While earlier this year we talked about a Tampa pirate festival inspired neither by facts nor recorded history, this month we follow up with an event that does have a basis of authenticity.   Every year the city of St. Augustine commemorates a tragic time in the city’s long past when an English raiding party led by Captain Robert Searle attacked the city in 1668.  Searle’s men battled the early settlers and Spanish defenders through the streets of St. Augustine in order to claim the prize of the silver ingots in the city’s treasury.  The event is sponsored by Searle’s Buccaneers and the Men of Menendez (members of the Florida Historic Militia), with the assistance of the St. John’s County Tourist Development Council.

As the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in North America,  St. Augustine has a rich history and claims a special place in the hearts of aging pirates everywhere.  It features this annual reenactment, a very nice pirate museum, a pirate themed river cruise and the site of the Ponce de Leon inspired Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.  If you you are willing to drink from the fount of the Gullible you may very much enjoy the side trip and parking and admission tickets to this park just outside of the city.

However, on our recent trips to the area we enjoyed primarily the historic district including the Castillo de San Marcos as well as Fort Mantanzas just south of St. Augustine along with ICW.   It includes a nice anchorage area which the dolphin still regularly patrol to this day.

Here are a few clips from this year’s reenactment on Saturday, March 2nd, conducted in a bit of a squall so not all powder was able to be kept dry.  It is a bit embarrassing when your flintlock fails repeatedly in public.