I am about to be relocated from Los Angeles, CA to Jacksonville, Fl. I have a '93 Hunter 23.5 swing keel on a trailer and sail within the Channel Island chain in Southern California. Nothing too rough, 1 to 4 foot seas with winds in the 10 to 20 knot range. Anybody out there have any idea what the sailing conditions are like around Jax,FL? Atlantic conditions? Any response will help as I am trying to decide if I should tow the boat across country or sell it here. Thanks for your help
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Jim Rushing
Go East Young Man
I have a friend who has a Hunter 380 there and he loves it. All of the sailboats are on the St John river which runs north south. All the boats are in fresh water except when you go out to sea. You will find lots of marinas and sailboats there.
I have a friend who has a Hunter 380 there and he loves it. All of the sailboats are on the St John river which runs north south. All the boats are in fresh water except when you go out to sea. You will find lots of marinas and sailboats there.
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Joe Boyette
One of the best areas to sail!
...but I live here and am biased. The St. Johns river is up to 3 miles wide, has several tributaries and lakes, and connects with the intra-coastal waterway. The river can get choppy sometimes. Best sailing is with the afternoon seabreeze which allows for reaching up and down the river. The river is tidal and brackish for quite a way upstream from Jacksonville. There are some river races run at various times during the year. The Atlantic is fun but is a couple of hours by boat from downtown. The area south and upstream from Jax is the main river sailing area. Launching ramps are free for the most part. In-water dockage can run $3-$6 per foot monthly. Email me if you have any questions...
...but I live here and am biased. The St. Johns river is up to 3 miles wide, has several tributaries and lakes, and connects with the intra-coastal waterway. The river can get choppy sometimes. Best sailing is with the afternoon seabreeze which allows for reaching up and down the river. The river is tidal and brackish for quite a way upstream from Jacksonville. There are some river races run at various times during the year. The Atlantic is fun but is a couple of hours by boat from downtown. The area south and upstream from Jax is the main river sailing area. Launching ramps are free for the most part. In-water dockage can run $3-$6 per foot monthly. Email me if you have any questions...
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David
I agree with Joe
We have an '82 H22 that we keep on the St. Johns in an area called Mandarin. Super place, I can leave my house and have sails up in less than 30 minutes, only about 5 of those are under motor. I think we pay $5.25 a foot. I'm still a bit of a novice, so if you get out here and want to show me how to really sail a boat, drop me an e-mail. (okay, just above novice my wife says.....) David "sea monkeys"
We have an '82 H22 that we keep on the St. Johns in an area called Mandarin. Super place, I can leave my house and have sails up in less than 30 minutes, only about 5 of those are under motor. I think we pay $5.25 a foot. I'm still a bit of a novice, so if you get out here and want to show me how to really sail a boat, drop me an e-mail. (okay, just above novice my wife says.....) David "sea monkeys"
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John aka Katy
THANKS FOR THE INFO
I thank all of you for your input. My email address is LaserSib@aol.com. As long as I've found a few people from Jax, perhaps you will be kind enough to stear me to the 'right' communities to look for a house. Again any input would be appreciated. n David, as for my sailing abilities, I can get the sails up, out of the harbor, and hit mark on the GPS to get back again so I am in the same class! See you on St John's!!
I thank all of you for your input. My email address is LaserSib@aol.com. As long as I've found a few people from Jax, perhaps you will be kind enough to stear me to the 'right' communities to look for a house. Again any input would be appreciated. n David, as for my sailing abilities, I can get the sails up, out of the harbor, and hit mark on the GPS to get back again so I am in the same class! See you on St John's!!
Notheast Florida has lots more to offer
Florid'a east coast has a lot to offer, more so because you have a trailerable boat. The Mug Race is run every year on the St Johns River from Palatka back up to Jacksonville. Most people trailer to palatka and race back, the diehards sail both ways. You can cruise up the St Johns all the way to Sanford (two to three days) and there are many interesting places along the way (including large springs with manatees, very popular with the snorkelers and scuba divers). Going the other way there's Mayport, where the St Johns flows into the Atlantic. St Augustine is six hours to eight hours south by boat, either by the ICW or out in the Atlantic. It's less than an hour by road, if yo prefer to trailer your boat. You can also go north on the ICW to Fernandina Beach. Trailering further south will take you to the Indian River, which is a broad lagoon nearly a hundred miles long. This area includes the Kennedy Space Center. A boat is by far the best place to watch a space shuttle launch. If it's clear, you should be able to see them from Jacksonville too. I strongly recommend "Cruising Guide to Eastern Florida" by Claiborne Young. It's written primarily for powerboaters but the information applies equally to sailors. West Marine and BoatUS both carry it. Good luck, and if you ever get this far south, give me a holler. Peter H23 "Raven"
Florid'a east coast has a lot to offer, more so because you have a trailerable boat. The Mug Race is run every year on the St Johns River from Palatka back up to Jacksonville. Most people trailer to palatka and race back, the diehards sail both ways. You can cruise up the St Johns all the way to Sanford (two to three days) and there are many interesting places along the way (including large springs with manatees, very popular with the snorkelers and scuba divers). Going the other way there's Mayport, where the St Johns flows into the Atlantic. St Augustine is six hours to eight hours south by boat, either by the ICW or out in the Atlantic. It's less than an hour by road, if yo prefer to trailer your boat. You can also go north on the ICW to Fernandina Beach. Trailering further south will take you to the Indian River, which is a broad lagoon nearly a hundred miles long. This area includes the Kennedy Space Center. A boat is by far the best place to watch a space shuttle launch. If it's clear, you should be able to see them from Jacksonville too. I strongly recommend "Cruising Guide to Eastern Florida" by Claiborne Young. It's written primarily for powerboaters but the information applies equally to sailors. West Marine and BoatUS both carry it. Good luck, and if you ever get this far south, give me a holler. Peter H23 "Raven"
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