‘Destination’ marina planned for neighborhood near downtown Jax

‘Destination’ marina planned for neighborhood near downtown Jax (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — For years, Jacksonville-based superyacht captain Rob Crocker has looked around for a site where he and his wife could establish a marina, with the couple browsing listings across the state in search of the perfect spot.

Then, in the words of Sarah Crocker, “it just magically happened”: A listing showed up for property on Trout River Drive, less than a mile from where they live.

“It fell together in a lovely way,” she said.

Now, the couple is planning an operation that — in phase one — will provide berths for vessels up to 50 feet long, with phase two setting the stage for larger boats.

The Crockers’ plans for River Dogs Marina go beyond that, though, with a dream of making the marina a destination in its own right, with rentals of kayak and personal watercraft, concerts on the dock and more.

The goal is not just to provide a place to dock and fuel boats but to provide a draw for both residents and visitors.

“We want to make it affordable,” Rob Crocker said. “If you can’t afford a pontoon boat or a little small boat, we’re going to offer kayaks or paddle boards or even just a place to fish.”

But it will also be a place for luxury vessels, capitalizing on the 30 years he has spent working on the water and spending time in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Rob Crocker grew up in Orlando and moved to the Virgin Islands after high school. After earning his captain’s license there, he kept on upgrading his credentials, getting to the point that he can captain 1,600-ton vessels.

His career has taken him around the world, from working on oil rig vessels in the Gulf of Mexico to sailing luxury boats in the Caribbean.

“That’s kinda of where I gravitate back to, for obvious reasons,” he said. “Traveling in the Gulf of Mexico with the oil rigs isn’t as exciting as going to the Caribbean or the Bahamas or New England.”

Although he is continuing to captain yachts, the couple started thinking a few years ago about how to utilize their experience ashore. About 10 years ago, the Crockers bought their house in Jacksonville’s North Shore neighborhood, falling in love with the area a few miles from the city’s urban core.

Sarah Crocker, meanwhile, was putting her own credentials as a certified meeting professional to good use, including spending almost a decade as events team manager at LPS.

That experience will shape what takes place at River Dogs Marina — named in honor of the couple’s five dogs — with things like a tiki hut, concerts on the dock and other events as part of the mix. 

“We want to become a destination, which we feel the Jacksonville area desperately needs,” Rob Crocker said. 

While Jacksonville often talks of capitalizing on the river that runs through it, the waterfront hasn’t become the type of draw seen in other places. The Crockers want to change that. 

“We get out on the water, and there’s just a dearth of opportunities around here,” Sarah Crocker said. “We’re excited for the city to grow up and become more a water community like you see in other cities. We think we can be one part of that.” 

Being just a few miles from the stadium is also a plus, with the Crockers envisioning shuttling guests to concerts and football games. 

“We have so many ideas,” Sarah Crocker said.  

Crocker Maritime bought the two properties that total almost an acre on Trout River Drive for $750,000 in May and have a submerged land lease that will allow for 68 slips. As well as investing from savings, the Crockers have several investors involved with the company.

Work on the site has already started, including the demolition of an old residential house on the property. 

Permitting will take time, the Crockers know, with the first step getting the paperwork in place to establish a fuel dock at the site and to build the tiki hut — projects they hope to have done in about 18 months.

There’s no set timeline for construction, although the company has hired a civil engineer and has started sketching out plans. 

What the couple does know is that they’re eager to get started on a project that they think can be transformational, both for the neighborhood and for the city overall.

“When the stadium and downtown and Shad Khan really start to develop, we want to be ahead of that curve,” Rob Crocker said. “At some point, it’s really going to turn.”

Photo courtesy of Dockwalk