I got a kick out of this – the director of the archaeological group didn’t let a find get in the way of his surfing.

I’m having an Apocalypse Now flashback… “Charlie don’t surf”…

Bits of nautical history rise in sands of Vilano
By MATT COLEMAN,
The Times-Union

With Capt. Jack Sparrow and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean riding high on top of the box office, the remnants of a 19th-century ship uncovered over the weekend at Vilano Beach are harkening back to North Florida’s nautical history.

One of the discoveries, a 100-pound, 6-foot-long piece of iron covered in seashells and mineralized sediment, would be barely distinguishable at first glance to a novice as part of a sailing vessel. The first indication of the item’s seafaring antiquity is the deadeye, a protrusion of ironwood jutting from the rust-colored surface of the metal. Despite its dilapidated appearance, the piece was actually attached to the hull of a ship that possibly sailed the St. Augustine-area coastline.

John W. Morris III, director of South Eastern Archaeological Services, found the pieces on the shore of Vilano Beach when he was preparing to surf Saturday. He said he immediately identified the items as the chain plate assembly of a ship, which helped in securing the standard rigging.

“Once I figured out what they were, I went surfing,” Morris said. “It’s not like they were going anywhere at the time.”