Praise for the two new mooring fields near downtown St. Augustine continues to come in. The mooring fields lie just north and south of the Bridge of Lions.

Had a very nice three day stay (November 21-23) in the new mooring field north of the new Bridge of Lions; this is the `SM’ (for San Marco) field that is in front of Bay Street and the Castillo de San Marco. For $20/day, you have access to the dinghy dock and the bathhouse (very nice facility), and to a pump out boat (we didn’t use the service so I don’t know the schedule). The moorings are about a month old at this writing; we had not understood the system, and when the installer came by he told us how to correctly attach ourselves (with the `keyhole’ much closer to the boat than we had understood) and even sent his diver to detach us so we could easily make the correction. I know the installation of moorings has been controversial in the cruising community, but given the shallow depths, the proximity of the seawall, the channel and the bridge, and the excellent access to marina services and the attractions of Saint Augustine, I have to say that I think the $20 is a bargain. Discounts for longer stays, I understand. Captain Leigh Hough

A reader requested an explanation of the term “keyhole” and here is Captain Hough’s response:

Hi Larry. I was afraid that terminology would be confusing. So there is a yellow “float” attached by a line to the ball itself. It may be sitting down inside the “bowl” on the top of the ball. Above that float is a loop (it is rigid, not a line, therefore my description of it as a “keyhole”) through which you want to pass your line (we attached to something below the float originally, and the installer came along and corrected us, and said they had seen several folks make the same mistake). The office is supposed to be giving people better directions now (so said the installers); the moorings had only been in for a month or so when we were there in November. I am attaching a not-great photo; I may have another more helpful one and will dig it out and send it along. Happy New Year!

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Anchorage Directory Listing For St. Augustine Northern Anchorage Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Anchorage Directory Listing For St. Augustine Southern Anchorage Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of St. Augustine Mooring Fields