The St. John’s River Ferry – a true Jacksonville gem

Ask anyone living in Jacksonville what they love about this place, and they are sure to mention easy water access. Between the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway, and our many rivers and lakes, it’s hard NOT to cross water at some point during a typical day. But if you are looking for an accessible water crossing that is scenic, handy, inexpensive, and FUN, try the St. Johns River Ferry crossing.

The river ferry (sometimes referred to as the “Mayport Ferry”) is a car and passenger ferry connecting the north and south ends of state road A1A in Duval County. It essentially links Mayport Village and Ft. George Island – but it offers so much more than a water conveyance! The 0.9-mile run crosses the St. Johns River 2.5 miles inland of the river’s mouth. The trip takes roughly 5 minutes and departs every half hour. The current cost is $7 on weekdays and $8 on weekends for a typical car. But if you simply want to cross – and maybe grab a bite at the Sand Dollar on the Ft. George side, park your car and walk aboard for a dollar each way!

You don’t HAVE to use the ferry for this route – you can always drive across the Dames Point Bridge on I-295, but that route is 28 miles long, sometimes traffic-clogged, and you will miss so much in terms of marine and bird life AND the expert navigational skills of the ferry captains! Occasionally you might need to wait for the ferry while a giant carrier ship motors past and you’ll see plenty of other watercraft as well – professional fishers, pleasure boats and, well, anything that floats might come by. And if it holds up your journey for a moment – that gives you even more time to watch the pelicans dive and fish!

According to the Professional Mariner’s Journal, the ferry’s 700-yard run has been described as resembling a slow-motion rally in table tennis. “It’s like a ping-pong ball going back and forth,” said Capt. Willie Washington, one the ferry’s captains. You’ll be impressed when the ferry seems to be turning sideways to slip quickly into place on the opposite riverbank.

History

The St. Johns River Ferry Service opened to the public on September 15, 1950. The inaugural ships were the Reliance and the Monadnock. Billed as “the gateway to scenic A1A,” this newly created stretch of highway enabled motorists to bypass Jacksonville via the ferry service. A marketing campaign invited tourists to “Travel the Buccaneer Trail and ride through history on Florida A1A.”  Suggested stops along the Buccaneer Trail included Fort Clinch, Kingsley Plantation, and Mayport Village for its French Huguenot history and “unsurpassed” seafood supported by the local shrimping fleet.

The United States Merchant Marine Memorial stands on the ferry grounds on the Mayport side. The Memorial was erected on September 14, 1999.

Locals have fought the closure of the ferry many times in recent years in the face of state and city budget cuts. In 2016, community advocates and officials successfully secured funding for guaranteed operations for the next two decades.

The ferryboat, Jean Ribault–built in 1996–currently supports the St. Johns River Ferry Service with a carrying capacity of 40 cars and 206 passengers.

Jacksonville assumed operation of the ferry from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 1997 and called for tenders from the private sector to take over the ferry operation. Hornblower Marine Services of San Francisco won the contract and took on the challenge of making the operation more efficient.

Hornblower employs 28 people to run the ferry, down from the 37-plus when the ferry was under state control. Hornblower runs the operation from its offices in Mayport, a cluster of old Army Corps of Engineer buildings between the St. Johns River and Highway A1A.

The ferry is a treasured part of our city’s story. If you haven’t been onboard for a while, please come back and bring your out-of-town visitors – many call the ferry crossing a highlight of their trip!