Scholars disagree, but this site is believed to be in an area where Juan Ponce de Leon may have made landfall in April 1513. The landing was long thought to have occurred near St. Augustine, based on studies of de Leon's compass headings that did not account for the inability of 16th century navigators to determine longitude accurately, magnetic compass deviations, or the effects of the Gulf Stream and prevailing winds. Professional navigator Douglas Peck retraced Juan Ponce de Leon's route in a sailboat and concluded that a more likely landing site was on Florida's eastern shore at 28 degrees North Latitude and 80 degrees 29 minutes West Longitude, just south of Melbourne Beach. Peck, who had sailed the same waters for 30 years, re-sailed the route at the same time of year as the 1513 voyage and placed the accuracy of this navigational fix within 5 to 8 nautical miles on either side. Many historians now conclude that an area south of Melbourne Beach, such as this site, was a more probable location for Juan Ponce de Leon's first landing.