DAYS 242-246 : Daytona Anchorage to St Augustine Mooring/Slip
Daytona Anchorage to St Augustine: 8.7 mph; 54.2 miles; 6:11 hours
This was a longer run with great scenery and a pod of dolphin. The topography has changed from mangroves to salt marshes. I excepted to see an ecological shift in Georgia but seeing it now took me by surprise. There’s only one stop for fuel between Daytona and St Augustine so check the gauges: MM 803/Palm Coast Marina.
ANCHORAGES & MARINAS DAYTONA TO ST AUGUSTINE:
MM 809; Cement Plant Anchorage: No longer a viable anchorage
MM 803; Palm Coast Marina, GAS & DIESEL, $1.32/ft plus electric (PREFERRED LOOPER MARINA)
MM 803; Hammock Beach Marina, MM 803, NO FUEL, Snag-A-Slip, $2.25/ft
MM 796; Marineland Marina, at MM 796, NO FUEL, and $1.25/ft plus electric.
St Augustine Municipal Marina:
The marina is perfectly placed outside the historic district of Saint Augustine. You have to call the marina for reservations and all marina/mooring field maps are online.
Mooring: We arrived a day early with unexpected winds blowing from the south at 15-20+ knots. The marina offered us our slip a day early but we took a mooring ball in the San Marcos Field on the north side of the bridge ($26.16/night). We had an excellent position and a straight shot over to the dinghy dock.
Using the Mooring Ball: The inlet causes ripping water currents and harsh tidal changes; because of these factors, the marina prefers that you use two lines for attaching to the ball. I just couldn’t wrap my head around what they were asking; so, I moored the way I have been doing it - using the snubber line as the mooring line. (HINDSIGHT: Should have used a straight line because the snubber tangled with the mooring lines)
Two Mooring Fields: One-North and one-South of The Lion’s Bridge.
Marina Slips: $2.10/ft plus electric; showers/bathrooms; laundry. Excellent marina staff.
St Augustine:
THURSDAY EVENING: After we caught the mooring and settled up with the dock master, we took a quick stroll through the heart of St Augustine (Saint A). It is breathtaking here and has a homey/welcoming feel about it. I’m not sure if it’s the 1500’s Spanish architectural influence or the smell of the ocean; I really like Saint A and I’m glad we planned for a few days; there is so much to see.
FRIDAY: We moved over to the marina for a few days and waited on some packages, strolled the streets of Saint A, walked around Flagler College, once the Ponce deLeon Hotel, and saw some really wonderful works of art, Tiffany stained glassed windows, and tile work that cannot be surpassed.
SATURDAY: We caught up with Rich and Heather Egan (creek folk) for dinner, drinks, and dancing at the A1A Bar with a Motown band. Could have been Rick’s. The Egans are always a fun time.
SUNDAY: We walked to the Alligator Farm Zoological Park and the Saint Augustine Lighthouse, about a 4 mile round trip hike. We stopped at the Mellow Mushroom for lunch - wow was that good. We also found a butcher and seafood market: Chop Shop Artisan Butcher and Fresh Market Island.
MONDAY: We moved back to a mooring ball then motored over to tour the fort - so much history in this area!
The Beach: The A1A Bus will deliver you to the beach - it's a hike for sure. Once you hit the beach, walk North to the State Park Facility. They even have a grill restaurant available. Of course, you can always take an Uber/Lyft or the Trolley.
Juan Ponce deLeon claimed Florida for Spain in 1513 and stumbled upon what he called the Fountain of Youth. St Augustine was founded in 1565 by Pedro Menendez de Aviles and is the oldest continuously occupied settlement, of European origin, in the United States. The city also has the Bridge of Lions with replicas of the Medici Lions from Florence, Italy.
GETTING AROUND ST AUGUSTINE:
Trolleytours.com is the best way to move around all of St Augustine. Tickets are $40/street price or $33/online per person for a single day pass. The pass gives you hop-on/off privileges with free admission to the St Augustine History Museum, free shuttles between the beach, downtown St Augustine, and the Alligator Farm Zoological Park (the Lighthouse entrance is sorta across the street - so - you could walk over to see it).
Sunshinebus.net $4/day pass; bus drivers have been known to drop off passengers at the entrance of the State Park which is located just past the Alligator Farm and Zoological Park. Use the RED LINE Bus (Google: Sunshine Bus Company Map). This is a trickier option and a hike from the entrance of the State Park to the visitor's center.
FROM THE MARINA/OVER THE BRIDGE OF LIONS:
1.5 miles to St Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
WALKING: AIA South; Left onto Busam Street; Right onto Lighthouse Avenue; Around the bend to entrance
1.8 miles to St Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park (so .3 miles to the lighthouse)
2.7 miles to Anastasia State Park Guard Station which is past the Park entrance
TOURISTY PLACES WE VISITED:
Alligator Farm Zoological Park: $15/person
Who knew there were so many different alligators and crocodiles?! This little zoo is the main source of reptilian information and rehabilitation around the globe. The gators were scary and majestic at the same time. The zoo also has lemurs, sloths, Komodo dragons, and a lot more cool looking animals and snakes - all looking pretty dag-gone healthy. So much to learn!
Try to time your visit for crocodile feedings at noon and 3pm. The Zoo offers Wildlife Shows scheduled throughout the day. Oh, and if you hear blood curdling screams, DON’T PANIC, it's the lemurs having a disagreement.
The Zoo offers a Crocodile Crossing on a zip-line for $38/45-minutes/person or $68/90-minutes/person depending on the route you chose. This requires reservations in advance. If it were me, and I ran the zoo, I would also require a statement of mental stability before allowing people to dangle above hungry gators - but that’s just me.
St Augustine Lighthouse: $15/person
This is the third lighthouse on this location. Built in 1874, there are 219 steps and the lighthouse continues to work as an active aid in navigation.
FUN FACTS: The stories of the previously built lighthouses on this location remind me of the Three Little Pigs. The first lighthouse was a wooden structure built in the 1500’s and used a flaming torch to aid sailors; it burned down in 1568. The second light house was built in 1683 from the ruins of a stone chapel; that one fell down in 1880.
Heritage Boatworks have a few hand-crafted boats in different stages of construction. When the boats are completed, the vessels are raffled off to support the renovations of the lighthouse. A completed Penobscot 13 was on display and awaiting a pick up - the craftsmanship is unbelievable.
Castillio de San Marcos National Monument: $15/person
The oldest masonry fortification in the United States. This fort has been occupied by the Spanish, Brits, and now the US. There are so many cannons here! I noticed the cannons have fantastic artistic designs and etchings. If you are a cannon-lover, then, this is the place for you! The National Park Service has done a great job making this fort available to the public.
OTHER TOURISTY PLACES WE DID NOT VISIT:
Anastasia State Park: $8/vehicle (8 people); $4/vehicle (1 person); $2/pedestrian/bicyclist/extra passengers
The park is made available for people of all mobility levels (free use of beach wheelchair - call ahead). There are bike rentals when you enter the park, a grill style restaurant, restrooms/bath house, pavilions, kayak rentals, camping sites, and so much more. If you decide to go shelling, try to time your visit at low tide (where the good stuff hides).
Ponce deLeon’s Fountain of Youth: $20/person
Sip from the Fountain of Youth in the Spring House or explore the Timucua Indian Exhibit who habituated this area 3,000 years ago. Visit the planetarium and learn how the castellations guided early explorers across the oceans.
Mission of Nombre de Dion & Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche
In the 1600’s a statute of the Virgin Mary nursing the baby Jesus was placed in a chapel. The chapel she now graces, more than 450 years later, was rebuilt in 1915.
For some reason, I couldn’t find this chapel. I’m not sure why because I was using google maps and the internet is always right… I’d like to try again to see this statue on a return trip.
St Augustine Old Jail and Museum $15.96/person
Funny, this jail was built in 1891 and designed to look like a hotel because the look of a jail is just too trashy. It is also one of the most haunted places on the east coast.
The jail offers another package where you can take a 45-minute tour after hours to learn more about the paranormal activities that have taken place over the years; who knows, you might be a participating member!
HEADS UP: JIM KING PARK IS OUR NEXT STOP. IT'S A 72-HOUR FREE DOCK IN UPPER FLORIDA. PROVISION NOW BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING THERE - I AM DEAD SERIOUS - NOTHING - AN UBERLESS LAND.
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