Community Forums

badge2283 · 08-14-2010, 04:27 PM

Sunday afternoon the wife and I picked up the 21 month old grandson in the MH and went to Family Camp at Mayport Navy Station. We were parked on the front row facing the Navy ships. There was a Brit aircraft carrier docked directly accross from us.
We went to the CPO club, it is the oldest in the Navy. We went to Amelia Island and ate at the Bonito Bento Box, great food at a great price. We also ate at Parson's Seafood. The portions are large, the food is excellent, and the price is very good.
The fishing was poor while we we there, but the weather was very nice, but hot.
We took the car on thye Mayport Ferry, and the grandson loved it.
We always look forward to going to Mayport.

RVThere · 08-14-2010, 05:40 PM

My brother-in-law was stationed at Mayport for a few years in the early 90s so we spent quite a few trips going to Jacksonville and Mayport to visit him. But that was in the days we started RVing. Driving the 17 hours from NJ to Jacksonville in a pickup truck was no fun...

If you are ever on Amelia Island again, take the boat trip to Cumberland Island, GA for dinner at the Greyfield Inn which is an old Carnegie mansion. Very nice place.

badge2283 · 08-15-2010, 10:58 AM

That is something that we talked about this trip, but it just didn't happen. We will do it forsure,
Thanks for the info.

Wayne M · 08-15-2010, 08:19 PM

We stayed there last year on the front row.
What a wonderful setting.
We also enjoyed the area, and we will go back some day.

CoastieSCPO · 08-15-2010, 08:46 PM

Wow, does that place bring back some memories. When I was active Coast Guard during Desert Storm, my unit was stationed at MSO JAX for awhile and we worked out of Blount Island. Part of our duties was to enforce a moving security zone around Navy capital ships entering port and standing out to sea. I was honored to escort the USS Saratoga during that time and I believe the Sara was decommissioned shortly thereafter. We escorted lots of other ships but the Sara was special. My uncle was a CPO member of her crew years prior and I got to go aboard her at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where she was tied up. Next time we go to Florida, we'll try to stay at Mayport.

ArmyRetired · 08-16-2010, 11:39 PM

That does bring back some great memories. We stayed there in the Pelican Roost for 5 nights in August 2006. No idea how we managed it but we were also right on the front row looking out as all the ships came and went. The John F Kennedy aircraft carrier was positioned right there to our left. It was being de-commisioned at that time and they sure had a lot of security all around it then. Two helicopters were circling it 24/7 and several small watercraft with mounted 50 cal's were all around that area. They would not permit any close up photographs of the JFK.
It was very interesting for us to see all the various ships in that port for maintenance. We really did enjoy the area and would look forward to returning there some day soon.

Larry