After several days of dropping anchor and motor sailing I told Bubba it was time to stay some place for a minute! We arrived in St. Augustine on a Thursday and stayed until Monday morning. I had a full work day on Friday, I needed to stay put in one place so I could get all of it done. We were also due for our Yanmar engine service so staying in St. Augustine allowed us time to find a certified person to get it done. We grabbed a slip at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina which was convenient to downtown.
Saturday was all about boat projects. Our air conditoner was still cycling so Bubba continued to try to figure out what was causing that to happen. I took advantage of the onsite washing machines and dryer to knock the laundry out. I told Bubba I was setting Sunday aside to do sight seeing and to have some “me time” off the boat. The marina staff were friendly and extremely helpful getting us in and out of our slip. That area is known for it’s strong current and it was the most challenging one we had yet in terms of docking.
To reach the marina you have to enter through the Bridge of Lions. It is quite the ornate structure.
I started my Sunday morning off with a walk to Castillo de San Marcos. I visited the fort once before as kid when we visted Disneyworld and Cape Canaveral. It was fun to visit it again.
In 1565 Spain established St. Augustine to protect the Gulf Stream shipping route and anchor its claim to La Florida. By the early 1600’s, British colonies encroaching from the north threatened the city. The Spanish built nine wooden forts before constructing the stone fort that stands today. The fort was constructed between 1672 and 1695. The fort has had several names and served many purposes. Today it is a national monument and the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States.
After the tour of the fort I decided to buy a trolley tour ticket that would allow me to hop on and off at different locations to touristy destinations. My sister in law, Sarah Beth, had been here a few weeks before us and had visited the St. Augustine Distillery, this would be my next stop. Along the way the tour guide showed us all of the community work that had been done by Henry Flagler. Flager was an American industrialist and founder of Standard Oil. He became a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida. He was responsible for building the Florida East Coast Railway from Daytona to Key West. He was a huge contributor to tourism in Florida.
The buildings and churches pictured below were built by Flagler. The windows found in the cafeteria of Flagler College are Tiffany glass. The glass panes were installed before Tiffany became “Big” and are valued at $5,000-$45,000 per window, a total of 79 windows. There is a pbs special on the windows called, Field Trip: Flagler Tiffany Windows, check it out of pbs.org.
St. Augustine Distillery was founded in 2013 by 20 local families. It is located in Florida’s oldest ice plant. Grains are sourced from local farmers from across the state of Florida in order to make their whiskey, They distill and hand bottle everything they sell!
With a little pep in my step, I hopped back on the trolley to make my way to the next stop, The San Sebastian Winery. The winery was founded in 1996 and makes premium sparkling and dessert wines from Muscadine grapes.
With all of the walking and drinking it was time to hop on the trolley and rest my feet before reaching the next destination, The Fountain of Youth! The Fountain of Youth is a archaeological park sitting on 15 acres of private land. Most know this to be the place where Ponce De Leon discovered the healing waters that magically maintain a youthful appearance but it is also know as America’s first colony. I did take a drink from the fountain but it did not seem to help. Perhaps I should have drank more than the small Dixie cup.
I ended my day visiting the Cathedral of St. Augustine where I stopped to give thanks for all of the blessings I have received, to ask for my family and friends to be watched over as we are away and for our safe passing as we travel to our next destination.
