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Please Note That Postings Below From Fellow Cruisers Are Listed in Chronological Order, Based on Publication Date
Yellow Background Denotes Navigation Alert Postings
FLORIDA – ST. JOHNS RIVER: Hazard to navigation
The Captain of the Port Jacksonville, Florida, wishes to inform mariners of a submerged object in the St Johns River at approximate position 30-21-57.2N / 081-37-23.8W (30°21.9533N / 081°37.3967W, 30.365889 / -81.623278) . Mariners are advised to use extreme caution when transiting this area.
Mosquito Lagoon Daybeacon 10 destroyed, temp onsite
Stop in and give a big Welcome to one of our newest Sponsors! Only a mile or so upstream from downtown Jacksonville, Ortega Landing Marina, now A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is the first facility on your starboard as you enter the Ortega River from the St. Johns. Our thanks to Dave and Nan Fuller for these kind words as posted on AGLCA’s Forum.
We kept our boat for about 18 months at Ortega Landing. We loved both the marina with very nearby conveniences, and Jacksonville itself. It is just past downtown Jacksonville off the St. John’s river about 20 miles or so from the coast on the Ortega River. Tides here are about 18 inches and brackish water. Ortega Landing has floating concrete docks, great amenities, pump outs in slips, and lots of things you want just 3 to 4 blocks away including a Publix, West Marine, several restaurants, and other conveniences. There are several very good repair facilities within a half mile on the river. The only thing missing is covered slips and those are available about 1/4 mile away. Hard to beat this marina and pricing is competitive for this part of Florida.
Dave & Nan Ellen Fuller
WACI 3
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Ortega Landing Marina
Trout Creek Marina is on the eastern shore of the St. Johns River just south of Green Cove Springs. It is a lovely sheltered spot, but, unfortunately, access is limited to smaller boats by a 17ft fixed bridge between the marina and the river. Our thanks to Bruce Hildreth for this price update.
Non-ethanol gasoline price yesterday was $3.17/gal. [$3.17 89 octane and $2.55 87 octane]
Located eastern shore. Small tidy marina. Easy access for smaller boats-up to 50ft.
Bruce Hildreth
Click Here To View the Cruisers Net St. Johns River Marina Directory Listing For Trout Creek Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Trout Creek Marina
www.facebook.com
For our tall-masted friends thinking of exploring the upper St. Johns River, Bruce Phaup kindly reminds us that the Shands Bridge with a fixed vertical clearance of 45ft connects Red Bay and Smith Points just south of Green Cove Springs. Funds have been approved for the replacement of Shands Bridge by the Florida Legislature, see links below. The bridge portion of the project is scheduled for completion in 2030.
The Shands Bridge, just south of Green Cove Springs, has a clearance of 45 feet. The Shands Bridge is the controlling height for the entire navigable extent of the St. John’s River, extending south to Sanford, Florida.
Bruce Phaup
Current Shands Bridge
Click here for Renderings of the new Shands Bridge
Click here for State funds $763M to replace Shands Bridge, extend beltway
Stop in and give a big Welcome to one of our newest Sponsors! Only a mile or so upstream from downtown Jacksonville, Ortega Landing Marina, now A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is the first facility on your starboard as you enter the Ortega River from the St. Johns.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Ortega Landing Marina
Our thanks to Looper Dave Fuller for allowing us to share his excellent report on the AICW/St. Johns River Intersection as posted on AGLCA’s Forum.
As others have reported, this area has been dredged and a new channel was cut for safe passage. The problem is that the old legacy markers G5, G7, and R6 are still on station and the Coast Guard has not updated their charts to show placement of the new ICW markers G7 and G5. The charts do show the new channel however.
A survey was taken back in November 2018 that shows the shoaling area very well. See pic below labeled “1 Survey”. Note that the individual who posted the survey to the Waterway Guide Nav Alert also took a path similar to Alex, south and west of the shoaling area. Obviously you can be successful this way, but this is not the new channel. Also note in the pic that old G7 and R6 do a great job of marking the south side of shoal while G5 marks the north side of shoal. Using these old markers will guarantee a grounding.
The new channel is EAST and North of the shoaling area. I personally have taken this route, EAST and North of the shoaling two times with no issues.
I found a pic in the Coast Guard Notice to Mariners that shows the new route as well as the placement of the new G7 and G5 markers. See pic labeled “2 Dredged Route” I added a red circle to mark the shoaling, circled the new G7 and G5 in green, and added a magenta line on top of the dredged route.
I also included a pic of my Navionics chart that I run on the I-Pad. Note pic “3 Navionics” it shows the new G7 and G5, well East and North of the shoaling.
We will go thru here again in two weeks and will update if we find any new info.
Suggestion: This is a good place to lay down a route line on your chart the night before and follow your route crumb line as you transverse the area.
Claudia & Dave Fuller aboard Still Waters II
1981 Viking 43′
1. Survey
2. Dredged Route
3. Navionics
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of AICW/St. Johns Intersection
Among our readers there must be several who are experienced in cruising the AICW in a vessel this size. If so, please let us hear from you. Maybe Chief Officer Perks will take you along as Pilot!
Good morning,
I am currently trying to find any information I can about cruising in Northern Florida. We are a 151ft vessel with a 8ft draft. We would like to cruise the Jacksonville, St Augustine and Cape Canaveral areas. Is there anyone you recommend for me to talk with about the ICW routes and Marinas that could accommodate us?
Thanks in advance,
Andrew Perks
Chief Officer – Motor Yacht Time for Us
Hope you have good anchors. Just plan on staying near the inlets, any venture up or down the ICW from Jax or St Aug would be most difficult with your draft. Plenty of dockage for you in downtown Jax on the St Johns, but watch the currents since it rips thru downtown on the outgoing tide. Call ahead in St Aug for assistance with the inlet as it shoals as fast as they move the buoys. Port Canaveral is your best shot, no current, extremely safe inlet and once into the Indian River you will have deep ICW north and south for at least 20 miles, but no marinas outside Port Canaveral that will accommodate your size (both length and mass) pushing on their docks.
With an 8 foot draft , parts of the ICW can only be safely run at high tide. After leaving Haulover as you arrive at Daytona, do not take any of the side channels. Just before Matanzas, make sure you hug the GREEN side of the channel. Recommend taking bridge of lions at the start of an incoming tide. You will be pushed to the west side of the bridge during transit.
I’ve pushed 200’ barges on the route with a 7 foot draft so it’s doable with care
Stop in and say Welcome to one of our newest Sponsors! Only a mile or so upstream from downtown Jacksonville, Ortega Landing Marina, now A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is the first facility on your starboard as you enter the Ortega River from the St. Johns.
We’ve been to plenty of marinas in our cruising days but The Marina at Ortega Landing is something special. This place is tucked along the Ortega River in the historic district surrounded by old southern waterfront mansions and it’s about a mile from downtown Jacksonville with the skyline visible from your slip. The amenities, ski lodge style clubhouse with stone fireplace, spotless restroom facilities, and the boaters and staff in the office are wonderful and friendly. No one is a stranger at this place and you feel like family as soon as you tie off. Nice floating docks, gated access, great WiFi, free ice, incredible pool and spa, free bikes with saddle bags to ride to the grocery that is a couple blocks away, very pet friendly, fun boater events monthly, and the calm river setting is so quiet and upscale that it just feels good. No fuel, but there is fuel very close by. Pump out at the slip. We are always sad to leave, but look forward to our return! Oh…call ahead because their reputation of being a first class marina keeps their slips pretty full year round.
Captain Dog and the Admiral
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Ortega Landing Marina
There has been much recent discussion and questions on AGLCA Forum and Facebook about shoaling and markers on the Waterway channel immediately south of the St. Johns River. If you have navigated this passage in the past few weeks, let us hear from you regarding depths and buoy placements. Many thanks!
See Healy Report: Waterway/St Johns Intersection, AICW Statute Mile 740 for a 2017 report.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of AICW/St. Johns Intersection
The St Johns River is a very popular side trip for Waterway cruisers for good reason, especially this time of year. Capn Parky is an experienced cruiser and frequent contributor to Cruisers Net; you can trust his observations. If we can get him to reveal, I will add the name of the best ever marina!
After 10 years cruising the ICW. I finally decided to explore the St Johns River. It’s absolutely delightful.
Many sailors believe it to be full of shallows, nasty turns and poor markers. None of this is true. Channel water depth is 7 ft minimum and often much deeper. There are essential things to do which I would happily tell any boater if they contact me at capnparky2017@outlook.com
I believe I have found the best marina I ever visited. First Class amenities, floating slips. No barnacles (fresh water), spotless showers, Captains Lounge, on site reasonably priced restaurant, super friendly to liveaboards , the ships store even has an ATM machine. Above all – low slip costs. I’ve signed up for a year! 😊
Hope you are well
Best Wishes
Arnold Parkinson
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of AICW/St. Johns Intersection
It’s a fascinating cruise of some 140 nautical miles from the St. Johns River’s inlet at Mayport, to the city of Sanford on Lake Monroe. And here, cruisers will discover Monroe Harbour Marina, a long-time, cruiser friendly spot!
The safest place I can think of is almost anywhere on the St. Johns river. Monroe Harbour marina is one that I like. It is located in Sanford, which is about 20 miles from Orlando.
Dick
M/V “Ladyhawke”
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Monroe Harbour Marina
This week a reader, Jim Tracey, brought up an interesting topic of discussion: is the upstream portion of the St. Johns River, which flows south to north, properly called Lower St. Johns, due to its southern location or Upper St. Johns, due to being upstream of the mouth in northern Florida?
If you have cruised or are planning to cruise the St. Johns, and especially if you are a Floridian, we would invite you to weigh in on this “north versus south” topic. Keep it civil please!
CLICK HERE FOR:
Cruising the Upper St. Johns River – Palatka to Sanford (Lake Monroe) by Claiborne Young, February, 2013
Lower St Johns typically means that area north of the fixed bridge at Palatka which restricts most sailboats. Upper St Johns is the segment from Palatka south to the head of navigation just east of Sanford.
I believe upriver and down river should only be used. Less confusing. The Shands bridge at Green Cove Spring has 45′ clearance while the Memorial bridge at Palaka has 65′ clearance.
Excellent suggestion. How completely understandable. Thanks Sean.
Our thanks to Norman Mason for this survey of available sources of diesel fuel on the St. Johns River upstream of Jacksonville, FL.
There is no diesel fuel available south [upstream] of Doctor’s Lake Marina on the St. John’s River, including at Monroe Bay Marina in Sanford. Waterway Guide’s 2018 Southern edition shows it available at several places.
Trout Creek Marina near Palatka is accessible if you can get under a 17 foot fixed bridge. This is the listed height on the NOAA chart, however some resources say the clearance is 14 feet. This marina told us their credit card machine was not working and they would only accept cash.
We did not check with Mandarin Holiday Marina, but it is just across the river from Doctor’s Lake.
Georgetown Marina, at the north end of Lake George, told us their diesel system was destroyed by the hurricane. Not sure which one, but no indication it would change.
St. John’s Marina South, north of Hontoon Island, told us their diesel pump was not working, with no indication it was going to be fixed anytime soon.
Sanford Boat Works, which is south of Sanford, may have it available, but there was no answer when trying to contact them on a Saturday. Access to this facility is questionable for deeper draft cruising boats, according to several we talked to.
Anyone cruising the St. John’s should know this, and be sure to fill at Doctor’s Lake Marina, before heading farther south.
Norman Mason
Peggy Sue, Monk 36
California, MD
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Doctors Lake
If anyone is planning on going south on the St.John’s river as far as Sanford and will require diesel to return, you can call the Monroe Harbour Marina in Sanford (407) 322-2910 in advance, they will call for a fuel truck to be there at their fuel dock. I was on a 57′ Hatteras last week that filled up for a trip to Panama City. The marina called Gentry’s fuel in Deland the day before and we met the truck at the fuel dock at 9:30 in the morning. Several years ago I was buying diesel from Sanford Boat Works at the east end of Lake Monroe in Sanford, and also at the Georgetown Marina at the north end of Lake George, but I don’t know if either of them is still selling diesel. Also, Pier 44 in Deland used to have diesel but I never bought any from them. It might be worth a phone call if you really would like to cruise the southern part of the St. John’s as you’ll find that from Palatka south is the prettiest part of the river.
Cruisers Net shows that Sanford Boat Works is still reporting diesel fuel prices as of April 2018. Vessels going up river may want to call them for latest availability.
Renegades, an upscale RV campground and marina is said to have diesel. Renegades is located on the east side if the river south of Welaka and north of Georgetown near Fruitland.
Cruisers’ Net is always glad to hear from experienced cruiser David Burnham, a true Cruiser Helping Cruisers and we look forward to the next log page of his current cruise. Be assured that David’s observations and advice can be trusted and passed along to your cruising colleagues. See Closures Ahead for the latest LNM on the FEC RR bridge in Jacksonville.
I took a sailboat from Palatka, Florida (on the St. Johns River) around through Jacksonville and down to Saint Augustine today. Apart from the FEC railroad bridge problems in downtown Jacksonville, I have a few other items that may interest cruisers.
In Green Cove Springs, Florida, the public dock has reopened and there is electricity available. However, the telephone contact number at the city office is no longer posted at the dock. I tied up our sailboat overnight and left again in the morning without any contact from the city.
At the downtown “Jacksonville Landing”, only the downtown shuttle ferry is making a landing as the signs that the “dock is under repair and no docking is permitted” are still in place and there is no sign of any work in progress.
This will make it a bit difficult for cruisers who arrive to find that the FEC railroad bridge is closed until the 18th of March.
Heading south from Jacksonville on the AICW, green floating marker #7 is found just after turning south into the AICW from the St Johns River. However, it seems to have floated out of position as it was sighted a little outside, and on the wrong side, of the channel and to the southeast of red markers #6 and #8. Southbound Cruisers should not try to leave green #7 to port until it is returned to its proper position on the northeast side of the channel. Northbound cruisers should be able to see that green #7 is not on the correct side of the channel as they approach the St. Johns River crossing.
Further south on the AICW near the St. Augustine Airport, green marker #41 is normally a lighted mark, but it was not lit after dark when I passed it today.
David Burnham
See also EF Local Notices to Mariners for other navigation issues
This should be included in one of your frequent briefings.
There is no diesel fuel available south of Doctor’s Lake Marina on the St. John’s River, including at Monroe Bay Marina in Sanford. Waterway Guide’s 2018 Southern edition shows it available at several places.
Trout Creek Marina near Palatka is accessible if you can get under a 17 foot fixed bridge. This is the listed height on the NOAA chart, however some resources say the clearance is 14 feet. This marina told us their credit card machine was not working and they would only accept cash.
We did not check with Mandarin Holiday Marina, but it is just across the river from Doctor’s Lake.
Georgetown Marina, at the north end of Lake George, told us their diesel system was destroyed by the hurricane. Not sure which one, but no indication it would change.
St. John’s Marina South, north of Hontoon Island, told us their diesel pump was not working, with no indication it was going to be fixed anytime soon.
Sanford Boat Works, which is south of Sanford, nay have it available, but there was no answer when trying to contact them on a Saturday. Access to this facility is questionable for deeper draft cruising boats, according to several we talked to.
Anyone cruising the St. John’s should know this, and be sure to fill at Doctor’s Lake Marina, before heading farther south.
Norman Mason
Peggy Sue, Monk 36
California, MD
The Waterway crosses the St Johns River west of Mayport, FL at Mile 740. Our continued thanks to Peg and Jim Healy for sharing their observations and advice. The Healys are dating themselves and showing their sense of humor with the reference to Will Robinson.
Sanctuary and Crew spent the night last night on the docks at Jim King Park, Sister’s Creek, north side of the St. John’s. We departed Southbound this morning, 11/2/2017, at 07h15, at first light.
ALERT, Will Robinson! ALERT!
The ICW on the south side of the St. John’s is Pablo Creek.We had been warned that the markers at the entrance of Pablo Creek had been relocated, so fortunately, I was on the lookout. Indeed, they have been significantly moved to the west of the old route; maybe 500 feet. Moved west to the point that many versions of charts of the area are undoubtedly wrong! My Garmin chart plotter had me transiting several shoal islands. Be alert with Garmin BCM on hand held iDevices. Following is a screen shot of what is there now. THE BLACK LINE IS THE CURRENT ROUTE. The red track lines are previous transits, showing the OLD ROUTE. In the low light of an early dawn, this could be quite a surprise for the unsuspecting…
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, currently at Rock Creek, Pasadena, MD
http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com
Monk 36 Hull #132
MMSI #367042570
AGLCA #3767
MTOA #3436
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of AICW/St. Johns Intersection
Our thanks to Thomas Dove for forwarding this Executive Order on navigation limits on the southern St. Johns River. No date given for the rescinding of this executive order.
Executive Order No Boat Traffic at Night
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Editors’ Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Coast Guard Flood Punt Teams rescued more than 100 people Monday in Jacksonville.
The Coast Guard has deployed assets and resources from across the country to assist in rescue operations for Hurricane Irma.
Coast Guard Flood Punt Team from Marine Safety Unit Paducah, Kentucky, saved 91 lives and 41 pets.
Coast Guard Flood Punt Team from Marine Safety Unit Huntington, West Virginia, saved 18 lives, 5 pets and conducted 150 wellness checks.
Coast Guard Flood Punt Team from Marine Safety Unit Sector Lower Mississippi River, Tennessee saved 9 lives, a pet and conducted 900 wellness checks.
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