New Configuration For Fernandina Marina

The new configuration of the Fernandina Marina. Notice no more slips, everything runs north to south which will allow the current to move through and reduce the big silting problem they had there!

Their website say March 20th is still the target for re-opening, though I know they are taking bookings now.

http://fhmarina.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Master-Plan-for-Configuration.pdf

menzies said:

The new configuration of the Fernandina Marina. Notice no more slips, everything runs north to south which will allow the current to move through and reduce the big silting problem they had there!

Their website say March 20th is still the target for re-opening, though I know they are taking bookings now.

http://fhmarina.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Master-Plan-for-Configuration.pdf

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Can you read or do you know what the colors represent? Looks like all side tie, no slips?

It will be nice to have them back.

BandB said:

Can you read or do you know what the colors represent? Looks like all side tie, no slips?

It will be nice to have them back.

Click to expand...

That's what I previously heard, and then saw this posted. All side ties.

Now the question is what they will do with their residents. Do they get a "spot" along the inside docks. And will they have some configuration of piles to tie to in a blow? Not clear from that document.

From what I heard once the funding was identified they tried to get permission to move the marina north - the the bend about a half mile north or so, where there was better current and "cleaning" waters. That either got turned down or the design team realized it would make docking a lot more difficult.

menzies said:

That's what I previously heard, and then saw this posted. All side ties.

Now the question is what they will do with their residents. Do they get a "spot" along the inside docks. And will they have some configuration of piles to tie to in a blow? Not clear from that document.

From what I heard once the funding was identified they tried to get permission to move the marina north - the the bend about a half mile north or so, where there was better current and "cleaning" waters. That either got turned down or the design team realized it would make docking a lot more difficult.

Click to expand...

Yes, and this design was a compromise but it ultimately was go with it now or battle and wait even longer. We once, very briefly, considered doing something in Fernandina and we quickly found out from our discussions that getting anything done there would become a nightmare. There is the quite common inherent war between those who want the island in it's natural state of decades ago, and don't want to spend money on improvements, and those who want to fully develop it and turn it into a moneymaking tourist destination and are willing to spend money. The first group would have no marina. The second group would have a mega marina.

I take it the dinghy dock is still in the same general location? It was very handy there near shore on the south side. We always anchored out in the Bell River.

caltexflanc said:

I take it the dinghy dock is still in the same general location? It was very handy there near shore on the south side. We always anchored out in the Bell River.

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No idea from this layout, but I did see on their FB page that the dinghy dock is now open for those anchoring out.

I also have a boating neighbor tell me that there was going to be a partial marina opening this weekend. I can't verify that right now but will post if I can.

The northern boaters will probably start the migration back in the next month or two so I am sure they want to be as open as they can for that.

menzies said:

Their website say March 20th is still the target for re-opening, though I know they are taking bookings now.

Click to expand...

Interesting to hear; I just yesterday asked them (be email) of they are still targeting the March 2020 opening, no response yet.

BandB said:

Can you read or do you know what the colors represent? Looks like all side tie, no slips?

Click to expand...

I can't tell what the colors mean, and can't read the labels... but that's what it looked like to us when we came through there in November, all long docks with side ties. In fact, the docks themselves seemed to be completed; mostly we saw folks who looked like they were working on electrical systems.

menzies said:

No idea from this layout, but I did see on their FB page that the dinghy dock is now open for those anchoring out.

I also have a boating neighbor tell me that there was going to be a partial marina opening this weekend. I can't verify that right now but will post if I can.

Click to expand...

That be very useful info for us, if you hear more. We'd like to stop there on our way back north in early-ish March.

-Chris

Legend:
Yellow- Existing Docks
Blue- Proposed Additions/Reconfiguration
Date of plan Dec. 2016

You can see the old and new here:

Fernandina Harbor Marina » Marina Layout

according to TV news , Marina will have soft opening today.

Sailor of Fortune said:

according to TV news , Marina will have soft opening today.

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Yep, they posted on their Facebook page yesterday afternoon that they are accepting waiting list boats today.

Thanks. We don't do Facebook, and their website hasn't been updated.... so I'd have no other way to know this. Unless they answer my email... from Tuesday... which hasn't happened yet.

-Chris

The cool thing is that the south fairways are 100 ft and 116 ft wide. Nice setup. 400+ and 700+ long.

fryedaze said:

The cool thing is that the south fairways are 100 ft and 116 ft wide. Nice setup. 400+ and 700+ long.

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Kind of what they have at Charleston City Marina.

We took a drive up to Fernandina yesterday. Walked down to check out the marina status. Some photos of the new layout, the sturdy outside piles and cleats. The north part of the marina and the old dock master's office are still closed off. There is a new dock master's office up top. They told me that they don't expect to have fuel available until June earliest.

Thanks for posting; looks like it will be very nice. For fuel, Port Consolidated (FKA Florida Petroleum) is just a little north.
Is the mooring field still there? If not any plans to re-institute it?

There are some balls out there, but looking at it I don't believe they have reset the field yet - the few boats out there looked like they were anchored.

We're at Fernandina Harbor Marina now, arrived yesterday in pretty blowy weather. They put us way out toward the end and on the inside of the new southside "attenuator" dock (the one with the huge black piles in the pics above). Just about where the red/white go-fast is tied, in the pic above. Dock hands were competent; yay! (Did I mention it was blowy? Could have been a real mess had they not performed as hoped.)

Long face docks on the south end are open, and there are several boats on each side of the two outermost docks (attenuator plus the next one in).

Some of the dock space on the north side is in use; haven't looked closely at those yet, but they appear to be locals. The outside -- assuming they'll extend the attenuator northward -- is not yet rebuilt, blocked off to pedestrian traffic, etc.

The docks guys said we MIGHT see a reverse polarity indicator from shorepower, that they've had the electrician check it all and it's all good. (?) In any case, we haven' seen any faults. (Presumably these are the new GFCI pedestals, too, so if so, not seeing any fault from that is also reassuring... since this is the first time (AFAIK) we've been on a new power pedestal.)

-Chris

ranger42c said:

In any case, we haven' seen any faults. (Presumably these are the new GFCI pedestals, too, so if so, not seeing any fault from that is also reassuring... since this is the first time (AFAIK) we've been on a new power pedestal.)

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Might have spoken too soon. We moved north to Golden Isles Marina in St. Simons, and just turning on only our main panel breaker -- all AC loads and inverter off -- trips the breaker on their pedestals. Tried a couple different connections, they got out a big tester box... not sure what it was telling us.

Anyway, I'd have thought the Fernandina Harbor Marina pedestals would be newer than these here... so thought we were maybe home free on the new GFCI thing...

-Chris

Yep, spoke too soon. We just made Georgetown yesterday, and sure enough our shorepower system trips their (known to be) new-model pedestal breakers immediately. Ah, well... something else to fix on a boat, what's not to like?



Anyway, I think that means there's something odd about Fernandina Harbor's power pedestals... which I would have thought should be the new model, post 2017 requirement, etc. pedestals.

-Chris