St. Mary's Intracoastal Gateway Marina

St. Mary's Intracoastal Gateway Marina - St. Mary's, GA
Last visit: March 23-25, 2026

St. Mary's Marina is a small municipal marina that only serves transient boaters. It is a short side trip up the St. Mary's River after passing Amelia and Cumberland Islands. The concrete floating docks are in excellent condition with plenty of depth and all side-to berths. We were assigned to an inside spot that could be a bit challenging in windy conditions. The current can run strong as well, so it may be necessary to time arrivals and departures appropriately.

Reservations were made using Dockwa. The marina staff were quick to respond to the reservation request and provided our docking assignment as well as other instructions prior to arrival. They were on hand to provide docking assistance which was helpful due to the windy conditions.

Amenities include free use of the washers and dryers and free in-slip pump out. There is no fuel on site. The bathrooms with showers and laundry are found in the marina office building, which was clearly a former home. Bathrooms are only available during marina business hours.

The town of St. Mary's, a very short walk from the marina, is the location of the Cumberland Island National Park offices. It is also the terminal for the ferry that runs to Cumberland Island multiple times each day. The town has many shops and restaurants, all within walking distance of the marina. There is a also a small farm to family shop with produce, meat, eggs, bread and other items for some minor provisioning.

The Kings Bay Submarine Base is nearby and you can see the plant towers of Fernandina Beach in the distance. There was no WiFi in the marina, but we were able to access a number of over-the-air television stations. ATT cell service was ok.

This area of the ICW offers a few different options for cruisers including the Cumberland Island Anchorage, Fernandina Harbor, and St. Mary's. We have stayed at all three. Each offer a different experience and are worthy of a short stay. We entered the St. Mary's River from offshore. The inlet is large and well-maintained for the commercial and military vessels that enter and exit regularly. We have used it on a number of occasions, however we have also used the ICW to transit the area, heading both north and south.

On our departure, we were held up where the St. Mary's River meets the Cumberland Sound as a submarine was exiting the base and heading out to sea. We were excited to witness this event, although the conditions were quite windy, overcast, choppy, and it required us to hold position for over an hour. We could have turned back to a calmer spot, but we were excited to see the submarine and entourage of Coast Guard and Navy vessels.