FLORIDA HISTORY SPANISH HISTORY From the earliest records of civilization, man traveled the waters; and relied upon the expertise of pilots to assure safe passage both when nearing and leaving the seacoast. In the Holy Bible (27, Ezekiel) and in the writings of Homer and Virgil, there are references to pilots and the roles they played in assisting vessels that navigated close to shore. Thus, from the cradles of civilization, the profession of piloting remains relatively unchanged. Today, pilots offer the same critical judgement and unsurpassed familiarity with land, sea, and the ever changing elements, as they have since the dawn of history. Early explorers realized the need for pilots and frequently engaged them in their travels. Both Marco Polo and Vasco da Gama used the services of Arabic pilots. These pilots exhibited superior navigational knowledge and used exceptionally sophisticated equipment, such as the al kamal, precursor of the octant and sextant, for determining a ship's latitude. Seafarers in different parts of the world exhibited very specialized skills. The Mediterranean seafarers, for instance, most notably the Genoese and Venetian, were influencial because of their navigational skills. Early maps of the waters in the New.World reflected an Italian and Jewish-Majorcan influence. When Christopher Columbus first landed at tiny Conception (or at Watling Islands), after crossing the then unknown western region of the Atlantic Ocean, he had Juan dela Cosa on board as his chief pilot.

This same pilot also accompanied Columbus on his second voyage this time also acting as chief cartographer. Also aboard this voyage was Juan Ponce de Leon, who twenty years later in his searchfor the Fountain of Youth.    The Spaniards explored both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida and had on board one of the very. first pilots, identified as Anton de Alaminos, who not only offered extensive coastal experience, but also discovered the Gulf Stream. Because current local knowledge was so crucial to the safe navigation of ships through reefs, bars, channels, and shifting sands these "pilotos" or pilots eventually specialized in handling vessels just in the confined waters of the ports. By 1500, the Spanish maritime influence was felt everywhere from Spain to the Caribbean. The first seat of local government and the most important regional port was Santo Domingo, la Hispanola. Later Havana, Cuba became the center of Spanish regional government. San Juan, Puerto Rico followed as an important center too. During that period, ships of the Spanish fleet serviced the areas under their control. They made stops from St. Augustine to St. Helena Sound (once known as Rio Duke) and employed local pilots to guide their ships.