Back in October, Diann and I acquired new electronics for our Gemini catamaran, YachtaFun. Time and weather caught us a bit and so the radar dome was not installed before we left New Bern, NC. Based on information from friends who run Hurricane Jack’s we decided to go to Green Cove Springs, FL before our primary destination of St. Augustine.
Looking across the WW II Navy Docks
The logic was simple: SailCraft in Oriental wanted $800 to remove and re-step our mast. Green Cove Springs Marina charges by the hour and estimated an hour off and an hour on. The difference in pricing amounted to enough to pay for our fuel and dockage to Florida. AND, it would be a warmer job, in Florida, for me to attach the dome to the mast. I reviewed the Green Cove Springs Marina website; and I spoke to an office staff person. Based on all that info, we arrived a month after leaving New Bern to the Green Cove Springs Marina on December 15th.
After circling the fairway we chose a ball. Hooking it was simple and making a long term attachment with chafe guards went smoothly enough. I opened a beer. We had made a run from just south of Fernandina Beach to 35 miles passed Jacksonville- in one very long day.
One of the sunken boats at the marina
On Sunday we ventured to shore and walked to the town of Green Cove Springs. It is a three mile walk to City Hall. There are no grocery stores on that route. The closest grocery is Winn Dixie. By using Lyft, you can do a round trip for groceries for just under $20.
As we learned over the next couple of weeks stay- by “planing speed” dingy you can run 2 miles in ten minutes to the park docks at City Hall and then walk to a number of decent restaurants and a gas station to fill jerry jugs. (There is no non-alcohol gasoline in the area) By dinghy you can run 4 miles in 20 minutes to the county park docks to get propane at Ace Hardware. From Ace you can walk just under 2 miles to Winn Dixie. (for Winn Dixie we opted for Lyft from the marina.)
The town of Green Cove Springs is clean, neat, and feels safe. Convenient to the City Docks are: decent restaurants; Walgreen’s; US Post office; a liquor store; and a Dollar Tree.
The story / blog of Yacht A Fun, a Gemini catamaran sailboat, traveling the ICW and east coast with insights to the extended cruising life. Green Cove Springs