Today we donned sweatshirts for the first time since January! Morning temperature was about 60 degrees. We passed through St. Augustine on our way north. The newly rebuilt Bridge of Lions has retained its historical look.
St. Augustine is the nation’s oldest city, first settled over 400 years ago. The oldest masonry fortification still standing in the continental US is Castillo de San Marco, now a museum open to the public. The fort is built of coquina (Spanish for seashell) – a local shell stone from nearby Anastasia Island.
The fort is directly on the harbor, so we get a fine view.
After negotiating the tricky harbor inlet, we move on up the Intracoastal. This airboat looks like an interesting – if noisy – way to travel.
At Mayport, we left the Intracoastal for a brief excursion up the St. Johns River. At the junction, we see a large dry dock facility with this narrow-beamed Naval warship in for repairs.
One of the few north-flowing rivers in North America, the St. Johns has three distinct phases; wide, deep and commercial, then a broad, deep estuary with woodlands and small towns, and finally, a narrow, deep and twisting river. The river flows north for 248 miles, with its headwaters in the heart of central Florida near Orlando. We had heard intriguing stories about this river, and wanted to experience it for ourselves. The river boasts infinitely varied scenery; some parts very metropolitan, other places with subtropical vegetation and stands of trees growing to the water’s edge.
Before Jacksonville, the river is wide, deep and busy with traffic. Several bridges span the waterway.
We arrive on Palm Sunday and find that the Blessing of the Fleet is taking place in the downtown waterway. We stop prior to that area at the Metropolitan Park Marina, a city-run marina with free dockage.
Soon, a festooned power catamaran arrives, complete with palms, having been freshly blessed.
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