SettingSails El GalĂŠon in Florida
Photography by Andy Royston
SettingSails El GalĂŠon in Florida
Photography by Andy Royston All images within this book made on iPhone5
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El Galéon Andalucia arrived in Fort Lauderdale quietly one fine May evening. The ship was visiting Florida as part of the Viva Florida 500 celebrations marking the anniversary of the founding of
A lpaddleboarder and a distant ship.
the sunshine state. This magnificent ship arrived in Florida after following the route that 17th century Spanish trading ships commonly followed. From Seville
The history of Florida came to life in a moment, and many left moved by the experience. A week later Andalucia headed out once again into the Atlantic Ocean after a hugely popular week-long visit.
via Tenerife, El Galéon sailed to Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic before arriving on the
It was an honor for me to be invited to join Capitan Manolo Murube and the Andalucian crew of this
eastern coast of the USA.
amazing vessel as she sailed for her next port of call along the Florida coast – St. Augustine.
A few days earlier the ship sailed south from Cape Canaveral timing an arrival to meet a pilot boat off Port Everglades. Qucikly the ship was
My aim was to document the
escorted to a deepwater dock at Bahia Mar Marina close to Fort Lauderdale Beach.
experience with images made and edited entirely on iPhone5; a trip that saw all kinds of weather, fed by a cooling
In the week that followed thousands of Fort Lauderdale folks would visit the ship and take a
easterly breeze and the flow of the gulf stream off the eastern
tour of the spectacularly authentic decks.
coast of Florida.
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Standing on the quarterdeck of this stunning wooden vessel it is hard to believe that the Andalucia was built just four years ago by the Nao Victoria Fundacion in Seville Spain. A magnificent 495 ton, 170 foot 1:1 replica of a galleon that was part of Spain’s fleet to Florida. A perfect copy of a 16th-century sailing ship with Its maximum speed is 12.4 knots (23 kilometers per hour). It has four masts, seven sails and ten
of Captain Morgan Rum commercials, and I’m pleased to report that the ship is very bit as impressive up close.
cannons. Galeon Andalucia is primarily windpowered, but has two built-in engines that are used when necessary. It has a 30-man crew when fully operational. El Galeon’s stay at Fort Lauderdale was one of the signature events of the state’s
El Galeon spent ten days moored along the Intracoastal quay at Bahia Mar Resort, and was open
of explorer Ponce de Leon’s landing along Florida’s East Coast and attracted thousands of visitors during the visit. The ship is also familiar due to appearances in a series S A I L S
the horizon. Andalucia was heading to meet a pilot boat at 6pm at the mouth of Port Everglades. Soon I was by the rocks at Harbor Isles and it was clear that this was no ordinary tall ship.
celebration of the 500th anniversary
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My own first sighting of the ship was distant. From Lauderdale-by-the-Sea the ship was just a speck on
to the public all week – many took the tour free of charge thanks to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau who provided 20,000 free tickets. The demand was so great that the CVB’s website crashed – and it is the CVB who invited me to join the crew on Sunday evening. You can read more about the whole visit from a Florida perspective at the VisitFlorida site.
People patiently formed long queues in the heat, and even turned up in costumes – really getting
boats. There was no spectacular sunset, but the dramatic contrasts between the ships as we
into the spirit of things. I know the crew have been very appreciative of the way that their American visitors reacted so positively to the Spanish flag,
passed through the 17th St Bridge and into Port Everglades, where the Andalucia seemed to tower over the freighters off to our right. A turn to port,
flying so prominently off the stern. Hispanic visitors especially felt a positive emotional connection to
past the Point of Americas tower and the rocks of north jetty and we were out in the Atlantic.
the ship. The ship sways, the waves roll and the night is The ship maneuvered swiftly down the ICW along the Stranahan River escorted by pleasure
upon us. Tonight it’s just the ocean and the north star – right ahead in the evening skies.
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Working and playing hard – the gang were especially competitive when fishing off the back of the ship – the crew were superb ambassadors for the Nao Victoria Fundacion showing just what it takes to keep the traditions alive. And the traditions are everywhere. The crew has tried to remain completely faithful in its enactment of a 16th Century trip, steering by the stars and dead reckoning most of the way. Most of the journey over the Atlantic When Galéon Andalucia is on the move this when the knowledge and skills of the crew really come to the fore. El Capitan, Manuel Murub, and a crew staffed with everyone from journalists to chefs – all united in their passion for tall ship sailing. One member told me that sailing on the ship was his dream come true… Throughout the trip the team’s skills working the masts and the rigs was always impressive. Much of the work – such as running the ships engines and catering to the 26 strong crew – took place well out of sight.
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was done under sail, I was told – most befitting this square-sailed icon of the Spanish treasure fleet and a warship of the Armada. Everyone joined the 24hr watch rota, and when the ropes needed pulling everyone – guests included – were on hand. Given the number of visitors who come aboard when docked its no surprise that the crew took the
opportunity to make essential repairs and to add a little spit and polish to the grander parts of this magnificent wooden ship. As an iPhoneographer I was determined to send as many photos as I could out to the Internet, but I was in the hands of connectivity and before long we were just too far out into the ocean. As we moved slowly over the ocean waves, and the ship listed and swayed I found myself adjusting to the life afloat. Taking my time. Taking it in. Going with the flow. I can’t thank the crew enough for their hospitality. From Paco’s lunchtime fino and tapas < ‘Salud’ > to Solar’s baking skills (with morning café con leche) it was a privilege to be a part of the experience and witness the crew dynamics that make the ship so special. As they say back in Spain : Mañana será otro día.
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When the Galeón Andalucía is fully out in the ocean this is when the full historical impact is felt. When the engines are stilled and the sails unfurled there’s a keen sense of the timeless, as the sounds of creaking ropes, rushing waves and flapping sails fill the air. As always I’m up at the earliest light. The prospect of rain and storms just makes the dawn so much more exciting. Just to see a wild ocean dawn from such a
Atlantic crossing and how the wind would be the
setting is a photographers dream. Mother nature never disappoints.
engine of such trips. If the winds were not available, then, it’s time to dream. Time to imagine.
What’s much more clear when you’re sailing is the way that clouds catch the light, and seem
There was no particular rush to get to St. Augustine.
to glow and breathe as the light touches them. The crew were soon quietly busy; as the watch changed the smell of coffee reached the fo’castle, where I was standing just taking it all in. The rain was coming for sure, but what a place to feel the force of a rainstorm. At such times its not hard to think of Ponce de Leon’s S E T T I N G
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We were maybe ten miles off the shore – a lighthouse faintly visible. The St. James Lighthouse at Port St. Lucie maybe? By midday it was time to see if the sails could catch any kind of breeze. Soon the guys were climbing the rigs of first the gallant mast, then the maintop masts and ropes were loosened. The forecourse sail above the fo’castle looked magnificent. A dream of discovery coming to life.
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D E ST I N AT I O N Tuesday dawned with the prospect of a leisurely sail towards St. Augustine, El Galeon’s port for the next eight weeks. The morning started overcast but soon the clouds began to clear and create. The ship would need to arrive on a high tide, so there was no hurry at all to take down the sails and look for land. Talk at first light was of a dramatic midnight storm, but I slept through the whole thing (though a falling tumbler of water splashed my face at some dark hour). In the galley a fine fruit and nut loaf baked on board tempted the team, who politely waited until Solar, the crew member who had created it, was up and ready to share. It was a genuinely lazy morning with no pressures and no worries. I took myself up to the highest part of the ship (the poop deck, a mizzen mast dramatically secured across the middle) and watched the endless horizon. The day turned out to be glorious. St. Augustine is the last of only four Florida port stops for the Viva Florida 500 Voyage of S E T T I N G
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El Galeón Andalucia as it sails a historic route to commemorate Spanish explorer Marquess Juan Ponce de León discovery of mainland Florida 500 years ago. Andalucia set sail from Puerto Rico on April 1 and aims to spend several weeks in St. Augustine. St. Augustine’s connection with Spanish maritime history is strong. The newly appointed Governor of Florida and founder of the city Don Pedro
Menendez de Aviles arrived here on the Feast Day of St. Augustine’s Day, August 28, 1565. The Timucuan Indian village he found here was soon fortified and renamed in honor of the saint. Today St. Augustine is a beautiful Florida city with a great number of historic streets and structures. In the 1800s the arrival of Henry Flagler’s railroad further enhanced the city. Several decadent hotels including the Flagler
The entrance to the inlet itself would mean the passing through of St. Augustine’s iconic Bridge of Lions. With a drawbridge almost as wide as the Andalucia it was clear that an adjustment of the masts was necessary. Fore and main masts were angled carefully by some impressive rope work. Soon we were coming about to prepare for docking, with St. Augustine’s pirate ship Black Raven on hand with media, dignitaries and songs of welcome.
Hotel (now Flagler College), the Alcazar Hotel (now the Lightner Museum and City of St. Augustine offices) and the Casa Monica (recently restored and returned to its roots as a beautiful hotel) were constructed. On deck the crew were busy with final preparations. The great gallery in the stern had been polished and cleaned, wooden stairs revarnished and the sails were lowered with care. Soon land was visible and the white sands of Anastasia State Park were clearly visible. The crew gathered on the quarterdeck to watch the approach of welcoming sailing yachts and a police team to help us navigate the shifting sands of St. Augustine inlet.
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Before I knew it my trip was over and I walked back down the gangplank for a last time.
L A N D Talking to the Spanish crew, though, some were moved by the impact that they’d had on American shores. It’s
On the Galleon Andalucia I
as if the whole history of the conquistadors and native Indians had been eclipsed by a most present day emotion - family and identity and our own ancestral
had three great companions
lineage - after all, so many of us have a connection with similarly long journeys and new lives.
along for the trip. Glenn Hastings founder of Destination Style (one of Florida’s top travel photographers an a fine ambassador for St. Augustine), renowned State photographer
I wanted to show you this snap I took in St. Augustine
Eric Tourney and Justin Flippen from Visit Lauderdale,
near the marina in the old town. A wall of tiles made by local schoolchildren. This is just a detail,
Commemorating the ‘discovery’ of Florida by Ponce de Leon could easily be controversial,
but it illustrates a still palpable connection with St. Augustine’s founding culture that’s emotional and still has a power. Perhaps El Galéon and the VIVA
fuelling passions and debate about nationhood and colonialism.
FLORIDA 500 project has connected with ordinary people in ways we perhaps hadn’t anticipated.
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Just along the coastline from St. Augustine is one of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most celebrated and unspoiled beaches. Anastasia State Park includes more than 1,600 acres featuring four miles of pristine beach, a tidal salt marsh, and a maritime and upland hammock. As a way to understand the kind of environment that these explorers found when they arrived in 1513, this beach is perfect. Many shorebirds, such as laughing gulls, least terns, and black skimmers are frequently found resting here. On this visit least terns were nesting in the sands. Wonderful to see. Water birds such as the great blue heron, tricolor heron, wood stork, and roseate spoonbills can be seen along the shore and also in the salt marsh along Salt Run. Osprey, bald eagles, and owls can be seen flying high above or resting in the tree tops. A dream of a beach to end this wonderful journey of self-discovery.
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For the last five years Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been photographing the dawn from Fort Lauderdale Beach, and still marvel at the qualities of the morning light. The opportunity to be able to watch the sun rise from such a vantage point was very special.
The constellations - long a means of navigation before the days of radar and satellite - here seem to smile down from the heavens. I can see how after storms and swells a clear moonlit night would be a welcome experience.
For a little while the ship sailed entirely on wind power, and to hear nothing but the creak of the ropes and the breaking of waves was magical and unforgettable.
And then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the mighty horizon. From high up on the poop deck, alongside the long shadow of the stern lantern clouds seem to become alive in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to see on the shore.
Sailing on such a vessel not only brings you closer to the drama of the elements it seems to change the nature of time itself.
Our dawns were clouded and changing, with a small-hours storm rocking the ship overnight and a rain shower early morning.
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I would like to thank the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau and the team at VisitLauderdale.com for such a wonderful photographic opportunity. I would also like to say salud to Capitan Murube and his crew - including Enrique, Paco, Alberto, Carlos, Uli, Juan J, Juan H, Ana, Sole, Ale, Minero, Miguel, Sergio and all who made myself - and countless Floridians - so welcome. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are good ships, and there are wood ships, The ships that sail the sea. But the best ships, are friendships, And may they always be.â&#x20AC;? S E T T I N G
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FtLauderdaleSun capturing the moment every morning www.FtLauderdaleSun.com
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SA I L S The state of Florida’s invitation of a full scale replica of a Spanish warship to visit Florida’s oldest ports turned out to be transforming experience for all who visited El Galeon Andalucia. Viva Florida 500’s aim was to engage residents and visitors to Florida with the rich history that lies behind the formation of the sunshine State. Andy Royston witnessed the ships arrival in Fort Lauderdale, and then joined the ship as she sailed for St. Augustine, her final Florida port of call.
Designer and fine art photographer Andy Royston walks the beaches of Ft Lauderdale Beach every morning.
Using a smartphone he captures the natural life of the Atlantic shoreline and shares the results with followers on the twitter account FtLauderdaleSun and also to visitors at his live blog, FtLauderdaleSun.com