America's Cup... This aint Yacht racing!

[Overstreet]

Simms you need to get out more. There are two clubs that run races on the ST Johns river, mostly club races on the weekends. They just don't make a big TV deal or advertise.It is also a BIG river and if you don't look for 'em you'll miss 'em. 

[simms3]

Simms you need to get out more. There are two clubs that run races on the ST Johns river, mostly club races on the weekends. They just don't make a big TV deal or advertise.It is also a BIG river and if you don't look for 'em you'll miss 'em. 

No YOU need to get out more (I tease).  I grew up on the river and used to sail for FYC against Epping and other clubs (Rudder Club, etc...my uncle was also a very well known sailor in Jax before he moved away), so I'm pretty familiar with what there is, though admittedly I no longer sail and I am removed from the scene in Jax - I just see what I see at other waterfront cities such as the one I live in.  A lot of people in Jax, even "provided for" riverfront residents, sold their boats.  There are generally more vacant slips at marinas all around Jax than there were 10 years ago and there was a noticeable decline in boating activity after the recession that doesn't seem to have rebounded...and for a while when there were algae problems and the foam I barely saw a single boat out there (I think for good reason).

I would think that aside from traditional regattas between just a few clubs/high school sports clubs every now and again (and BTW a lot of Jax organizations trekked up to Charleston or other nearby cities for regattas where there was more competition and more activity and a better, more put together scene), I think with tidying up the river and public waterfront, the right promotion and buy in from organizations like FYC and Epping, that maybe Jax could host a more public/larger sailing or boating event that gets some sort of TV coverage and sponsors.

Similarly and not all too unrelated, the city doesn't make good use of its waterfront for the public's enjoyment.  The Riverwalk is basically the best we have; the rest being unused or private all up and down the river.  The most active maritime scene I see when I come back for visits is in St. Augustine area where there always seem to be lots of boats out on the water and people enjoying the public waterfront.

Jax could use:

More public waterfront
Well put together public waterfront (i.e. better than what we have now)
A larger, more prominent maritime museum
Old ships docked downtown (Charles Adams as one example) to be used for events and museum
Better slips (public mainly...)
Wider channels in the main part of the river for larger boats
More promotion from both public and private parties
Better bridges the next time one is built or upgraded

We lost our wharves and piers, merchant marines, shipbuilding industry, warehouse districts, and basically all prior maritime activity that defined the city for generations before, but it's not too late to try to recapture some of that flavor for modern, public 21st century life.  What we have now is pretty dismal relative to what it could/should be.  I know we're all on the same page here and I'm just words and others are trying to get something going - so keep pushing for that stuff because that's a BIG quality of life point that most cities can't replicate and Jax doesn't take advantage of.

[fsquid]

There are generally more vacant slips at marinas all around Jax than there were 10 years ago and there was a noticeable decline in boating activity after the recession that doesn't seem to have rebounded

I've noticed that since moving here.  I just thought that maybe people preferred to keep their boat at home and tow to wherever they wanted to boat rather than have it in just one body of water.