Cruisers’ Net, or most any of the other nautical web sites or mailing list, you almost certainly know there is an issue about whether the newly rebuilt Bridge of Lions that crosses the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in St. Augustine, Florida, has less than its charted, mean high water, closed vertical clearance of 25 feet. One week ago today, we issued an alert in response to a message we received from Ms. Laurie Sanderson, Public Information Officer for the Bridge of Lion Rehabilitation Project, in which we put forward our belief that this span now has only 22 feet of closed vertical clearance.
All this discussion was initiated by a report from Captain Bob Mimlitch, who noticed that his craft’s antennae seemed MUCH closer to the bottom of the bridge than they should have been, when he passed under this span. Over the past several days, Captain Mimlitch has copied the Cruisers’ Net on a LIVELY series of messages which have passed between himself, Ms. Sanderson, and two members of the USCG! Read on!

I told some of you that I would report on the Bridge of Lions when we passed it northbound. Here are my findings:

Approaching the Bridge of Lions from the south

The following two photos were taken on 15 June 2010 at 9:49am, as we passed under the bridge.

The south clearance gauge (tide board)

After photo analysis, the clearance gauge reads 19.5′, plus or minus an inch, which is clearance at “low steel”. The sign also states 4′ additional clearance at center. Thus clearance at center is 19.5′ plus 4′, or 23.5′. All drawbridges are governed by 33 CFR, which states:

§ 117.47 Clearance gauges.
(a) Clearance gauges are required for drawbridges across navigable waters of the United States discharging into the Atlantic Ocean south of Delaware Bay (including the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, DE) or into the Gulf of Mexico (including coastal waterways contiguous thereto and tributaries to such waterways and the Lower Atchafalaya River, LA), except the Mississippi River and its tributaries and outlets,
(b) Except for provisions in this part which specify otherwise for particular drawbridges, clearance gauges shall be designed, installed, and maintained according to the provisions of §118.160 of this chapter.

§ 118.160 Vertical clearance gauges.
(a) When necessary for reasons of safety of navigation, the District Commander may require or authorize the installation of clearance gauges. Except as specified in §117.47(b) of this chapter for certain drawbridges, clearance gauges must meet the requirements of this section.
(b) Clearance gauges must indicate the vertical distance between ‘‘low steel’’ of the bridge channel span and the level of the water, measured to the bottom of the foot marks, read from top to bottom. Each gauge must be installed on the end of the right channel pier or pier protection structure facing approaching vessels and extend to a reasonable height above high water so as to be meaningful to the viewer. Other or additional locations may be prescribed by the District Commander if particular conditions or circumstances warrant.

The hand painted north clearance gauge (tide board)

After photo analysis, the clearance gauge reads 22.5′ plus or minus an inch, which it states is clearance at center, not “low steel” as required by 33 CFR. This nonstandard clearance gauge does not conform with 33 CFR.
The south side indicates 23.5′ at center and the north side states 22.5′. There is a one foot discrepancy.
The listed clearance on the charts and according to the contractor rebuilding the bridge is 25′ at center. Charted heights are based on clearance at Mean High Water (MHW). MHW for the tide station next to the Bridge of lions at the St. Augustine City Dock is listed as 6.41′. MHW reference: http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/data_menu.shtml?stn=8720576%20St.%20%20Augustine,%20FL&type=Datums
This means that if you pass under the bridge at a low tide of zero, the clearance at center would be 25′ plus 6.41′, or 31.41′. We passed under the bridge with a tide of 4.0′ so we should have had a clearance of 31.41 minus 4.0′, or 27.41′. Said another way, we were 2.41′ less than MHW, so 25′ plus 2.41′ or 27.41′.
When we passed under the bridge at 7:45AM on 28 April 2010, with a 4.5′ tide the north clearance gauge read 22′ at center, which was our boat’s height with VHF antennas up. Because we were almost 2′ below MHW, we expected 25′ plus 2′ or 27′ at center. When we saw the north clearance gauge reading 22′ at center, Sue ran to the upper helm and watched the antennas miss the bridge by less than a foot. If the listed 25′ clearance was correct, we would have had 5.5′ above our antennas.
Sue did not miss estimate our clearance as less than a foot instead of 5.5′. The north gauge appears to be correct, which means the listed clearance of 25′ cannot be correct. The listed clearance may be off by as much as 4 or 5′.
According to Laurie Sanderson, the Public Information Officer for the Bridge of Lions, the Contractor still maintains that the listed clearance of 25′ is correct.
I don’t have all the answers, but I know the following calculations for clearance at center, based on a 4′ tide, don’t match:

South clearance gauge = 23.5′
North clearance gauge = 22.5′
Listed clearance = 27.4′

Something is still very wrong. Was the old bridge really 25′ and the new bridge 20′ or 21′?
Captain Bob Mimlitch
USCG 100 ton Master Captains License #1002684

And, below, based on the above described observations, is a copy of an e-mail sent from Captain Mimlitch to Ms. Laurie Sanderson:

Laurie,
I realized that as Public Information Officer for the Bridge of Lions, you may not realize the importance to mariners of the Vertical Clearance listed on the charts and in the cruising guides. As a Captain, I don’t know in advance what the clearance gauge is going to read until I am very close to the bridge. Any Captain knows that in normal conditions and at tide levels less than Mean High Water (MHW), he should have more than the listed Vertical Clearance. It is against the law for me to request a bridge opening when my boat height does not required – thus I must plan ahead. As I approached the bridge on 28 April, I had planned on the listed Vertical Clearance of 25′ plus two additional feet because the tide was 2′ below MHW. This should give me a Vertical Clearance of 27′. My boat required 22′ of Vertical Clearance, so I did not request an opening.
I approached the bridge with the current behind me. The current here can reach 2 knots in this area. To maintain rudder steerage of my vessel I need a speed through the water of 4 knots. Heavy currents passing under the bridge and between the fenders can cause eddy currents and challenging steering. Thus I am approaching the bridge at about 6 knots and expecting 5′ of clearance above my antennas.
What I found was a 5′ disparity between my planned clearance and the tide board reading. What do I do? I can slam both engines into reverse and try to stop in time, back out of the bridge entrance and try to resolve the real height. If I had thought that I only had a couple of feet clearance, with the current behind me, I would have requested an opening just to be safe. Because the listed Vertical Clearance is wrong, my planning was in error.
We, as boaters, should not have to wait for an accident and the accompanying law suits to resolve the true Vertical Clearance of the bridge. Organizations such as the Waterway Guide, ActiveCaptain, and[Salty]  Southeast Cruiser’s Net stand ready to get the correct bridge height out as soon as the contractor can determine it. Please, as the Public Information Officer for the Bridge of Lions, insure that the contractor knows that this Vertical Clearance must be based on MHW.
Thanks for your help in this matter.
Bob Mimlitch

And, Ms. Sanderson’s reply:

Bob,
I appreciate the e-mails you have sent this morning. I also appreciate your position, and the very real concern you present. The information I have provided to you is that which was provided to me by the project engineers and the contractor’s personnel. I have forwarded the e-mails you sent this morning to the Senior Project Engineer and to the contractor, so they may hear directly from you the concerns which you have detailed for me. Thank you again for bringing this matter to our attention.
One tiny edit, if you please:
“According to Laurie Sanderson, the Public Information Officer for the Bridge of Lions, the Contractor still maintains that the listed clearance of 25′ is correct.”
The contractor actually maintains that their tide gauge is correct, not that the listed clearance of 25’ is correct. If the listed clearance of 25’ is incorrect, the Department of Transportation believes it is not within their jurisdiction, but within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard, to make that correction. The Department of Transportation is responsible for overseeing the contractor and ensuring that the tide gauge is correct. I have forwarded your e-mails to the Senior Project Engineer and to the contractor.
Sincerely,
Laurie Sanderson
Public Information Officer
Bridge of Lions Rehabilitation Project

From Captain Mimlitch:

I don’t know whether it is DOT’s responsibility or the USCG’s responsibility, I would assume that Laurie is correct; so who do we contact in the USCG. I hope that one of you have contacts.
Thanks,
Bob

Below, Captain Mimlitch brings this matter to the attention of Mr Dragon, the USCG Chief of the Bridge Branch

Dear Mr. Dragon;
I would like to bring a situation with the Bridge of Lions to your attention. I have been discussing this with Laurie Sanderson, the Public Information Officer for the Bridge of Lions, and others for about two months and in todays email Laurie states that the responsibility for insuring the accuracy of the 25′ Vertical Clearance listed on nautical charts and published on government website is the responsibility of the USCG. Below Laurie’s reply, you will find my email detailing my findings and photographs of the conflicting bridge height data.
Thank you for your help.
Bob Mimlitch

And that, sport fans, is where things stand as of late Friday afternoon, June 18. We’ll keep you apprised as more develops!
In any case, for the moment, we strongly suggest that all skippers count on a MAXIMUM closed vertical clearance of 22 feet when passing under the Bridge of Lions, possibly 21 feet!

Rivers Edge Marina is newly renamed Oyster Creek Marina. This facility is accessed by way of the San Sebastian River,  which leaves the AICW south of  the St. Augustine City Marina and anchorage/mooring field.

10 May 2010.
I heartily agree with the previous comments. Paul is a gem and where else can you go where you will find a Winn Dixie and a West Marine in the same shopping plaza, a short walk away? The next door to the marina restaurant and pub, Hurricane Patty’s, is excellent value for money, and for marina patrons, it is at all-day happy hour prices. Ask Paul about it.
The marina has changed its name to River’s Edge for some reason, risking confusion with one further north on the ICW. Signs for both names remain on the property.
When Paul learned about our ice box and $.30/day electricity usage, he charged us only a couple of dollars for our 5-day stay, saying it was ridiculous to ask for more. At last, a sane marina operator! Paul told me some of his story, a sailboater coming from New England – Nantucket – finding it increasingly difficult to find an available, affordable mooring, receiving a pink slip at work and deciding to sail away for other climes.
Paul was informative about what is driving marina pricing these days which is useful for understanding their side of the story, at least up to a point. Paul said municipalities are increasing charges to marinas for city services – water, sewage, electricity – in order to stay within their cash-strapped budgets, despite marinas telling them they will pass the costs on to their customers.
Marinas, however, are not equipped to meter usage so they apportion costs by dividing their bill amongst their clients, with little regard to the difference between say, a 30-foot sailboat using ice for refrigeration and a 30-foot power boat, more common from our experience – or sailboat, less common – with air conditioning and a refrigerator.
The result is, some people make out like a thief while others are required to pay for the thievery and marinas are let off the hook for installing metering. Am I surprised marina customers are mostly powerboats in Florida these days?
What is not being acknowledged, however, is another factor – the corporatisation of marinas. River’s Edge – nee Oyster Cove – is a family-run operation. The industry – attempting to establish “industry standards” – is increasingly being taken over by corporations – buying or managing. From my experience, marinas have traditionally been owned by people who love the business. It has never been a huge money-maker but a labor of love – obvious if you look at the reality of overhead and effort involved in running marinas.
When corporations move in, the corporate bottom line dominates to maximise profit. They offer access to “resort facilities” – swimming pools, etc – at a price. It’s nice to dip into but deadly if that is all that’s available.
For the sake of those who cherish the old cruising values and want the option to continue, it is useful to support the existing family-run marinas. May they always continue.
Fair winds and following seas,
Austin Whitten, S/Y Discovery II

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Rivers Edge Marina

For those of you who have not been following the Cruisers’ Net, or have not cruised through St. Augustine over the past two years, the historic Bridge of Lions has undergone a radical rebuilding. For a time, a temporary bridge was in place to serve automobile traffic, while the older span was being rebuilt. Now, the Bridge of Lions has reopened, and the temporary bridge is being removed.
Below, Captain Bob presents some IMPORTANT information (copied from the MTOA List-Serve) which could easily be interpreted to mean that the new Bridge of Lions incarnation ACTUALLY HAS LESS VERTICAL CLEARANCE THAN WHAT IS LISTED ON THE NOAA CHARTS and in the Federal Registry.
BE SURE TO READ MY SUBSEQUENT COMMENTS ON ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POSTING. VERTICAL CLEARANCE ON THE NEW BRIDGE OF LIONS HAS SUDDENLY BECOME A VERY HOT TOPIC INDEED!

Here was the situation; we were approaching the Bridge of Lions in St Augustine at 7:45AM on 28 April 2010, with a tide level of +4.5′ and a listed bridge clearance at “low iron” of 25’ above Mean High Water (MHW). According to NOAA, the MHW level for the St Augustine City Dock, which is next to the Bridge of Lions is 6.41′ (see NOAA link below). The tops of our VHF antennas were measured at 22’ above the water level. My calculations were:
Charted Bridge Clearance +25′
Plus Mean High Water +6.4′
Minus the Height of Tide -4.5′
Calculated Clearance 26.9′
Simply said, the listed bridge clearance 25′ is measured above MHW, and if the tide was at zero, the actual clearance would be 31.4′ (25′ + 6.4′); but we had a 4.5′ tide so the clearance should be 4.5′ less, or 26.9′ (25′ +6.4′ -4.5′).
Here is what we found as we approached the opening between the old temporary bridge, which is being demolished, and work barges from the north. Sue spotted a temporary tide board below the new bridge with red spray painted numbers indicating the current clearance was 22′ at low iron. We passed under the bridge with less than a foot above our antennas at the center of the bridge. I think the temporary tide board was correct, which would mean the actual clearance is closer to 20’ above MHW, and not 25’.
What am I missing? I contacted the Bridge of Lions and their contractor told
them that when I passed under the bridge the tide was extremely high and thus I
had less than the listed 25’ clearance.

MHW for the St Augustine City Dock:
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/data_menu.shtml?stn=8720576%20St.%20%20Augustine,%20FL&type=Datums

Bob and Sue Mimlitch
M/V Our Independence

I asked Captain Bob to send me additional info when possible, and received the heartwarming reply below:

Claiborne,
I should have said more about the difference between the listed bridge height on the charts and cruising guides, which is clearance at the center; versus the tide board which is clearance at low iron. A few bridges in Florida have signs that specify the number of feet of additional clearance at center.
I love Salty Southeast Cruiser’s Net. Thanks for all your efforts.
Bob Mimlitch

As of Monday, 5/17/10, the new Bridge of Lion’s vertical clearance has become a HOT topic! The Cruisers’ Net, Waterway Guide and ActiveCaptain are all in the hunt for information. We thank Waterway Guide editor, Chuck, for the info below. Since we received Chuck’s e-mail (actually a posting on the MTOA list-serve), I have personally spoken with both Captain Jay Bliss, member of the St. Augustine Port Commission, and Ms. Laurie Sanderson with the Bridge of Lion’s rehabilitation project. As Chuck notes below, this question will arise at a meeting tomorrow, and we have everyone’s promise to shoot us the results ASAP!!!! I will post this data the second it’s received, and probably send out a special “Alert” as well!
In the meantime, NOTE THE CONTRACTOR’S ASSERTION IN CHUCK’S NOTE BELOW THAT CRUISERS SHOULD ONLY COUNT ON 22 FEET OF CLOSED VERTICAL CLEARANCE AT HIGH WATER WHEN PASSING UNDER THE NEW BRIDGE OF LIONS!!!!

I have just spoken with Laurie Sanderson from the Bridge of Lions Rehabilitation Project and the bridge clearance is up for discussion at their meeting tomorrow. According to the contractor on site, the MHW clearance for the new bridge is indeed 22′ regardless of what the charts say. We will post more tomorrow after the meeting and more details are known.
Chuck

St. Augustine City Marina is a good facility, and it has the advantage of being within easy walking distance of the historic districe, but don’t overlook Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor, just to the north, and Conch House Marina on Salty Run. Both of these latter facilities are SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSORS!

Just stayed there 4 days. Nothing bad about this marina except the noise of the construction crews working to dismantle the temporary bridge used when they were doing the major overhall of the Bridge of Lions. Very convient to downdown St.Augustine. One of our favorite cities in our cruise down the ICW this spring.
Highly recommend this marina.
SV Aquarius

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For St. Augustine City Marina

St. Augustine City Marina does sit near the near to the town’s wonderful historic district, but please remember that two other nearby facilities, Cammachee Cove Yacht Harbor and Conch House Marina Resort are SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSORS!

St Augustine City Marina is great. Good docking help, immaculate restrooms, near many great restaurants.
Capt Dave

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Cammachee Cove Marina

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Conch House Resort Marina

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s Easern Florida Marina Directory Listing For St. Augustine City Marina

This is the second article to be submitted to the Cruisers’ Net by our fearless roving reporter, Captain Jane Tigar!!! What a great report about one of our favorite ports of call in northeastern Florida!

St. Augustine is a favorite stop of ours and this year, our late start, while troublesome from the point of view of one cold front and small craft advisory after another, also meant we spent Christmas and New Year’s in St. Augustine. This happenstance means we can enthusiastically recommend a visit to St. Augustine during the winter holidays. Do they put on a light show! It’s just magical to walk around downtown at night with the Bridge of Lions and shops and streets all lit up.

Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor
Our favorite place to dock in St. Augustine is Camachee Cove [A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS' NET SPONSOR]. I know, I know, unlike from the city marina, you can’t just walk into downtown, but staying on the north side of the Bridge of Lions opens to you other charms of this great city you might otherwise skip. Besides, with two courtesy cars and easy pick up service from Enterprise a mile or so away, all of the city is available to you.
Camachee Cove features enthusiastic ‘can do’ staff, the afore-mentioned two courtesy cars, clean and modern facilities, three strategically-located heads/showers/laundry, a restaurant, a breakfast and lunch cafe, the best book swap on the ICW, a great engine guy and ship’s store, and now, there’s also a place to buy fresh fish.
It also offers superb sunrise and sunset vistas and, as it is surrounded by wetlands, there is wonderful birdwatching. The proof is in the two photographs here from A dock.
Camachee Cove features easy access with a clearly marked channel on the ICW parallel to the Vilano high rise bridge. Make note that this is a great place to stop Northbound if you want to get the Bridge of Lions current opening issues out of the way. Just keep an eye on the side-moving current as you enter the channel — you may need to keep up the revs to stay on course.

Vilano Bridge at Sunrise

New at Camachee Cove: Fresh seafood store.
Camachee Island Seafood opened three months ago. We bought a beautiful piece of fish, reasonably priced, from proprietor Bill Bailey. His son caught this Cobia, not your usual fish item at the super market and it was delicious. While you are waiting for Mr. Bailey to wrap your fish, check out the photos on the wall, including some “vintage” photos of Mr. Bailey fishing and some more recent of his son. One particularly striking photo shows his son releasing a marlin. By the way, I have never seen a cleaner fish store. The day we were there, there was a good selection of fresh wild caught fish, shrimp, and clams and also some items in the freezer like snow crab legs. Mr. Bailey also sells a variety of condiments such as cornmeal fry coating and sauces on shelves.

Camachee Cove: A great stop for engine work, canvas, or boat supplies.
This is also a good stopping point on your way south or north if you need any work done on your boat. We had some canvas work done at Coopers, right here in the Camachee Cove complex; they did a superb job at a fair price. We have had excellent experiences over the years at First Mate. Bo does fantastic and smart engine work — we’ve relied upon his talents and services over the years and been very pleased. They also have a well-stocked ship’s store.

I hope this gives you an idea of why Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor is a favorite home away from home for Lady Jane. If we need to leave the boat here we know she is safe and well looked after.
While you are here, you may see the famous vessel “Chez Nous.” Yes, it’s “the” Chez Nous owned by cruising writers Tom and Mel Neale. If they’re in residence, stop by and say hello. Their daughter Melanie, whose growing up aboard the first Chez Nous is well chronicled in books you may have in your ship’s library, is now grown up and works at Camachee Cove Marina. In fact, she may be the one who answers your hail for docking assignment and instructions.

"A" Dock Resident - Snowy Egret Reprovisioning

Our favorite things to do in St. Augustine.
I love the antique carousel that is at the intersection of A1A and the road to Camachee Cove. The colorful horses, the friendly guy who makes sure you know if you got on one of the horses that doesn’t go up and down, the smiling children, the parents snapping photos outside … Bah Recession Humbugs, you can get all this joy for a dollar a ride.
If you’ve never sampled the sulfury brew from the Fountain of Youth — that’s a tour you should take at least once in your life. It’s hokey, historical, pseudo-historical and just plain fun. The same goes for the planetarium show — this is a very old planetarium and it’s a hoot and there’s a special kind of magic when you are seeing something this great great grandparent (gender neutral!) of the modern day high-tech planetarium shows that leave comparatively little to the imagination.

Food, food, food.
Our St. Augustine rituals include at least one visit to the Gypsy Cab Company restaurant. If you’re staying at Camachee Cove, you can book the courtesy car and it’s a short drive across the Bridge of Lions to get here. Don’t miss their house-made salad dressing — it’s liquid gold as the proprietor says. Made fresh every day, if you buy a bottle, note that you have to use it up within two weeks — no preservatives, this is the real deal.
St. Augustine isn’t St. Augustine for us without a pilgrimage to the Manatee Cafe. It’s technically health food-oriented, but even a health-food phobic person will have a good time here. We won’t reveal his name but we witnessed a hard core meat and potatoes guy chow down a lunch that included sprouts and admitting, with a wry smile that this is really good food.
Manatee Cafe is only open for breakfast, brunch and lunch — and despite the whole grains and vegetarian emphasis, they incongruously serve the best home fries I’ve ever had.
Michael, my first mate, and I are both fans of the burritos — full of fresh raw vegetables, hummus, black beans…
And, there’s a little store section in the front if you need to re-provision some of those special health-food items, from local honey in bear squeeze bottles to brewer’s yeast and yes, that important staple for some of us — organic chocolate bars.
We also have enjoyed Little Havana restaurant downtown — it’s a surprisingly low-cost restaurant delivering authentic (we think!) Cuban food. The specials are very gentle on the wallet and some nights there is live music.
For Camachee Cove transients, note that you can book the courtesy car for the evening, or, as we did on Christmas Day, we shared a car with another transient sailboat, making friends while we were at it.

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor

Capt. Jane got it right. This resident shares the high regard for Camachee, and would only add that Sailors Exchange on west King street is a great place to discover treasures you always wanted and never expected to find.
Capt. Jay

Below you will find a bevy of really useful cruising information and recommendations from Captain Jean Thomason, concerning the St. Augustine, Florida area. Notice her news about the new Bridge of Lions. Everyone in the cruising community will rejoice when this construction is finally completed. It seems to have already gone on forever!

We always enjoy our stay at St. Augustine City Marina. Hopefully the bridge work will be done soon- word is that traffic will start to use the redone Bridge of Lions next month. Of course, they will then be removing the temporary bridge. We had a leaking raw water pump and turned to First Mate Yacht Service to install a replacement pump. They came promptly Monday morning, dealt with the problem and we were on our way before noon. Give them a try if you need help. Sometimes I trek across the bridge and go to the little grocery store on the right a few blocks up. They don’t have everything but do have the essentials, especially meat and vegetables and fruits. Didn’t get to shop this time however.
Jean Thomason (DOVEKIE)

Well, Captain Paul’s note below is news to me. I always thought Oyster Creek was a strictly live-aboard marina, but apparently that has changed.
This facility is located well upstream from the AICW/San Sebastian River intersection, on the mainland shores. Give them a try, and let us know what you find!

Subject: Oyster Creek Marina, St. Augustine, FL
Cruising News: Just West of downtown St. Augustine at Green marker 29 on the San Sebastian River is a nice little marina with floating docks, restaurant, clean showers and Boat US discount ($1.50/ft). West Marine, Sailor’s Exchange and Winn Dixie groceries all w/in 10-15 min. walk. Great live-aboard scene with weekly pot-luck/BBQ’s, much better spot than the marina’s directly on the ICW.
Paul

We had the pleasure of staying at Oyster Creek Marina the evening of Oct 29, 2009. We entered at just about dead low and had no problem at all getting to the marina up the San Sebastian River. The location is as billed. Close to West Marine, Wynn Dixie and the Sailors’ Exchange. Also, its a reasonable walk to downtown St Augustine. The floating docks are in good condition and the shower room/heads/laundry facility is clean and brite! We’d stay here again.
Ed Grygent

We stayed in Oyster Creek Marina for the summer and had a great time. Paul the dockmaster was always helpful and ready to lend a hand and we feel he has become a friend. As we feel that way about many people we have met there. Pat who kept the washroom and laundry area spotless is a great gal. We found the location perfect for all suppling, just down the street from Winn Dixie about another 5 min walk is also Target and a little farther maybe 10 mins Home Depot. You can take a bus to Walmart as well. To walk downtown is an easy and enjoyable walk, lots to see in St Augustine. On the first Fri of the month they have an art walk on King St (wine for a smail tip) this will lead you downtown and St Geroge St is a must do. Don’t forget to check out San Sebastian Winey as well they have great music on the roof at nights and weekends. All in all we can’t say enough about St Augustine except don’t miss it. Say HI to Paul and the gang there for us if you stop there.
Linda and Dave
S/V CHIMO II

We are docked at Oyster Creek now. They did not answer on channel 16, so we called on the cell and they agreed to answer vhf 71. Go figure. The marina is VERY convenient. Winn Dixie, West Marina, Sailor’s Exchange, and propane refill a short walk. Downtown and historic district an easy one-mile walk on sidewalks. Avis in same shopping center with Winn Dixie and West. The slip we were assigned was to narrow for our Bristol 35.5, so they reassigned us just before we were committed to a too narrow fairway. They re-assigned us to a slip in another fairway, did not know which side the tie-up was on, and it only had about six inches of spare clearance for us between the out piling and the floating dock. Docking was an adventure as it took two tries and a turnaround in wind and current to hit the gap. All the T-dock ends were vacant when we arrived and remain so at this time 4 days later. That said, I would return. The facilities are clean and well maintained. Wi-fi requires a booster antenna from the docks, but is available at the office and the on-site restaurant. The Waterway Guide claims they have fuel, but that is an error.
Doug

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Oyster Creek Marina

Wow, I had no idea that dinghy dockage at St. Augustine City Marina came so dear. This is a fine municipal facility, however. I’ve always been impressed with its amenities and management, and the entire historic district is within easy walking distance. However, the city marina can not boast of anything like the shelter from foul weather offered by Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor, just to the north (A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR).
Pay attention to Captain Jennifer’s maxim about setting two anchors, whether you drop the hook north or south of the Bridge of Lions. The currents here can be wicked!

Overall, we much prefer the southern anchorage to the northern for room, some relief from swells from the inlet, and better access to the city marina. Note, however, that a shoal exists along a line from the R “12″ to the R “10A” and on to the R “10″, west of this line there is good depth for most boats (we draw 6′). Photos from the air show this bar clearly. We’ve seen two boats (one was a cat) try to run between the “10″ and “10A” at high tide and still take the bottom. The only way in or out is to pass north of R “10″.
Scenery is in the eye of the beholder – we have no problem with the surroundings. As to derelict boats, they are an unhappy fact of life here. We count about 6 in a very large, and busy, anchorage. Could be worse…
Rick Emerson

Can’t get much closer to Old St. Augustine than this and we spent 3 nights here to take it all in. Had a minor engine repair which was quickly taken care of by First Mate Yacht Services who showed up on time with the right Yanmar parts. Great lunch at Bistro de Leon which happened to also be the release day for the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau – tasty. If you need meat/produce/basic groceries, walk about 3/4 mile across the Bridge of Lions to Stewart’s (on the South side of highway). Recommend this marina on location, facilities, and staff.
Pete & Mary Ann
s/v MicMac

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in St. Augustine. I think we’ll be going back. Dingy dock rates at the municipal marina up to $10/day. Rather expensive facility but very well run and clean. If we were going to spend a serious period of time there, I don’t think we could afford to use the dingy dock daily but it was worth it for a week. Used their facilities, laundry, lounge, etc. quite a bit.
One thing we learned, you should always set N and S anchors in St Augustine. Soft silty bottom that my 22lb Delta sliced right through. My Danforth held well there. I initially set only one anchor and our anchor rode fouled on our keel during the tidal changes. VERY strong tidal currents there. Ended up with the rode getting cut through and would have lost our ground tackle if not for some liveaboards who dove on our anchor and retrieved it for us. Visited Sailor’s Exchange (used boat equipment store) for new rode. They are awesome! Once we set 2 anchors, we were fine for the rest of the time there.
Jennifer Clendinen

Subject: St. Augustine anchoring.
Cruising News: The setting of two acnchors in St. Augustine is not only to improve on the holding it is also to reduce the amount of swing at tide change in this crowded achorage.
Bahamian Anchoring allows the boat to pivot at the terminus of the two rodes thus reducing the swing from, let\\\’s say, 400 feet to less than 100 feet for a forty footer.
Make sense?
Dennis Nichols

Subject: Grocery shopping
We found a small grocery near the Lightner Museum – The Market at Granda, 6 Granada St – 904-823-9704. This is an easy walk from the marina area, near the St. George street area. Two thumbs up!
Rick Emerson

We’re currently lying, in the south anchorage, to a single 35 lb. CQR with 3/8″ 3B chain. Our boat, a Baba 35, draws 6′ and has a modified full keel. So far we’ve had little difficulty with our ground tackle after several tide and wind changes. We do ride somewhat oddly with wind against current, but this is no different than other anchorages, in SC, GA, and FL, where the same situation has occurred. While dinghying through the anchorage, most boats are riding to a single anchor, with few exceptions.
Granted $10/day for a dinghy sticker is a little spendy, the facilities ashore are a plus, to say nothing of the city itself. Given there are no real alternatives to speak of, so it goes.
Rick Emerson

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For St. Augustine City Northern Anchorage

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For St.Augustine City Southern Anchorage

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For St. Augustine City Marina

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor

It’s always a very good thing to find a reliable boat repair yard. Fair Winds sounds like a really good choice!

Subject: Inflatable Boat Repairs St Augustine
Cruising News: We had cause to use the services of Fair Winds Boat Repairs LLC while in St Augustine this week. The owner, Arnis Zvirbulis, was very accomodating and professional. The repair, a 5 inch cut in the bow of our 11′ rib, was repaired professionally. Arnis came to the marina we were staying at, Oyster Creek, pulled the dink on his trailer. He took it to his shop and repaired it and returned it in less than 24 hours. The price was very fair. His office/cell numbers are 904-825-4692/904-669-6045. His shop is at 134 Riberia Street #7, St Augustine.
Ed Grygent

We had Arnis do a major rebuild on our inflatable and were very pleased. He is highly recommended.
FSMike

Of course, with winds this high, boats in most marinas would be whipped around a bit. Be sure to take a look at the video, linked below. It makes for interesting viewing!

Here we are at the municipal marina. The core of the NEer is right over us this AM.  Winds 30-35 knots steady. It will blow for another day more.
I tool this video of the boats on the north side of the marina – bucking in the surge coming in from the inlet. The floating docks really break the surge so the south side in much better.  The boats in
the anchorage are doing much better than those at the dock.
Here is a youtube video of a poor sailboat bucking in the surge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY5Pwr_c7E4
Greg and Susan Han
Allegria

Subject: Nor’easter in St. Augustine
Cruising News: The boat to the right in the video posted by Greg and Susan Han is our boat, the Ellen B.  Our first night here was really tough… even snapped a line.  Then the winds shifted to the east and it has been much calmer.  That first night the winds were coming NNE.  This has been a very damp visit to St. Augustine!
Ellen

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For St. Augustine City Marina

St. Augustine City Marina is located in the heart of the city’s historic district. It is not as well protected as Cammachee Cove (just north of St. Augustine Inlet – A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR), but it looks like Ben and Barbara had a good visit here!

The marina was quite nice.? The daily rate was $1.75 pf.?+ 6.00 for 30 amp.? The cable TV hookup did not work, but everything else was fine.? We had VERY noisy boaters next to us until after midnight, but they finally quited down (passed out) and all was well.? The facility was right in the middle of everything.? Just a short walk to several restaurants and tours, etc.? We did go to Caps Restaurant by boat to meet friends and family and tied up to their dock.? Don’t let the looks of this place fool you. The food was excellent.? Our friends had a dog (on leash) and they allowed us to sit at a special section on the outside patio.? We highly recommend this place.
Ben and Barbara Falmlen
Two Cats Too

Subject: St Augustine Municipal Marina
Message: I’ll second Ben and Barbara. SAMM is great, and our cable works fine. Everyone is very supportive, including putting us in touch with a mechanic on Sunday who appeared Monday and took care of our problem. Also, best shower we’ve had in a long time. Can’t imagine not staying here if you want to be in the city.
Eric & Leeanne

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For St. Augustine City Marina