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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
“One and Only Anchorage” lies on the eastern shore of the Waterway, south of flashing green daybeacon 17, and just north of the San Pablo Bridge. It is considered the only safe anchorage in the Jacksonville Beach area, thus its unusual name. Our thanks to Greg Zarus for this excellent update.
10/27/2019 We anchored my my Catalina 36 here after several failed attempts to find good holding along the ICW for 7 mi further north. We surveyed the bottom in this area and found it more than sufficiently deep-30 ft in some areas and more than 12ft right up to shore. I believe there is room enough for 2 or 3 boats. Holding was strong as we pulled 3/4 throttle with the current to check.
Greg Zarus
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of One and Only Anchorage
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
This is good news for right whales. See Right Whale Migration and Right Whale Advisory. The photo below is of two adults and we hope to have a photo of the calves soon.
3 right whale calves spotted in Florida’s Atlantic waters
Fox 35 Orlando
Rare Right Whale Calf Spotted Off Florida’s Atlantic Coast
The Weather Channel
Palm Cove Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, lies south of unlighted daybeacon #31, off the western shores of the Waterway, in the heart of Jacksonville Beach.
Palm Cove Marina, Jacksonville, FL, continues to make investments in their operations to better serve the local and transient boaters. Palm Cove Marina is a full service marina with travel lift and with many unique amenities such as a pool, largest dry rack storage facility in the area, and outstanding wet slip accommodations, and the friendliest staff around. This past summer the bathroom, lounge and laundry facilities were completely refurbished. Palm Cove Marina now produces much of their own electric needs with the installation of 1,600 solar panels. Palm Cove Marina has a new dredge material area approved so they can continue to aggressively dredge. Palm Cove Marina dispenses diesel fuel and ethanol free gasoline at the lowest prices in Northeast Florida.
Boaters and cruisers thank you Palm Cove Marina for your customer care and support.
What an outstanding marine resource to the local boating and cruising community.
Well Done Palm Cove Marina!
Karen Farish
Office Manager
Palm Cove Marina
14603 Beach Blvd, Ste 100
Jacksonville, FL 32250
Office (904) 223-4757
Fax (904) 223-6601
Website: http://www.palmcovemarina.com
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8am-5pm
Dry Storage/Fuel/Docks:
Monday-Thursday 7AM-5:45PM
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 7AM-6:45PM
(Nov 5, 2018 – Mar 10, 2019 – 18 WEEKS OF WINTER HOURS)
DRY STORAGE/FUEL DOCK/DOCKMASTER & MARINA OFFICE
CLOSED ON THANKSGIVING DAY & CHRISTMAS DAY
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Palm Cove Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Palm Cove Marina
Click for Chartview
San Pablo/Atlantic Boulevard Bridge crosses the Waterway at Statute Mile 744.5. Having seen the currents here for myself, I can tell you that Captain Ising isn’t kidding nor relaying inaccurate data. The water movement can be fierce!
In recognition of that fact, we are establishing an SSECN Navigation Alert for these waters!
We just passed through on 16 Sep 2012 at what was likely max ebb and barely made 1.0 kts SOG. Our boat under full power will do about 6.2 kts, so I estimate the current can get as high as 5+ kts. It was scary with boats ahead and astern wondering if we were going to make it.
Duane Ising
In all of Jacksonville that bridge has the strongest current first only to the Main Street bridge on the Saint Johns river In downtown Jacksonville. The travel under this bridge must scrutinized according to the tides as it is a truly powerful funneling of water through a narrow gap. Water flow can exceed 6 knots.
Dave Bennett
My boat is at Harbortown Marina right there at Atlantic Blvd and the ICW, and yea, I can’t go anywhere when she’s running strong. The current is just as dangerous two miles north where the ICW crosses the St.John’s River, stay well away from the jetty and watch your sideways set action.
Keith Blankenship s/v Renasci
We came through this bridge about the 13th of Nov. 2012 and it was horrible !! Outgoing tide and we had all we could do get through ‘“ my guess is that we were doing no more than 1 ‘“ 1.5 knts; plus the turbulence approaching and under the bridge was like a washing machine. This is an extremely dangerous situation and most expecially when you some idiot approching from the opposite direction with the current, can obviously see that you are having a major control problem and continues to enter the bridge.
Pat Kenefick
If you go to the http://www.deepzoom.com website you can easily see that the Atlantic Avenue Bridge has the strongest daily currents on the entire US East Coast. Use caution and timing and enjoy the push, but wait out the adverse current if you cannot maintain over 7 kts…:D
I sent an email to Deep Zoom to ask if they no longer support the AICW…hmmm
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
CURFEWS IMPOSED ACROSS NORTHEAST FLORIDA
Jacksonville, FL – Curfews have been imposed in many parts of Northeast Florida because of Hurricane Irma.
The curfew for Jacksonville’s beaches started Saturday night at 10PM and continued through 6AM Sunday. That will continue until further notice. Alcohol sales have also been prohibited until further notice.
David and Jaculeyn continue sharing the log of Elske via their delightful blog, The Voyage of Elske on America’s Great Loop. Today’s page recounts their visit to Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville Beach. Palm Cove Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, lies south of unlighted daybeacon #31, off the western shores of the Waterway, in the heart of Jacksonville Beach.
CLICK HERE FOR ELSKE’S LOG AND PHOTOS
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Palm Cove Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Palm Cove Marina
The owner of Sunbury Crab Company in Brunswick, GA reports that the marina’s sign was damaged in pre-Matthew winds and a portion of the sign with their phone number was lost. Days later after Matthew, a phone call was received from a boater in Vero Beach FL who had found the broken sign part! Thanks to Carmen Salemno for relating this remarkable tale!
Blue Ocean Sails (BOS) is a developing non-profit, educational organization, based in NE Florida, whose mission is to support, facilitate and assist students, educators, citizen and research scientists in all endeavors associated with marine science education and research. BOS is worthy of our interest and support.
Friends of Blue Ocean Sails – this is the first quarterly newsletter summarizing the ongoing development and activities of Blue Ocean Sails (BOS).
QUICK LOOK ASTERN – Blue Ocean Sails enjoyed a very successful Ocean Sampling Day 2016 in June coordinating with NOAA/AOML and the European OSD Consortium to bring OSD/MyOSD to NE Florida. The local area response was beyond enthusiastic at all levels and volunteer sampling groups from Flagler College, St Johns River State College, Sea Grant 4-H Marine Ecology Club and University of Florida, Whitney/Osborne Laboratory conducted ocean water sampling from both coastal and offshore sample sites, processed samples and shipped them to Europe for microbe DNA analysis.
OSD 2016 was a great kickoff to the Blue Ocean Sails primary mission – support, assist and facilitate marine science research and education for students, educators, citizen and research scientists. Throw in a 6 hour offshore sail on Sea Breeze, our Irwin 43, and you see in OSD 2016 a perfect example of what Blue Ocean Sails strives to be.
PRESENT POSITION – Blue Ocean Sails is currently in discussion with the St Johns County school district exploring options to bring the NOAA Global Drifter Buoy Program into the classroom for both elementary and secondary students. Blue Ocean Sails will set sail from St Augustine, FL this October and deploy a NOAA drifter buoy 75 to 100 miles offshore in the core of the Gulf Stream incorporating classroom lesson plans and STEM activities for students and teachers.
Work continues to upgrade Sea Breeze’s systems to improve her offshore capability for hosting students, educators, citizen and research scientists onboard in local waters and for a 3 to 4 week cruise to the Abacos, Bahamas next year – hopefully supporting a yet to be developed survey/research project in support of deserving students, educators and/or scientists.
ON THE HORIZON – Blue Ocean Sails seeks to develop an active Apex Predator Tagging program in association with the National Marine Fisheries Services ongoing program. Growing out of relationships formulated during OSD 2016, Blue Ocean Sails also seeks to begin discussions soon with Flagler College, Whitney Marine Science Laboratory and the Florida Microplastic Awareness Project exploring opportunities to support, assist and facilitate ongoing programs, projects and studies.
As Blue Ocean Sails continues to gain significant operational traction, enthusiastic support is coming from all levels of the marine science community. I haven’t yet begun to outline the unending variety of programs on the drawing board designed to champion marine science at all levels; programs such as ScholarShips for Students, Dolphin Sails, Ocean Awareness Sails, Students – STEM – and the Ocean, Marine Baseline Studies, Extended Offshore/Inshore Research Sails, Ocean Literacy Sails, Skippers for Science and much more.
CHARTING THE COURSE – Blue Ocean Sails is growing – and we need you! Please see the letter below requesting anyone interested in becoming actively involved with organizational and program development to please contact me ASAP. Options for active involvement include becoming an advisor to Blue Ocean Sails and even sitting as a member of the inaugural Board of Directors as we move towards formal incorporation and apply for 501(c)3 non profit status.
Blue Ocean Sails is excited to get even more involved – supporting, assisting and facilitating marine science education and research! We offer free use of a 43′ offshore capable sailboat that can be your “research vessel”! Tell us how we can be of best use supporting your projects and programs and consider volunteering to help formalize the organization and its programs.
BLUE OCEAN SAILS IS GROWING – and needs you!
Are you interested in marine science, marine science education, sailing or the ocean? If you are that person, please contact me. I’m seeking discussion with individuals interested in contributing ideas, discussion points, thoughts and relevant input in order to help shape the continued development, direction and growth of Blue Ocean Sails.
We now need the ideas and involvement of others who are passionate about marine science, education and research in order to continue the growth and development of Blue Ocean Sails as a viable, contributing educational organization.
You don’t need to be a research scientist or tenured professor to provided valuable ideas, input and suggestions. You only need to have a passion for the ocean and a desire to volunteer to help steer the development of a non-profit, educational organization focusing on marine science education and research along with sailing and boating activities.
Near term, I envision talking with interested individuals over the next couple months, discussing ideas and gauging interest levels. Then the next step will likely be a group meeting of interested individuals as we begin to discuss options for forming a board of directors and advisory committees. Formal incorporation of the organization will follow as appropriate.
While BOS is initially St Augustine based, the vision is to develop an organization that serves the marine science community both far and wide. As such, Im casting this net far and wide. Please don’t think you can’t participate if you live outside NE Florida – it’s a big ocean; it touches us all.
This is an opportunity with a wide range of involvement – from as little as tossing in a few ideas, all the way to sitting on the inaugural Blue Ocean Sails Board of Directors. You decide how interested you are, how you’d like to participate – there will certainly be something for every level of interest and involvement.
Contact me if you’re interested in helping with the development of Blue Ocean Sails. I’ll answer your questions and provide an executive summary of our progress and plans thus far.
Please get involved – I need your ideas – I need to talk with you!
Best regards,
Mike Alyea
Blue Ocean Sails
St Augustine, FL
www.facebook.com/BlueOceanSails
FMSEA/NMEA member since 2016
770.871.1770
Longtime cruiser and SSECN Contributing Editor, Captain Jim Healy, shares his knowledge and experience in these observations on this portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Thank you Jim!
Our thanks to Skipper Burnham for this helpful information and advice. Go to /?p=130877 for the referenced posting. With a fixed vertical clearance of 65ft, San Pablo/Atlantic Boulevard Bridge crosses the Waterway at Statute Mile 744.5.
If you go to the http://www.deepzoom.com website you can easily see that the Atlantic Avenue Bridge has the strongest daily currents on the entire US East Coast. Use caution and timing and enjoy the push, but wait out the adverse current if you cannot maintain over 7 kts.
David Burnham
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Atlantic Blvd Bridge
Excellent note… caution needed. Completely agree with Skipper Burnham.
Passed by here many times… slack or close to slack current is the preferred strategy for me.
On the morning of 5/16/14, the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net received a telephone call from Francis aboard “Easy Rider.” She reported that they were northbound on the AICW, and had just observed a larger powercraft hard aground, AT HIGH TIDE, on the charted shoal east and southeast of marker #49. She went on to say that this was the very same spot where they had a grounding problem with their own vessel a year ago.
While we cannot yet confirm this hypothesis, it seems likely that the charted shoal east and southeast of #49 has built out farther towards the AICW channel. Prudent skippers will pass #49 well to its western and southwestern side.
If anyone has any additional information about this hazard, PLEASE use the “Comment” function below and share that information with our fellow cruisers! Our thanks to Skipper Michelle for confirming the advice to favor the west side of the channel.
SeaTow mentioned this area as a problem to our group recently. I went up to check it out yesterday and it is very shallow E and NE of green marker 49. Your suggestion is spot on to stay on the west side of the channel.
Michelle
We passed 49 about 150 to the West in about 30 ft of water at just about the beginning of a rising tide without a problem on June 3 at 1140am
Diane Jack Toomey
Beach Marine – Click for Chartview
Beach Marine is located south of unlighted daybeacon #34, and just northeast of the B. B. McCormick – Beach Boulevard 65-foot, fixed bridge. The review below comes to us from the AGLCA forum.
We were heading north and stopped at Beach Marina in Jacksonville Beach,Florida on March 5 for a couple of days while a COLD front blew through. While there the dockmaster Bryan told us that he hosts a “Tiki Hut Party” on the last Saturday of every month for slipholders and transients. Food, beer and wine are FREE as well as DOCKAGE (pull in as early as you like on Saturday and you don’t have to leave until 4 PM Sunday). You only have to pay for electricity ($8 for 30 amp, $12 for 50).
Call the Dock Master, Bryan Reid (904.694.2098) a day or two ahead and reserve a spot at the party and the dock. ENJOY!
PS. Great staff; great marina.
Bob & Jon Volkwein
M/V YINZER
Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Beach Marine
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Beach Marine
“One and Only Anchorage” lies on the eastern shore of the Waterway, south of flashing green daybeacon #17, and just north of the San Pablo Bridge. It is considered the only safe anchorage in the Jacksonville Beach area, thus its unusual name.
Anchored here now, Tuesday the 22nd of October. We found the 15′ ish spot that was referenced. It’s on the NE side about 200′ yards away from the bridge near the marsh. We were (well, my husband Mike was) able to walk the dogs for a much needed stop.
Yes, the traffic from the bridge is not serenity but it’s a nice spot. Only one abandoned sailboat here on the other shore near the docks ‘“ little Cat 22’ if I’m not mistaken.
Men on the bridge (lower bridge) are fishing for trout after work. Current is quite strong it seems.
That is the report from here. Day two of our adventure on our new boat ‘“ a 39’ Allied Mistress who’s been so well maintained it’s insane. God bless the prior owners, the Diechtrich’s from Canada!
Mo & Mike (or Mike & Mo) from S/V Mi Amante
Just be sure not to anchor too close to the marsh ‘“ it drops off like a cliff!
Mo and Mike
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of One and Only Anchorage
Beach Marina flanks the eastern side of the AICW, immediately north of the high-rise McCormick Bridge, in the heart of Jacksonville Beach.
A great stop on our way North. Bryan was very helpful with navigation. Great live music at the restaurants.
Olivia and Bob
Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Beach Marine
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Beach Marine
Beach Marine - Click for Chartview
Beach Marine guards the Waterway’s eastern banks, immediately north of the new B. B. McCormick high-rise bridge, in the heart of Jacksonville Beach, FL.
Beach Marine is a great stop. There is plenty of depth in an area with lots of skinny water. The restaurants are certainly likeable. Transients are usually put on a easy lay along. Stay safe,
Tom
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Beach Marine
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Beach Marine
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at San Pablo/Atlantic Boulevard Bridge
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