Green Cove Springs to St. Augustine

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

OldMan's advice above is great, as usual.

Without knowing that sailing area at all (I've always been sailing past it), I would suggest identifying bailout harbours on your route. Yes, it will probably be an easy, uneventful sail, but if, say, someone gets injured, excessively seasick or weather comes up that the two of you can't/don't want to handle, it's good practice to already have identified a couple of backup bailout points along your intended route and what those harbours' entrance restrictions are.

Just a thought,
Fair winds,
LittleWing77

If you are going on the outside there really is no bail out point between Jacksonville and Saint Augustine.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[Ebbflow]

If you take the ICW, downloading Bob423's tracks make it a really easy trip. He provides tracks to follow for parts or all of the ICW that keeps you in the deepest part of the channel ay all times and provides all sorts of additional info for bridges, anchorages, etc.for free.The downloads work best on Aquamaps. See below
https://bobicw.blogspot.com/p/gpx-routes.html?m=1

[MicHughV]

Finally, I can recommend some insurance...I'd be sure you have a "seatow" membership or " towboatus". They are on call pretty much 24/7, and will come and bail you out should you have a problem. Without this insurance in hand, this could cost and arm and a leg.
Don't even quibble about it, just get it, it costs very little.

[OutOfControl]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Finally, I can recommend some insurance...I'd be sure you have a "seatow" membership or " towboatus". They are on call pretty much 24/7, and will come and bail you out should you have a problem. Without this insurance in hand, this could cost and arm and a leg.
Don't even quibble about it, just get it, it costs very little.

Best advice you have gotten so far.

[boatpoker]

If you have the time, go north on the ICW a couple of miles to the KIngsley Plantation. A good anchorage and a terrific place to visit. We have often stayed overnight at their dock and no one has ever objected but there is a good anchorage just past the dock

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

OldMan's advice above is great, as usual.

Without knowing that sailing area at all (I've always been sailing past it), I would suggest identifying bailout harbours on your route. Yes, it will probably be an easy, uneventful sail, but if, say, someone gets injured, excessively seasick or weather comes up that the two of you can't/don't want to handle, it's good practice to already have identified a couple of backup bailout points along your intended route and what those harbours' entrance restrictions are.

Just a thought,
Fair winds,
LittleWing77

Originally Posted by svfinlandia

If you are going on the outside there really is no bailout point between Jacksonville and Saint Augustine.

Al, S/V Finlandia

Okay, well then, as pilots and good skippers do, before any passage - even a simple passage - having a backup plan in case of emergency is good seamanship, which was the intent of my post.

Cheers,
LW77

[MicHughV]

Interestingly enough, I know a guy that was sailing/motoring down the coast, when he ran out of gas. With no inlet in sight, he anchored reasonably close to shore.

He sailed with a surfboard on board, which he plopped into the sea, together with a plastic 5 gallon container and paddled his way into the beach, hid the surfboard, hitchhiked into the closest town, filled his jug, hitchhiked back and paddled back to his boat and off he went.

[team karst]

I had to send a swimmer into West End one time, due to fuel starvation. Pre customs. He held the MT prestone jug with a tether in his teeth for the swim in. Some folks in a 13 whaler felt sorry enough to give him a ride back to the mother ship...

There is ALWAYS a bail out possibility. At least, you need to have that mindset.

oh yeah, he is badly nearsighted, so he wore his diving mask, including during the gas buy. You gotta cruise with friends like that, but not captains like me.

[chriswheat]

This forum is so great, much good info above. I've made the trip as well and if you have a fair current going out the St Johns without an east wind to kick things up, can sail in fair conditions down the coast and ride the flood back into St Augustine, again without excessive wind-against-current, then the offshore route will be joyous. If many of those conditions are unfavorable then take the ICW; no pressure and plenty of options (once you've found the ICW from the St Johns) . But no matter what, keep that towing insurance paid up, it's worth every penny.

[Coach Shoe]

This may not help much, but it's kinda on topic. After being on a waiting list for months, I finally got word that my new slip in St Augustine was available. Anxious to move, In spite of an unfavorable weather forecast, l set sail from the Ortega River in Jacksonville …with two teenagers as crew.

When we arrived at Commache Cove in St Augustine, the wind and current made docking "interesting". We got in without casualties or damage, but we had a number of dockside helpers who could claim credit for our good fortune.

After spending the night in the slip, I awoke to a beautiful day, enjoying a cup of brew on deck as I soaked in my new found paradise. Then, a salty skipper on the boat in the adjacent slip yelled, " Hey captain, how big is that boat?"

I kind puffed up with pride and gleefully responded, "She's a forty footer". His reply, "when you brought her in last night, you'd thought she was a G**D*** battleship" sent me below to finish my coffee.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by team karst

I had to send a swimmer into West End one time, due to fuel starvation. Pre customs. He held the MT prestone jug with a tether in his teeth for the swim in. Some folks in a 13 whaler felt sorry enough to give him a ride back to the mother ship...

There is ALWAYS a bail out possibility. At least, you need to have that mindset.

oh yeah, he is badly nearsighted, so he wore his diving mask, including during the gas buy. You gotta cruise with friends like that, but not captains like me.

Cool story, Karst.

Thanks for sharing!
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[MicHughV]

that's funny.... but one more off topic....reminds me of a chap I met that was extremely nearsighted...wore glasses looked like bottle ends.. he took a pair of old glasses, removed the frame and glued the lenses inside his dive mask..... so he could go diving...when he got back on the dink, he put his regular glasses back on...
when there's a will...there's always a way..

[captsundancer]

There is a free city of Jacksonville dock on the ICW, just north of the first Bridge coming off the st. Johns River. It will be on the west side of the ICW and on the Little Creek coming off the north side of the park/boat ramp.

[Geek_Guy]

As to the free dock. It's in Clapboard Creek( that's the ICW there)just North of the Jim King boat ramp.

There is also free dockage by the Hart bridge in downtown Jacksonville in Metropolitan Park. The tide is important to note in downtown. The river goes from 2-3 miles wide to a thousand feet and so the tide can really rip through there. We looked at the marina downtown and a sailboat literally can't dock against the current. Try to be at low or high tide through that section.

The railroad bridge is almost always open. Unusual for it to be an issue.

Neither have any services, but a cleat.

We went from Mandarin to Beach Marine in one day a couple years back and it was very doable. Though you have several miles further. The currents and tide are factors to consider. When we got to Beach marine it was low tide and they didn't recommend entry so we anchored out in the ICW for a couple hours. The tide was definitely moving along.

[johnserr]

Tides over 4 ft. ( Compare to Green cove springs)
Tidal current much more.
St Augustine has Current that you don't have in Green cove.
Check on number of boats gone aground.
Do you have a plan where to stay in St. Augustine ??
St Augustine inlet can be dangerous even though short distance. Waves & current.
KNOW where & what direction that is safe once you get inside at inlet. Shoals & confusing markers !