Drawn To The Light

St. Augustine  

The St. Augustine Lighthouse serves as the focal point of our stays in the Menendez mooring field. The tower stands 165-feet tall and is the landmark we search for on the horizon as we approach the city. Its rotating beacon is the last thing I see at night and the first thing I look for in the morning. This morning, the lighthouse and the rising sun competed for most impressive light display. 

Today was our day to visit the St. Augustine Light Station and we got an early start. A short dinghy ride into the marina was followed by a two mile walk over the Bridge of Lions and down A1A. The weather forecasters had told us to prepare for a warm and sunny day, but when we arrived at our destination the sky was still disappointingly overcast. Two tour buses of school kids pulled in just ahead of us so we toured the museum and outbuildings and walked the nature trails while allowing the crowds climbing the light to thin down. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is a private non-profit organization which relies on admissions and fundraising to support all operations. Hands down, this is the nicest lighthouse we've ever visited. Volunteers were plentiful and friendly. The wooden shipbuilding exhibit was buzzing with activity on two different boats. The lighthouse itself was immaculate, sporting a fresh coat of paint that popped against the overcast sky. Our time came to enter the tower and make our way up the 219 steps. 

The staircase landings featured interesting displays of facts, figures, and stories. My favorite new story was that of when the lightkeeper's son attached a parachute to and then dropped his sister's cat, Smokey, from the top of the lighthouse. The cat survived the event, but reportedly went missing for several weeks. I laughed and joked about cat paratroopers in the giftshop. We made our way to the top and exited onto the gallery deck as the clouds began to dissipate. We were able to get a good look at the nine-foot-tall Fresnel lens which contains three bullseye panels that channel light into three separate beams. These beams shine over 20 miles across land and sea in 30-second intervals. From the top, we spotted Crossroads swaying gently from mooring ball 4. 

We were all smiles as the sun was out and the day was warming up nicely. We descended the 219 steps and my new knee worked wonderfully. I went back and took a few more photos in the more favorable lighting. A volunteer snapped the shot of us in front of the entrance. We finished up and exited through the giftshop where, low and behold, there was a Smokey plush (no parachute) plus youth shirts and stickers featuring a drawing of the historical parachute flight. 

We earned our certificate and enjoyed a few more moments in the sun and a bottle of water before starting our walk back across the bridge to the historic district. Ever cognizant of the fact that the best view may be behind you, I turned in time to catch this last shot of the tower in perfect lighting.

We checked out the two lions on the east end of the bridge, then headed across the span thankful that we did not have to pause for a bridge opening. Another pair of lions welcomed us to the mainland. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and walked through the retail district one more time before returning to the marina. An egret was wading in the shallows as we loaded back into the dinghy and left downtown in our wake. Tomorrow morning we will drop our mooring ball and continue south on the outside to Fort Pierce. We welcome the opportunity to make significant miles and bypass a dozen bridges. We are on a fast track now as my presence in the Bahamas has been requested for a little paddle boarding. Tonight provided one last sunset to enjoy from the pilothouse.

There will be no blog post on Thursday, January 19 as we'll be offshore. I'll catch you up once were anchored in Fort Pierce.