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Willys is safely back in NC and we have enjoyed our week visiting back, but it is time to return to Journey in Titusville. Deadpool has been keeping a good watch over her while we were gone. We explore, some more of Titusville. A friendly community that we loved. Next we head out to anchor and stage for the rocket launch which we were able to return in time for. We made our way out in front to the launch area and settled in, but the launch was delayed a day due to winds so we were rocking one extra day to see the launch. We were not really enjoying our anchoring but after watching the launch we changed our minds and of course the sunsets tried to also make it all better. WE were up early for the launch. Pretty funny listening to us because the live stream was almost a minute behind, so the launch confused us a first. This was a great experience. Breathtaking to watch. So glad we were able to experience this first hand. The rocket is up and the sun is rising so it is time to continue moving north. Hoping to make Fort Matanza by sunset. We passed through some remote areas before New Smyrna Beach and catching our first glimpse of the Ponce de Leon inlet lighthouse. I just love lighthouses so sorry for all the different shots of this beautiful lighthouse. As we pass through Daytona but continue on north to Fort Matanza Where we spot Poseidon looking over the waterway and catch sight of one of the many Bald Eagles we will see on our Journey north. We make the fort and the anchorage and are welcomed by our dolphin friends. The Fort is still closed due to Covid Why is this fort here just 15 miles south of St. Augustine? According to OhRanger.com Here is some history on Fort Matanzas The Massacre: The first conflict goes back to 1565, the year of the founding of St. Augustine and almost 175 years before the construction of Fort Matanzas. This is when another story was played out at the Matanzas Inlet--the massacre of the French Huguenots, the incident that led to the naming of the river, Matanzas, the Spanish word for "slaughters". The British Threat: By 1740, it was no longer the French, but rather the British who were a threat to the Spanish Florida colony. Whoever controlled Florida controlled the rich shipping lanes coming from the Spanish Caribbean. The British had unsuccessfully laid siege to St. Augustine twice (1702 and 1740). Florida Governor Montiano knew the British would be back and would most likely attempt to come through the unguarded inlet at Matanzas. So, he immediately ordered a fort to be built to guard these southern approaches-- Fort Matanzas. Oglethorpe's Attack of 1740: Just as the 1702 Siege grew out of a larger European conflict, so would the next attack on St. Augustine-- James Oglethorpe's Siege of 1740, which grew out of the War of Jenkin's Ear, a dispute between Britain and Spain over trade in the Caribbean. The Building of Fort Matanzas and British Challenges: The British siege convinced Governor Manuel de Montiano that he needed more than just a wooden tower at Matanzas Inlet. Had the British been able to seize that point, they would probably have been able to starve the city into surrender. Montiano, therefore, put his career on the line. He did not even ask the king's permission before he ordered engineer Pedro Ruiz de Olano to build a strong, stone tower at Matanzas. After a quiet night at the fort we headed north to pass through St. Augustine. We soon started seeing some beautiful homes and the Bridge of lions. The city is beautiful from the water and we caught a glimpse of Islena on a mooring ball in the mooring field. As you round toward the inlet you get a view of Castillo de San Marcos. According to Wikipedia , here is some history of Castillo de San Marcos. The Castillo de San Marcos (Spanish for "St. Mark's Castle") is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. It was designed by the Spanish engineer Ignacio Daza, with construction beginning in 1672, 107 years after the city's founding by Spanish The possession of the fort has changed six times, all peaceful, among four different governments: Spain, 1695–1763 and 1783–1821, Kingdom of Great Britain, 1763–1783, and the United States of America, 1821–date (during 1861–1865, under control of the Confederate States of America). Under United States control the fort was used as a military prison to incarcerate members of Native American tribes starting with the Seminole Also as we pass through St. Augustine we see the Great cross. Here is history of the cross courtesy of RoadsideAmerica.com The plaque at the base of the cross, which is 208 feet high, says that it "marks the approximate site where in 1565 the cross of Christianity was first permanently planted in what is now the United States." That's right -- Jesus arrived in America here first, over a half-century before the Pilgrims even touched their toes to Plymouth Rock. "The Great Cross" (as it's known) was erected in 1966 to mark the 400th anniversary of that momentous day. It's built of 70 tons of stainless steel plates, packed with concrete in its lower third to prevent toppling by hurricanes. It's part of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, and its height was designed so that everyone near St. Augustine could see it, and be reminded "of the religious beginning of our nation," according to the plaque. At the time it was also the World's Tallest Cross -- as noted on old postcards -- but its heaven-scraping record has since been surpassed. And finally the St. Augustine Lighthouse guarding the inlet. We catch sight of another bald eagle and head on into the free dock at sister creek just before some storms make their way into the area.
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We made our way into an anchorage in Boynton Beach to hide from some winds. After cruising up through the Boca Raton area and seeing some big boats and homes along the way. The anchorage in Boynton Beach we called the Chocolate Hole because the water was brown and shallow but we were safe from the winds. Good news a park was close by with a dock, so we could walk to the beach and enjoy a few good days on the beach while we were here. Finally, the winds passed and we headed north once more up the ICW into the West Palm anchorage right in front of the Kapok tree. We enjoyed exploring West Palm Beach area and even walked a little over a mile to find a brewery we were interested in. Steam horse brewing It was a great little stop with some great beers on tap. While we explored here we could walk a full circle around Journey over both draw bridges and did this several times. This walk also got us up close and personal with the Kapok tree. And took some great shots of Journey from shore…… We left West Palm and passed through Lake Worth and saw some unique boats before heading out the inlet to find that pretty blue water up to the Stuart and the St. Lucie inlet to anchor in Peck Lake. Another turtle spotting before were enter the inlet which is always a busy area. I wanted to anchor in Peck Lake because I read so much about what a great anchorage, easy to shore and the beach. I am all about some beach. We did love the beach as it is very remote with few people because everyone must come by boat. But the anchorage is not desirable due to the fact it is not in a no wake zone. Our boat was rearranged inside multiple times. Hated it! WE only spent one night here but we did see a shark and of course by the time we had a camera the best shots had passed us by as always. The next day were left Peck Lake and headed back out the st. lucie inlet and headed up to enter again at Fort Pierce. Another great day in the ocean. The Fort Pierce was busy on the water and on the beaches…. We passed Vero Beach area looking for an anchorage, but we just could not find a place that made us happy so we kept going and finally was able to find enough water to anchor by the Wabasso bridge just as the sun went down. Today we are headed to Cocoa Beach and spotted another endeavor trawler cat headed out way. Escape from Reality was headed south and to the Bahamas. We ended up passing through Cocoa Beach as the free dock was full and we just decided to head on the Titusviolle and pick up a mooring ball for a few days before we head into the marina. After passing Cocoa Beach and heading toward Titusville we get our first glimpses of Cape Canaveral - the Kennedy Space Center and NASA. Super Exciting! We picked up our mooring ball, settled Journey and headed in to check on Willys who had been here since we were in Marathon. Some land time in Willys exploring Titusville and finding some good Mexican to celebrate our Journey so far. The sunset did not disappoint us. WE could not stop here and not visit the Cape Canaveral National Seashore for another beach day! Dee made sure I was getting plenty of beach time on this trip. Our finally experience on the mooring ball in Titusville was riding our one terrible storm. It was vicious and the mooring field was rocking. We watched one sail boat try to pick up a mooring multiple times loosing their pole one time. Finally he settled for anchoring until it had all passed. Finally, the storm moved passed and the waters settled back down. After the storm the sunset was spectacular. Now we are headed into the marina and home to NC with Willys. Be back in a week Journey! |
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