Lighthouse Boatyard

Dry-docked behind the Second Assistant Keeper's dwelling are several historically significant vessels and rafts.

The 42 foot tugboat "F.D. Russell" was built in 1938 on the banks of the St. Mary’s River by Captain Frank D. Russell. He carved the curved bow stem from a live oak tree cut in nearby Turnbull Hammock. The boat's ribs are also oak and its hull is planked with two inch cypress. For over half a century the "F.D. Russell" plied the waters of the Halifax River.

Next to the "F.D. Russell" is the "Gay Wind," one of the original charter boats operating out of the treacherous Ponce de Leon Inlet. Captained by longtime Ponce Inlet resident Redwood Wharton, this vessel made countless fishing trips on the Atlantic Ocean and was arguably the most recognized fishing vessel in the Ponce Inlet area. Docked at the historic Inlet Harbor Fishing Camp, the "Gay Wind" was hand-built out of cedar in 1939 and fished the area's waters until it was retired by Captain Wharton in 2000.

Displayed to the left of the Gay wind is a collection of rafts used by Cuban refugees to escape from the oppressive conditions of their island nation in the 1980s. Found by local residents along Atlantic coast in the Ponce Inlet area, these hand-made vessels are a testament to the courage and tenacity of thousands of Cubans who dared the hazardous journey across the Straits of Florida to become free.