ST. AUGUSTINE INLET

243

fathoms (9.1 to 12.8 m) can be taken as close as 1 mile and 3 fathoms (5.5 m) as close as 3 mile to the beach until approaching Cape Canaveral. Broken ground, with spots having 5 to 6 fathoms (9.1 to 11.0 m) over them, lies from 4 to 6 miles offshore and from 12 to 16 miles north-northeastward of St. Augustine Lighthouse. There is a channel with a depth of 62 to 74 fathoms (11.9 to 13.2 m) inside the shoal and about 2 miles from the beach. The shoals are about 8 miles long in a southeasterly direction and about 21⁄2 miles wide.

The distance from Ponce de Leon Inlet to Cape Canaveral is 41 miles. The coast trends about southeast by south in nearly a straight line for 32 miles to False Cape; thence to Cape Canaveral, 9 miles, it trends south-southeasterly. It is bold to the vicinity of False Cape, between which and Cape Canaveral there are dangerous outlying shoals. Off Ponce de Leon Inlet 10 fathoms (18.3 m) will be found within 2 miles of the beach. A recent survey shows two shoal spots with depths of 611⁄2 fathoms (11.9 m) about 7 miles north-northeast from Ponce de Leon Inlet. Going southward the 10-fathom (18.3 m) curve gradually works offshore to a distance of 10 miles off False Cape.

For about 25 miles south of Ponce de Leon Inlet the coast is formed by a very narrow strip of lowland lying between the sea and Hillsborough River and Mosquito Lagoon. Seen from seaward, it shows a low line of sand hills partly covered with grass and scrub, with distant woods showing over. The only natural object at all distinctive in appearance is Turtle Mound, a green hillock about 10 miles south of the inlet. This, when seen from the northward and eastward, is quite conspicuous but from other points of view is less marked. This stretch of coast line has been settled rapidly in recent years. In places there are structures visible from seaward that will be of material assistance in fixing the position of vessels southbound, when sailing close in, to avoid the Gulf Stream. The more important places are described below.

St. Augustine Inlet. This inlet is the entrance to St. Augustine Harbor and the approach from sea to the city of St. Augustine. The inlet is about 30 miles southward of the entrance to St. Johns River and is marked on its southern side by St. Augustine Lighthouse and two radio masts.

The entrance to the inlet is obstructed by a shifting shoal which extends 12 miles seaward and forms a dangerous bar over which the channel depth was reported to be 51⁄2 feet (1.7 m) in November 1935.

The channel is marked by small buoys and by St. Augustine Lighted Whistle Buoy 2 St. A., which are shifted to the best water. Strangers should not enter without a pilot. There are no licensed bar pilots at St. Augustine, but if the harbor master is informed of the need and the expected time of arrival, an endeavor will be made to have a pilot waiting outside the bar. The usual charge for pilotage is $1.50 per foot. The bar and channel are said to shift frequently.

In 1935 the channel ran in southward toward the northeast point of Bird Island and then swung to the westward and passed close to the north end of the island. Although there is good anchorage inside of the inlet, it is not used as a harbor of refuge, because in

strong northeasterly and northwesterly winds the sea makes the bar impassable even for small vessels.

Tolomato or North River enters the inlet from the northward just inside the point of the North Beach. It rises about 15 miles northward of the inlet, has an average width of 1/4 mile, and depth of 15 feet (4.5 m) for several miles from its mouth. It is important in being a part of the Intracoastal Waterway. There is a highway bridge about 1/2 mile north of the junction of the Tolomato River and St. Augustine Inlet.

Matanzas River enters the inlet from the southward. It is about 15 miles long to Matanzas Inlet and separates Anastasia Island from the mainland. Above St. Augustine the river has a channel depth of 10 feet (3.0 m) for a distance of 8 or 10 miles. The channel is well marked and, through the broader section of the river, is very narrow and winds between shoals which are visible at low water. The most difficult part of the river is in the narrow channel northwest of Crescent Beach, where the least depth is 8 feet (2.4 m) at low water. The Intracoastal Waterway follows the channel of Matanzas River. San Sebastian River flows past the west side of the city of St. Augustine and empties into Matanzas River 12 miles south of the bridge. The channel from the Matanzas River to the wharves is marked by beacons. It is said to have a depth of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2.1 m) at the entrance, and 8 feet (2.4 m) inside as far as the highway bridge. Supplies and gasoline may be taken at a wharf on this river on the west side of the city. Important wharves connected with the fishing trade are located on this river. In stormy southeasterly weather, smaller boats may find a good haven in this river.

St. Augustine is a popular winter resort for tourists and yachtsmen and has several fine hotels open during the winter season. A railroad connects with Jacksonville and points south. The channels to St. Augustine through the Intracoastal Waterway are well marked by buoys and beacons and present no difficulties for a draft of 8 feet (2.4 m).

There is good anchorage abreast of the city in the Matanzas River, both above and below the bridge, through which there is a wide draw. There are a number of small private landings on the east side of the city, north and south of the bridge. The municipal pier is about 100 yards south of the Matanzas River bridge. It affords good berths for yachts and free fresh water is obtainable. This pier, on which the local harbor master has his office, has depths of 10 to 20 feet (3.0 to 6.1 m) in the various slips, and from 10 to 18 feet (3.0 to 5.5 m) at its face. A charge is made for wharfage after the first 12 hours of one dollar per day for boats 50 feet in length, and up to two cents per foot for boats over 50 feet in length. Approach to the pier is from mid-channel on a course about parallel with the bridge.

Supplies. Provisions, water, gasoline, and some coal can be had

here.

Repairs. There are facilities for making minor repairs to hulls and machinery and ways for hauling out craft up to 60 feet in length. The nearest place for general repairs is Jacksonville.

Storm warnings are displayed from a tower at Fort Marion, on the water front.

Tides.—The average rise and fall of tides is about 42 feet (1.4 m), and high water occurs about one-half hour later than at Mayport. Prominent features. St. Augustine Lighthouse, lat. 29°53′07′′ N., long. 81°17′19′′ W., on the south side of St. Augustine Inlet, is a black and white, spirally banded, conical tower. The light is fixed white varied by a white flash of 0.3 seconds' duration every 30 seconds, 161 feet (49.1 m) above high water and visible 19 miles.

Radio towers about 200 yards north of the lighthouse are prominent. The tops of the radio towers are marked by fixed red lights.

A black water tank in St. Augustine and one near the beach about 114 miles north of the inlet show up well to seaward.

Directions. When approaching St. Augustine Inlet, the shore should be given a berth of at least 2 miles, so as to keep outside the sea buoy.

No stranger should attempt to enter without a pilot, as the channel shifts frequently, and no information as to buoys or courses would be reliable for any length of time. The master of a vessel bound for St. Augustine should telegraph to the harbor master the probable date of her arrival off the bar, so that a pilot can be on the look-out for her.

Matanzas Inlet is 11 miles southward of St. Augustine Lighthouse. It affords an outlet for Matanzas River, which extends northward to St. Augustine and southward, following the coast for a distance of 8 or 10 miles to Graham Swamp, in which it takes its rise. The inlet is obstructed by a shifting bar and is now virtually impassable; sometimes being entirely dry. A highway bridge has been built across this inlet, with a draw span 40 feet wide.

A canal runs southward from Matanzas Inlet for 211⁄2 miles to Halifax River and parallels in general the coast line. It is part of the Intracoastal Waterway and is fully described in the Inside Route Pilot, New York to Key West, previously referred to.

Matanzas Aviation Beacon is located about three-fourths mile northward of Matanzas Inlet. The light is flashing white, 64 feet (19.5 m) above high water.

A 4-masted schooner lies stranded on the beach about 3 miles southward of Flagler Beach and near Bulow Coast Guard Station. It is reported that the wreck constitutes a good landmark.

Flagler Beach Aviation Beacon is located at the northern end of Flagler Beach. The light is flashing white, 64 feet (19.5 m) above high water.

Daytona Beach is a popular winter resort, population 16,598 in 1930, on both banks of the Halifax River and extending eastward to the ocean beach, about 91⁄2 miles north-northwestward of Ponce de Leon Lighthouse. It is on the Florida East Coast Railway and is connected by water freight service northward through the Intracoastal Waterway with Jacksonville. The buildings on the beach are visible from seaward. A large recreation pier on the ocean front is a prominent landmark for passing vessels.

Ponce de Leon Inlet is about 53 miles southward of St. Augustine Lighthouse and 41 miles northwestward of Cape Canaveral Light

house. The entrance, which is about one-half mile wide, is obstructed by shifting shoals which extend about three-fourths mile seaward and form a bar, over which there is a channel depth of about 7 feet (2.1 m). Sea Buoy PL marks the entrance to the inlet. The inlet is easy to enter on a smooth sea, but in case of necessity the lighthouse keeper will pilot in or out. This inlet is used by small craft bound for New Smyrna or Daytona Beach and an occasional stranger entering for an anchorage. The inlet is now being improved by the dredging of a channel across the bar. The controlling depth in the channel will be 8 feet (2.4 m). The average rise and fall of tide is about 22 feet (0.8 m); high water occurs about the same time as at Mayport.

Ponce de Leon Lighthouse, lat. 29°04'50" N., long. 80°55′42′′ W., is on the coast, about 1 mile north and west of the entrance to the inlet. It is a red brick, conical tower showing a group-flashing white light every 30 seconds (6 flashes 0.5 seconds, 5 eclipses 2 seconds each, 1 eclipse 17 seconds), 159 feet (48 m) above high water, visible 19 miles.

Halifax River extends north from the inlet about 25 miles, running parallel to the beach, from which it is separated by a low strip of land only 1/4 to 1/2 mile in width. Ponce Park, near the inlet, Port Orange, Daytona Beach, and Ormond, stations on the Florida East Coast Railway, are the principal landings on the river. For detailed information of vicinity of Daytona Beach and New Smyrna, see Inside Route Pilot, New York to Key West.

Hillsborough River extends southward from the inlet for a distance of 151⁄2 miles through the marshes to Mosquito Lagoon. The river in some places is narrow and crooked and requires careful steering and close attention to the channel beacons. A drawbridge crosses the river 134 miles above the inlet, and another crosses it at New Smyrna, about 3 miles from the inlet. The Intracoastal Waterway passes southward through Hillsborough River.

New Smyrna is a winter resort on the western bank of Hillsborough River 3 miles from Ponce de Leon Inlet. It is on the Florida East Coast Railroad. There are some fish wharves at the bend in the river north of the bridge. The municipal wharf which has a depth of from 9 to 11 feet (2.7 to 3.4 m) at its face is the first one north of the bridge; north of this is an oil wharf with a depth of 9 feet (2.7 m) at its face. No charge is made for berths alongside the city wharf, which is piped for fresh water. There is a basin for shallow draft boats. There are some small private piers south of the bridge. Provisions, gasoline, and some yacht supplies can be had here. There is a marine railway, in the bend of the river north of the bridge, that is capable of hauling out boats of a draft of 6 feet (1.8 m) and of a length of about 60 feet. There are strong tidal currents in the river abreast the city. The draft that can be carried to the town is limited only by the depth on Ponce de Leon Inlet bar.

False Cape is the name given to a small part of the coast about 9 miles northward of Cape Canaveral, which it resembles when seen from seaward.

Cape Canaveral, where the coast makes a sharp bend westward, is low and sandy and is marked by Cape Canaveral Lighthouse.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, lat. 28°27′37′′ N., long. 80°32′37′′ W., is a white and black, horizontally banded, conical iron tower. The light is flashing white every 15 seconds (flash 1.3 seconds, eclipse 13.7 seconds), 137 feet (41.8 m) above the water, and visible 18 miles. There is a Radiobeacon at the lighthouse (for description see Light List, Atlantic Coast, or H. O. Pub. No. 205). Vessels may communicate with the lighthouse by the International Signal Code.

The wreck 162 miles 140° from Cape Canaveral Lighthouse no longer shows and the Coast Guard reports a least depth of 11 fathoms over the wreck.

The wreck of the Mohican lies about 37% miles 173° true from Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. A buoy marks the wreck.

Broken ground and shoals extend 13 miles northward and northeastward from Cape Canaveral, terminating in Hetzel and Ohio Shoals, which have a depth of 12 and 19 feet (3.7 and 5.8 m), respectively. A recent survey has disclosed the existence of several shoal spots to the northeastward of Cape Canaveral. The area inside of Hetzel and Ohio Shoals should be navigated with extreme caution.

Hetzel Shoal Lighted Whistle Buoy 8 (flashing white light) is moored in lat. 28°39' N., long. 80°22′ W., in 66 feet (20.1 m), east-northeast of the north end of Hetzel Shoal, with Cape Canaveral Light bearing 221° true (SW. 11⁄2 S. mag.), distant 14.7 miles. A nun buoy is moored alongside. A depth of 3 fathoms (5.5 m) has been reported 2.3 miles west-northwest from the buoy, and a 14-foot (4.2 m) sounding has been reported 5.8 miles west-northwest from the buoy.

Southeast Outer Shoal Buoy 2 (red, 1st-class nun) is moored in 24 feet (7.3 m) of water, with Cape Canaveral Light bearing 3021⁄2° true (NW. by W. 1 W. mag.), distant 7.5 miles.

The least depths found on the inner shoals range from 7 to 16 feet (2.1 to 4.8 m), with shoaler water inside; the shoals are subject to some change in position and depth, and only small light-draft craft can safely pass inside the outer shoals. In a heavy sea the shoals are marked by breakers, but with a smooth sea there is nothing to indicate them except Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and the buoys marking Hetzel, Ohio, and South East Outer Shoals.

The effect of the Gulf Stream may be expected well in on the shoals, and this should be kept in mind in approaching the shoals from southward, as a vessel will generally overrun her log. Approaching from southward, 15 fathoms (27.4 m) is a good depth by which to avoid the shoals; from northward, 13 fathoms (23.7 m). Vessels are advised to use great care when navigating in the vicinity of the shoals off Cape Canaveral.

CAPE CANAVERAL TO FORT PIERCE INLET

(Charts 1246 and 1247)

From Cape Canaveral to Fort Pierce Inlet the coast trends generally south-southeastward for 611⁄2 miles and is broken by Sebastian Inlet. This section of the coast is formed almost entirely by a low, narrow strip of sand, covered with vegetation, which lies at a distance of 1 to 2 miles from the mainland, from which it is separated by the shallow waters of Banana and Indian Rivers, a part of the Intra