The empty harbor basin off the San Sebastian River, the one that has sat behind chain link and half-finished for most of two decades, will open in October 2026 as a 64-slip marina. Sebastian Harbor Marina sits at 13 Sebastian Harbor Drive, next to the AC Hotel by Marriott and within walking distance of the historic district, which means the boaters who tie up there will be spending their money in downtown restaurants and shops rather than in a marina a car ride away.
The basin was dredged in the early 2000s. Then the Great Recession hit, the original project stopped, and the water sat there. The property's current owners, the same group behind the adjacent hotel, restarted construction this year and are investing millions to finish it.
What is actually being built
John Valdes & Associates Inc. is running the final phase. That work includes dredging the basin back to depth, upgrading the floating docks, and installing new and reinforced pilings meant to hold up better in a storm.
When it opens, the marina will have 64 wet slips for boats up to 55 feet, with an expected controlling depth of about seven feet at mean low water once dredging is done. Planned amenities:
- Shore power and potable water at the slips
- Wi-Fi, gated access and around-the-clock camera monitoring
- Restrooms, showers and laundry
- Pump-out stations and a harbormaster office
Annual, seasonal and transient dockage will all be offered. Living aboard will not be permitted. Two waterfront apartments next to the docks will be available for short-term stays, aimed at owners, guests and crew.
Who runs it
Day-to-day operations go to Safe Passage Marina Management LLC. John Valdes, who has decades of marina construction and operations work behind him, leads the management team. Nico Recore will be general manager after several years at local marina and waterfront businesses. Recore has said he wants the marina to be more than a place to park a boat, and that visiting crews should get a taste of St. Augustine the moment they step off the dock.
Why cruisers matter here
The location is inland and protected, less than two miles from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and roughly five miles from the St. Augustine Inlet. For boats running the ICW, and for Great Loop cruisers working their way around the eastern half of the country, this city is already a standard stop. What it has not had is much protected slip capacity close to downtown.
The city-run municipal marina by the Bridge of Lions handles most of that traffic now, with dozens of slips plus a mooring field, and its published transient rate starts at $2.50 per foot per day for boats up to 49 feet. Anyone who has tried to get a slip there during a fall cold front, or watched boats swing on the moorings in a blow, understands the appeal of a basin tucked away from the current.
Sebastian Harbor's rates are not set yet. That is the one number boaters most want, and it has not been released.
The part still to come
Construction and final preparations are underway. No specific opening day in October has been announced, and the marina lists planned hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The operators are taking names on an interest list for slip holders and transient guests at sebastianharbormarina.com, along with apartment inquiries.
What happens on land around the basin is the next open question. The docks, the hotel next door and a walkable route into the middle of the oldest city are the pieces in place; what fills the rest of that waterfront frontage has not been spelled out.
More local coverage is always at St. Augustine Community Website, and you can tell us what you think this means for the San Sebastian waterfront by joining the conversation in our Community Forum.
For more on projects reshaping the city, read our business development stories and our coming soon coverage.
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