Beach Marine guards the Waterway’s eastern banks, immediately north of the new B. B. McCormick high-rise bridge.
We stopped at [Beach Marine] en route to Jacksonville and found the dock master, Bryan Reid, to be exceptionally helpful. He went out of his way to provide useful information regarding local boating conditions as well as for the St. John’s River. Maureen Mezei
Mmmmmm! Fernandina Beach has never been short of good dining possibilities, but this is one I have not heretofore tried. Will make up for that oversight ASAP, as should all cruisers!
Arte’s Pizza [109 N 3rd St, 904-277-1515]. A block or so north of the main street. Not your normal pizza place, but much more. Food was good. Moonstruck
AC Power Plus is located on E. Hillsboro Blvd in Deerfield Beach, just west of the Waterway between Boca Raton and Hillsboro Beach.
Claiborne: I hope this finds you personally well. I had occasion to receive exceptional service from a contractor, and wanted to pass it on. Nightingale is equipped with a Mastervolt Whisper 3.5 genset. Two weeks ago, the “eel grass” in Biscayne Bay plugged the cooling system. We shut down the genset diesel, but have apparently “fried” the oil temp sensor — it will start, then shut down in 10 seconds showing an oil temp failure. In the last 6 months, Mastervolt and Whisper have parted company. A good company (AER/Seabrook) has formed Whisper US but it is early days and their parts supply is still a bit spotty. Whisper US recommended us to AC Power Plus in Deerfield Beach. Our service rep, Ron Betts 954 421-2500 x344 called back in 4 hours — his parts guys found the part we needed. They will have them to us within 2 days. I will install (aka screw in) the new sensor. If the genset still malfunctions, we will go to AC Power Plus for professional service. These people jumped though the hoop. They worried about customer service. I was hoping to pass on the compliment. Their full portfolio can be seen at http://www.acpowerplus.com. Please pass this on to the net. Thanks very much, Stephen Deitch S/V Nightingale
Those who cruise the full length of the St. Johns River, or at least the portion that has depths and widths appropriate for cruising size craft, will eventually end up at the city of Sanford, Florida, perched on the shores of Lake Monroe. Many cruisers who visit here berth at Monroe Harbour Marina, and, if you do, the downtown business district lies within easy walking distance. Below, Captain Mike Rizzo gives us a good recommendation on where to satisfy a healthy appetite here.
While staying at Sanford you may want to try the Willow Tree restaurant, a great German place and on some evenings it can get a bit festive with a band. Enjoy, Mike Rizzo
I concur! I live in Jax and anytime I find myself down that way, I got to The Willow Tree. Great food, live German music and a great place for a stroll afterwards. Jim DeVine
The SSECN published a recent article about the free city dock at the charming St. Johns River village of Welaka, Florida, south of Palatka (see /?p=108289). Now, in the note below, Captain Mike Rizzo seconds the recommendation for dining at Cafe Bleu, apparently within easy walking distance of the town berths.
Welaka has a town dock that you can tie to and there is a great little cafe for lunch and dinner called Cafe Blue. Everything is freshly made even the bread. Mike Rizzo
The Fort Pierce iteration of Harbortown Marina sits at the entrance to Taylor Creek, north of the Fort Pierce City Marina.
We have been at Harbortown since early December and have loved it. The staff is always friendly, helpful and accomodating. The facilities are nice, clean and are being constantly maintained. The new bathrooms and laundry facilities are very nice. The work area at the pavillion has been very helpful. The monthly potlucks encourage socializing and gatherings on the dock are common. Harbortown is a great community. Jeff and Brenda
Captain Burnham refers to his earlier posting on Gibson Dry Dock, /?p=68591, and provides insight into the financial state of boat repair/storage yards during this time of economic downturn.
Thank you for allowing me to post on your excellent web service site. I kept my comments about Gibson Dry Dock brief in order to keep from posting an advertisement. Tom Kight is a good friend I often crew with but the depression is hitting his boat storage yard especially hard this year with fewer Canadians coming down to store their boats for the summer in his Dry Dock. The Florida residents are also feeling the economic pinch and too often are giving up their boat titles for the storage fees they owe. This does not benefit the Dry Dock as these boats are often neglected and bring very little money at auction. The sad effect is that now the Dry Dock has to be selective as to the condition of the boats that are hauled out of the water lest they become the property of the Dry Dock. It is becoming common that an owner will have their boat hauled out, strip it of its engine and valuable parts and abandons the hulk. I have no doubt that this happens at other boat storage facilities also. Gibson Dry Dock also has the problem of being south of the ill conceived 45 foot high clearance of the Shands Bridge at Green Cove Springs which limits the size of sailboats cruising south on the St Johns River. The boats that can make it under the Shands Bridge barrier are enthuiastic about finding Gibson’s and spead the word about what a great place this is to keep your boat and get it ready to sail again. David Burnham
Many AICW cruising veterans stop year after year in Titusville, just to sample the bill of fare at Dixie Crossroads Restaurant. It doesn’t hurt to mention them anew, however. So, if you have never satisfied a healthy appetite here, do you and your taste buds a BIG favor, and remedy that oversight SOON! Many will find this dining attraction to be an easy walk from SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Westland Marina, or the city docks.
Dixie Crossroads, Titusville, FL – Excellent seafood; about a mile from the Titusville Municipal Marina on US-1; taxi, or arrange a ride locally. Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary
A1A Ale House is located directly across the street from the St. Augustine City Marina. I’ve not dined (or imbibed) here in several years, but after reading the reviews below, that has clearly been a gross oversight on my part. May you be wiser and more fortunate!
Give the A1A ale house a try they have very good food and some fantastic home brews. It’s located directly across the street from the St Augustine marinia. SweetPea
A1A Ale House, St. Augustine, FL – Across the street from the Municipal Marina; excellent Brew Pub fare. Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary
North Palm Beach Marina – A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! – lies on the southwestern banks of the ICW shortly after you pass under the restricted North Palm Beach/Parker bridge. Last weekend, we received a report from Captain Young that she had been overcharged for overnight dockage at North Palm Beach Marina. We passed these comments along to the management here, and within 24 hours, they were in touch with Captain Claudia, and a refund had been issued. Now, that’s what I call GOOD customer service. Mistakes can and do happen to all of us (I made a mistake just last year). The real mark of a quality operation is how well and how swiftly oversights are handled when they do happen. North Palm Beach Marina has passed that test with proverbial flying colors in our book!
Spent the night on 3/13/13. Good place to stop for transients. They had some computer issues and the final bill turned out to be wrong. We were slightly overcharged. Chris, the marina manager got in touch with us the day after and refunded the difference. We will be back. Claudia Young
Mariner’s Cay Marina is located on the western shores of Manatee Pocket, near its northerly entrance. The recently dredged entrance to the pocket itself lies just west of the AICW/Okeechobee Waterway/St. Lucie River/St. Lucie Inlet intersection, known locally as “the crossroads.” In addition to Mariner’s Cay (see below), there are a host of of other marinas and repair facilities along the shores of Manatee Pocket. Captain DeFoor gives some GOOD ideas below about shoreside dining attractions, within walking distance of all the pocket marinas.
Unfortunately, Finz Restaurant has closed. We miss their great pear salad with the home made vanilla bean dressing. There is a new restaurant there now (can’t remember the name). Also about a block away is the [King] Neptune (772-287-9630) which has great food but small (a local hangout for sure). Try their grouper Rubin. Across the street from there on the Pocket inlet is Manatee Island [Bar and Grill (772-872-7176). Have had good food there also. Down the street (A1A) to the left is the Whistle Stop (772-220-1020). Very good food. I personally suggest the Philly CheeseSteak. Fred DeFoor
I’ve often said, but it’s worth repeating, recommendations by fellow cruisers of good service personnel, are worth their weight in GOLD. Here is a good one for the greater Miami region.
Early on we crossed paths with Ivy and Bob Neubauer on Karma. They are just about done and on the last leg to crossing their wake in Cocoanut Grove, Miami, FL. Very nice and friendly people. Bob has come to our assistance a number of times with mechanical issues that were scary puzzlements to we rusty boaters and novice loopers. Bob is an expert boat mechanic with a very wide range of talents – engine, transmission, electrical, electronic, water, leaks, unidentifiable things, etc. Also, he is neat and leaves behind a clean boat. He runs a marine service and salvage company in Miami called Odd Job Marine (305 331 1670). One of his specialties is refitting large boats but he works for we small boat types also. We recommend him highly and will be getting a list of work done by him in Miami when we get there in a couple of weeks or whenever – depending on the weather. Marcia and Russ Barron Paper Moon Grand Banks 42 MY
Here’s a very quick look at SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, New Smyrna Beach City Marina. Brief as they are, Captain Peter’s words are right on the mark!
New Smyrna Beach municipal marina is very reasonable. Great town to visit. Peter
Huge Halifax Harbor is certainly “the” place to coil your lines in Daytona Beach. Its two dockage basins are well sheltered, and the staff’s performance, in our experience, has always been exemplary. If you want something a little quieter, with superb on-site dining, you might also consider SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Adventure Yacht Harbor, a touch farther to the south at Statute Mile 837.
Daytona Beach Municipal, Halifax Harbor, is a great place to stay. Fixed piers are more inexpensive, floating piers very nice. A well maintained facility it has 24 hr security, it is one block from Downtown with about 4 or 5 blocks of businesses, restaurants, city library, post office, 1 mi walk from the beach, easy access to the bus, and airport (2.5 mi). It’s a well protected harbor. Roman Donald
Brunswick Corporation manufactures a number of brands including Hatteras, SeaRay and Boston Whaler, as well as Mercury outboard engines. For the full story of this closure, excerpted from Boating Industry.com, see the link below.
Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) announced today that it will consolidate its yacht and motor yacht production at its Palm Coast, Fla., manufacturing plant. As a result, Brunswick will suspend manufacturing at its Sykes Creek boat manufacturing facility in nearby Merritt Island, Fla., at the end of June. The Brunswick Boat Group’s (BBG) Product Development and Engineering center, located adjacent to the Sykes Creek plant, will remain in operation. In addition, BBG will continue to utilize the existing customer reception facilities, sales and customer service offices, and wet slips located on the Merritt Island campus.
If we get many more laudatory reviews here at the SSECN concerning Marineland Marina (A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR), we may have to create a separate web site for this facility. Just kidding – seriously fellow cruisers, it is obvious that you simply cannot do better than coil your lines here for a few nights, or even longer!
As you start north this spring, consider a stop here and a visit to Marineland across the street. Stay 3 days and get complimentory pass to Marineland. Kelly and Erick are great, and they love us loopers. Marinland is now owned by the Georgia Aquarium, and money has been put in to bring this “first in the world marine park” back to first class status. One of our best stops EVER. Chuck Gorgen ODYSSEE
I couldn’t agree more. Our boat is spending a few months there until the Spring when we return to cruise the Keys. Marineland Marina is definitely a great place to stay. Katie Hamilton
Lambs Yacht Center is the most upstream facility on the Ortega River. This stream intersects the St. Johns, immediately above downtown Jacksonville. Do note that your vessel must be able to pass under a 45-foot fixed bridge in order to access Lambs.
We kept our boat at Lamb’s Yacht Center on the Ortega river off the St. Johns just south of downtown Jacksonville. This is a well protected area and offers concrete covered storage and a very attentive dockmaster who lives on his boat there. We arrived in 2005 after the hurricanes of ’04 and after talking with other boaters decided that it was about the best protected in-water location we could find. Paul Brannon
Many a sailor has exhausted their stock of four and five letter words while shaking their fists at the 45-foot, fixed Shands Bridge. This loathsome span crosses the St. Johns River, upstream of Jacksonville, hard by the village of Green Cove Springs, Florida. If you can’t fit under, then you will have to miss some of the best cruising and anchorages on this wonderful river!
The Bridge just south of Green Cove Springs is 45′ fixed so you are stopped there. The Water is still brackish (some hard growth still occurs) at Green Cove Springs which has a major marina Reynolds Park with dry storage, work areas and very large lift capability. This was the Navy’s old hurricane hole for ships so some of the piers are ship type piers. The river’s salinity depends on rainfall. Jacksonville does have a nice international airport albeit a not a hub it has access to all major hubs. Joe M/V “Carolyn Ann”
The following is an excerpt from an article by Douglas Jordan published February 21st in the St. Augustine Record. For the full story see the link below.
The breakwater project at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina just south of the Bridge of Lions is finally under way. A breakwater is a structure designed to mitigate waves. The St. Augustine Municipal Marina is getting one to shield its docks from big waves resulting from storms, said Harbormaster Sam Adukiewicz. The project will cost about $2.4 million. `The city has had a plan for a breakwater since long before I was hired, and the funds were finally allocated this year,’ Adukiewicz said. `Almost every year, the marina has gotten a good amount of storm damage. So, we’re excited that we’re finally getting a little extra protection from the forces of nature.’ Jim Piggott, director of general services for the City of St. Augustine, said the plan has been in the works for at least six years, and the money for the current project came from an allocation for the marina out of an $18 million city bond put into effect 18 months ago. Piggott said the breakwater will eventually pay for itself in the savings it provides by preventing major damage to the facility. By Douglas Jordan Special to The Record
And, these informative photos just received 3/9/13 from Captains Glen and Jill Moore:
Claiborne, Noted a post on SSECN about the breakwater construction in St. Augustine. Since we were downtown today, I wrangled a couple photos for you. Hope they help you and your readers “see” how the construction is progressing. The aerial photo was a bit tough to get for one traveling by boat. Glen and Jill Moore DeFever 40 Last Dance
The Blackwater Inn has been one of my very favorite pieces of old Florida dining for many, many years. now. This restaurant, which has its one dinghy dockage, flanks the St. John’s western banks, immediately south of the Astor Bridge. If you are cruising the upper St. Johns, don’t dare miss a meal here!
On the way back up to JAcksonville we anchored in Astor and took the dinghy to eat at Blackwater Inn a great old time Florida restaurant. Joy Poole
Be the first to comment!