Many years ago, it was always fun to take a day trip on the water to Marineland and stop at the marina.  They closed the marina when the town went bankrupt and there didn’t seem to be any hurry to re-open the marina.

Welcome to Marineland

In fact, they made everyone leave and pretty much tore the marina down.  Imagine my surprise, when driving by today, we see boats and what looks like a marina.  You know that Fast Freddy can’t pass up a marina ( I even found one in the desert in Arizona, much to my wife’s chagrin) so I turned around and checked it out.  They have rebuilt the marina and everything is brand new.

This boat just left and is already on the intra-coastal

Nice slips and right on the Intra-coastal.  I decided to go in and check out the prices and the amenities.  Well, the prices are great at $8.00 per foot and as for the amenities, well you have Marineland and the ocean right across the street.  You also have ecotours in kayaks on site.  I talked with Chris the dockmaster, and he explained they were new and looking for boaters to ‘come on down’.

Nice large basin for maneuvering

People were getting ready to do the Eco Tour and there was alot of activity.  We definitely plan to go back and am considering getting a slip there.  Its worth the trip to check it out and its also a nice place to stop on your way North or South.

I imagine the ecotours in this part of the intra-coastal would be fabulous

Stop by and tell Chris you saw it on Mermaids and Tales.

The following is the information on the marina:

Dockage: Daily  $1.00/ft,  Weekly $3.50/ft,  Monthly $8.00/ft and hourly .30 per foot per hour. (first hour free for vessels up to 50′)

Location: Across from Marineland on A1A south of Matanzas Inlet.

Phone: 904-814-9886

Thank you Chris for bringing back one of our favorite spots.

Reynolds Park Yacht Center

I have found throughout my travels that there are basically two kinds of marinas: “a great place to plan a weekend trip to” and “the perfect place to store your boat”. Reynolds falls squarely in the latter category.

As far as marinas go, Reynolds is relatively new to the Jacksonville area although part of me has a bit of trouble calling it “new”. Reynolds itself has been around since 1946 where it was a Naval Training facility during World War II. According to their literature, there were as many as 600 ships here during its hay day. It later became an industrial park in 1965. In 2002, they turned part of it into the Reynolds Yacht Center. It’s that unique history of the facility that really makes it shine.

Way in the back? Those are CARS parked next to the boats!

Because it used to house destroyers and the like, you won’t have ANY worries about whether or not your boat will fit there. They’ve also added floating docks so that people can house their sailboats and runabouts there as well. They boast support for twelve and a half foot drafts and pretty much unlimited length for your boats. Amenities and perks are plenty there as well with electric, phone, fax, internet and satellite TV. There are also laundry, showers and kitchens for use. If you notice in the pictures of the docks, you’ll see something that you just won’t see anywhere else in Jax: you can drive your car on the dock. Who needs a dock cart when you can just park your car right next to your boat! If that’s not a major selling point I don’t know what is.

Floating docks are available for the smaller boats.

If you’ve owned a boat for more than a month, you know that it WILL break down and need work at some point or another. That’s another point for Reynolds as they have a full shipyard associated with it with dry dock up to 1,000 tons along with both 20 ton and 60 ton travel lifts. The shipyard offers painting, fiberglass repair, woodworking, mechanical and electrical repairs.

Spring Park is a great place to bring your lunch.

Reynolds is located on the St. Johns River just south of Green Cove Springs, Florida. It’s because of that location that I have to put Reynolds in the “great place to live but I wouldn’t want to visit” category of marinas. Don’t get me wrong, Green Cove is growing and once they get their “Mainstreet Project” done it will be a happening spot. For now, however, it’s a bit on the sleepy side. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing nearby though. Right across the street from the Yacht Center is a nice Par 3 Golf course AND a private airfield. Spring Park in downtown Green Cove is an awesome place to be in the summer time with one of the only spring fed swimming pools that I’m aware of.

View of Reynolds from Spring Park

There have been more than a few marinas that have closed in the Jax area over the past couple of years and more slated to close in the not too distant future. With so few left and the environmental regulations making it difficult to open new ones, it’s great to see a wonderful place like Reynolds take off. If you’re looking for a great marina to base your boat, you’d be crazy not to consider Reynolds.

For more information about Reynolds Park Yacht Center, call them at 1-866-FOR-RPYC or visit them online at http://www.rpyc.info/

Google Earth shot of Reynolds.