St Augustine - at a dock

There was really no way to get at the fort

Today we didn't leave that early, enough time to take a shower. I read my book a lot and did my math, but before I read two pages in my book we were there. I coiled up the rope when we left the dock sat down a tiny bit and  then got ready to get the lines out. It wasn't  marina from marina, we have had some long trips and one hour is short for me. I looped the cleat this time, but the guy undid it to take it on another cleat that made me mad. I know he was just doing his job, it's just I really feel I caught the cleat when the rope stays on the cleat. After that I started on math and then chilled out for a while, It is crazy hot here about ninety (well it feels like ninety)! Then we went to Castillo de San Marcos fort that was real old. It was made with bricks of sand and shells, It had a interesting lay out so it is undefeatable. We saw big rooms with some had old carvings on them, the fort itself looks majestic with the drawbridge opening. At the top there were cannons on platforms of wood, also at each end of the fort were towers. The one tower that was the biggest faced the ocean  it had a bell to spot any approaching ships. After that we headed back to the boat because we saw all there was to see, as we went down the dock we saw more boats arriving. In mine time I made my own fort that is very awesome, with an alligator moat. We also saw fish that were tiny jumping out of the water, Nana said they were being chased. A big boat came in next to us that has shaded windows, and it is a big power boat. More and more boats come in and the docks start to fill up, we are having shrimp tonight a goodbye! Sarah

It was just a short trip today, a couple of miles to Ft Augustine. We took a dock at the town marina since we wanted easy access to downtown and the fort for Sarah. In the afternoon we walked over to the fort and I think Ann almost wilted from the heat. There was very little wind and I don't remember it ever being this warm in late October down here. 

An undefeated soldier

As Sarah said, the fort was never defeated. The British came one time and occupied the town and sieged the town for 50 days but everyone retreated to the fort and the British couldn't get in. In spite, they burned the town down as a going away present when Spanish reinforcements arrived. The walls are made of a combination of small shells with cement type structure mixed in. The combination resulted in walls that dented when hit by cannonballs but did not fracture, a natural energy absorbing structure. 

It's a national park so my Golden Passport was honored for all of us. On the way back it grew even hotter, good thing we have A/C on the boat. After it cooled down in the evening, we walked into town to see the shops. They have several streets where cars are not permitted, nice for walking and looking. We will do more of the same tomorrow before leaving on Saturday for an anchorage in Daytona.