St Mary’s River, Florida/Georgia

[Hydro Therapy]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone on this forum lives and sails on the St Mary’s River. My son is in the Coast Guard and assigned to a Navy base on that river. My wife and I intend to move to that area sometime this upcoming year. Leaning more toward the Florida side of the river but not sure.

Internet search comes up with a handful of marinas near Fernandina beach, Fl. I don’t come up with much on the Georgia side of the river.

just wondering if anyone is familiar with the area and opinions on sailing the area, ease of ocean access, available marinas and anything else that may be important.

My son is newly assigned to the base. I helped him move a few months back but didn’t have time to explore the area. My wife and I are heading there in a few days and will check out the area better.

Thanks

 

[ggrizzard]

Google "Ortega River Marina" as a start. It's just south of downtown Jax.
It's a bit of a haul to the ocean.
Beach Marine is on the ICW south of the St Johns river in Jax.
Fernandina is about a 30 minutes south of the navy base in St Marys.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

St Mary's River is about 30 miles north of the St John's. Been a long time since I've been to Fernandina but there was a pretty nice marina in the town of St Mary's. Cumberland Island is a pretty nice visit. You can anchor off and go ashore. Lots of wildlife.

Have fun- it's a nice area

 

[Ed Caldwell]

I have visited landside in the area twice and cruised that area once. Fernandina Beach is the town at the north end of Amelia Island and is the northernmost point on the Florida east coast. Pretty "old Florida" architecture in the downtown area, and some expensive resorts further south. in between we saw lots of residential areas. Very nice Atlantic side beaches.

St. Mary's is a town on the St. Mary's River, with a small working waterfront, and quite a few older homes. However, due to the river/creek/marsh geography in that area, getting between Fernandina and St. Mary's is quicker by water. And if you are lucky enough to be on the water when the big boomer subs transit in or out from King's Bay Navy Base, it's quite a sight. The Georgia coastal barrier islands are relatively undeveloped, including Cumberland Island off St. Mary's, which is a national park.


I agree Ortega River Landing Marina is a great place to stay, though it's a day's motor out to the Atlantic, but the St. John's River has some day sailing options for smaller boats. Some of the best amenities I have ever seen at a marina. It's probably an hour and a half south of King's Bay if you take I-95 through Jacksonville. I remember marinas in downtown Jville, and further east down river, and I bet there are some on the ICW southbound.

North of King's Bay, the town of Brunswick is not too far, and Brunswick Landing Marina is a large well protected marina near downtown. I don't think there is too much other than swamp and marsh between St Mary's and Brunswick. Both of those inlets, are large and deep and not hard to navigate if you're looking to get out into the ocean.

 

[bawlmer]

So the big question is: Are you planning on sailing down? That is something I would like to eventually do someday.

 

[Hydro Therapy]

Thanks for the responses. I’m undecided weather to have my boat shipped or sail her. It’s a year off so I have a lot of ho work to do.