St. Simons Marina has long history as public marina
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By Pamela Permar-Shierling
The St. Simons Marina at Gascoigne Bluff is a whisper of our past. It is the last little bit of old St. Simons.
It is also the only public marina on St. Simons with a hoist and only one of two St. Simons locations where the public can launch a boat.
Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Irma (2017) left the docks damaged.
The St. Simons Boating and Fishing Club, the non-profit which manages the Marina, asked Glynn County for the money to repair the docks and put in $20,000 of their own money.
FEMA provided $200,000 for the floating dock repair which, according to Clement Cullens, Vice President of the St. Simons Boating and Fishing Club (Club), was not done very well.
EMC Engineering Services provided a structural engineering report stating the pier pilings needed replacing.
The Club had a plan and a cost estimate of $95,000 to $100,000 for the pilings. After Covid hit the cost doubled to over $200,000.
In 2021 the Club asked for help from the County. “We are a non-profit and simply could not manage repairs without help,” Cullens said.
Discussions with the County continued and in late 2024 the Club had the money for an updated structural report from EMC.
The EMC updated report was finished in February 2025 and showed deterioration of the pier pilings since 2017. EMC suggested repairing all the docks and piers.
The Club spent over $318,000 between July 2018 and June 2026 on repairs and maintenance of the facility. Just last week $25,000 was spent on the hoist.
The Club operates the facility at net zero and is working on a capital improvement plan. “We currently have $175,000 in our reserve account,” Cullens said, “and are slowly building the capital account.”
The Club pays Glynn County $25,000 a year in rent which has been abated to $500 a year for the period the Marina has been closed. The Marina began operating at half capacity in February 2025 and closed completely January 2026. Construction began in February 2026 with an estimated completion date the end of 2026.
In 2027 the rent will increase to $25,000 per year.
Glynn County agreed to a not-to-exceed $5 million contract with JOC Construction to repair all the docks and pilings. The repairs are being paid for with $2.3 million from the County’s Golden Ray settlement and $2.7 million of bed tax money.
The St. Simons Marina is a public facility owned by Glynn County. It always has been a public facility. The county sets the fees that are charged for boat launches and boat storage.
The Club does charge a fee to become a member and anyone can join. The membership fees go towards operating expenses and the capital reserve fund.
You do not have to be a member to launch a boat at the Marina.
The St. Simons Marina has been in operation since 1949. It is worth protecting and worth keeping open to the public.
Works begins at the St. Simons Marina Picture courtesy JOC Construction
Front Row Kneeling, from left: Unknown, Rudolf Beggs, Allen Burns, Jr. Back Row Standing from left: Jerry Edwards, Andy Beggs, Unknown, Dick Finn This picture was taken at the St. Simons Marina in 1966, (Photo Courtesy of Allen Burns III)
