There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know. Harry S Truman
St. Augustine is a city we have visited a few times over the past years, but very briefly. We finally had the time and opportunity to stay for a few days and get to know her on a much more personal level. We have spent the last few months traveling to islands, towns, ports, and cities all over the Caribbean. We have to say St. Augustine held enough beauty, intrigue, culture, and delights that put her at the top of the list of all of our stops thus far.
To give you a little background on this city, it’s the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States. In 1565 the Spanish explorer, Pedro Menendez de Aviles, was sailing with the objective of finding a suitable location to establish a colony. He was caught in a hurricane and landed there.
Back in 1513, Ponce de Leon had ventured as far north as the future St. Augustine and declared the peninsula for the Spanish crown. It was believed to be an island at that time. Both France and Spain were trying to colonize the area but failed. In 1552 French Huguenot, Jean Ribault had sailed just north of St. Augustine and explored rivers and inlets but failed to form any established colonies.
By 1566, the first child of European descent was born in St. Augustine, 21 years prior to the settlement in Roanoke Island and 42 years before Jamestown. The settlers faced hostile attacks from some of the local Indian tribes as well as from France. Hence, the birth of Castillo de San Marcos, the fort that still guards the harbor of the city.
To make a long story short, many battles took place in St. Augustine throughout history. The largest free-standing cross in the country stands where the first Catholic mass was performed in the United States. Hundreds of men died fighting in the wars, and mass burials took place for those who were unsuccessful in taking the fort. It is rumored, that one of the mass graves of the French fleet who tried to take the fort, were buried less than a mile from that cross, just spitting distance from where we anchored between the fort and the cross. It is without a doubt one of the cities with the greatest reputations for paranormal activity. That is where our story ends, but let’s get to the fun parts first.
As we arrived via the ICW to St. Augustine, just south of the Bridge of Lions, we were enthralled with the sights of schooners, pirate ship replicas and historical sites that dotted the shoreline. We tried to secure a mooring ball but being a popular boating destination, one needs to reserve a mooring ball well in advance. One of the great features of this city is that you can go to the Municipal Marina and get a day pass for your dinghy. This provides access to the showers, laundry services, Wi-Fi, and allows you to tie up at the dock each day and have a home port for your exploring.
After checking in, we crossed under the drawbridge and anchored a few hundred yards off the face of the Castillo de San Marcos. It was a delightful location with a spectacular view of the castle and an abundant feeding ground for dolphins. You couldn’t swing a dead catfish without seeing a dolphin surfacing somewhere around the harbor. However, the first time the cannon blasted from the castle, it nearly sent me into cardiac arrest. I dove for cover while Dan laughed and reminded me the cannons are fired on a regular basis as part of the castle tours. You would think I would internalize that information, yet every time the cannons went off, it sent me into spasms of terror and shock. Thank goodness the cannon firing ended by 5 in the evening.
Our first evening, we decided to make our own pub crawl. The cobblestone-paved narrow streets with incredibly old and historic buildings housed myriads of attractive, quaint, bars. Dan’s goal was to sample the incredible array of local brews. Mine was to stay sober enough to drive the dinghy back and find our boat in the dark. We only got to our third bar when we encountered the two-man band, Dewey Via. We were instantly riveted by the lead singer’s guitar playing and vocal ability. His sidekick had a homemade washboard with acoustic attachments such as symbols, bells, castanets, wood blocks and several other percussion instruments. He was a visual cornucopia of delight as he adeptly incorporated each sound into the blues rhythms of his partner. We went no further that evening and thoroughly enjoyed the band’s show. On the walk back to our dinghy, we passed many other bars with their own house bands and unique sounds. One could spend a week of evenings there and not tire of the bar and bands.
The next day we boarded the motorized Red Train Tour. Every 20 minutes, a Red Train arrives at one of the 24 stops along their route. Riders get an ongoing narrative of the history of the town as they ride past the sites. In addition, passengers can embark and disembark at any of the stops and sightsee on their own or take tours. It is a great way to pass through the city and learn a portion of what history the oldest city the country holds. In the evening hours, is the famous Ripley’s Ghost Train Adventure. Touted as the most interactive paranormal experience in the country, guests tours the streets and learn of the mysterious events for which the city is famous. The tour includes investigating the haunted Warden Castle with EMF meters and laser grids.
We boarded the Red Train around 10 AM at the Municipal Dock. We drove through the city getting the highlights of the Flagler legacy, a multimillionaire responsible for the university and many fine hotels in town. We stopped at the Fountain of Youth, the first Ripley’s museum and listened raptly to the steady stream of fascinating history behind the landmarks.
Then, came the REALLY fun stops, the winery, and distillery. Dan and I have done extensive wine tasting tours as our daughter lives in Sonoma County. We have done wine tastings in California, upstate New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and many places in between. While we are true amateurs when it comes to recognizing fine wines, we were enthralled with the San Sebastian Winery. We didn’t even know they grew wine grapes in Florida! This winery was exceptional in not only its wines but in their education, ambiance, and rooftop restaurant complete with live music. We rate it 5 stars.
A block away, built within a historical building that once housed the oldest power station in Augustine and later on an ice house, is the St. Augustine Distillery. Once again, the small town charm, community-run business, the history, and ambiance worked together to make this distillery a first class experience. Charming hosts provided a tour of the working operations, all still performed by hand. Being a business that likes to “go green” and be sustainable, they explained how they co-op with local businesses as well as recycle their used products back to the farmers where they purchase their farm-fresh ingredients to make their alcohol. We were treated to free tastings of mixed drinks prepared with their handmade mixers. We sampled excellent gin, whiskey, rum, and vodka. You won’t find their products in your local ABC stores, you have to visit St. Augustine and get it firsthand.
St. Augustine has an incredible art district in their historic downtown. Galleries line the street as well as jewelers and shops with handmade crafts. Our favorite gallery visit was the Phillip Anthony Signature Gallery. This gallery had the most unique and fascinating collection of work we have ever seen. Some of their captivating works of art including pictures, wall decorations and even glass furniture including moving parts, cogs, wheels, integrated into their creativity. We were particularly taken with the work of James Harlan. As a graphic artist, he has been creating these lifelike, colorful and dynamic works for years. Many of them are boat and marine themed. He struck a strong chord with us in his unique presentation and with the simple beauty of his work.
Our last night at anchor, after receiving the information about the lost and buried souls from previous centuries followed us like a heavy cloud back to our boat. Under the light of a full moon, we returned to our little boat, bobbing in the dark and inky water. The anchor light atop her mast was the beacon that guided us home. The water was calm; only a gentle breeze blew under the pale light of the full moon rising. Exhausted, we hopped into bed, expecting a good sleep after a long day.
Sometime around 3 AM, the boat began to rock violently. Dan jumped out of bed and disappeared into the dark. The boat seemed to be spinning and rocking very unnaturally. I had never felt this type of movement at anchor. I peered out the porthole window behind my bed and illuminated so closely it that it looked like I could reach out and touch it, was the giant cross. Our boat had never had her stern in that direction during our anchor there, and the sight of it shocked me. Then, at a dizzying speed, the boat began to spin. I held on for a bit then left bed to find Dan.
Dan was busy looking at his computer to determine by GPS if we were dragging anchor. I popped into the chilly air of the cockpit to find the wind had picked up and was now roaring. I was immediately disoriented as the boat was spinning like a top. The fort flew by as we spun around the anchor chain. I yelled down to Dan, “I think we are dragging!”
“We aren’t dragging!” he yelled back. “The GPS says we are still in the same spot.”
I felt as if I was on a carnival ride. We spun back around in the other direction. That is when I spotted the other boats anchored near us. There were three of them. While they all bobbed slightly in the waves, not one of them was moving. We were anchored directly off the fort and closest to shore. The shadow of the fort crossed the stern once again and a chill ran down my spine. I headed back down the stairs and jumped under the warm covers of my bed. Strange noises accompanied the swinging of the boat. It seemed as if the hands of a thousand soldiers were under our boat, spinning her and groaning beneath the waves of their watery grave.
Dan stayed up for another hour. I hardly slept and when I did, was plagued with nightmares of dragging anchors and ghostly figures boarding our boat in the darkness. Neither one of us slept for more than a few hours. It was one of the strangest and scariest nights at anchor we’ve experienced. As we departed St. Augustine the following day, I gazed back at the enchanting skyline of the city. Steeped in history and in the beauty of her Spanish architecture, she is still my favorite city. However, I will take away from the visit another aspect as well. The thousands of lost souls from decades of battles and over 600 years of fascinating history loom heavily over this city – perhaps close enough that you might feel the ghostly shadow of their breath.