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

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

Rivers Edge (formerly Oyster Creek Marina), St Augustine: Not high end but comfortable and well protected from wakes with a nice cruising community and walking distance to downtown and to shopping.
Mike & Tammy
Valhalla II