Lantana to Ft. Lauderdale, FL

“Wheels up” at 7:00 am leaving Loggerhead Marina in Lantana. We had another day filled with requests for bridge openings…argh! Timing was a little trickier with so many “no wake” zones. I was constantly adjusting the speed we needed to maintain to reach the bridge at a scheduled opening. Steve said we dealt with 27 bridge openings in the last three days of our trip! “Next time we’re going outside (ocean)!” he said. I agreed, I’m glad I got to do it this time but once was enough.

We turned off the Intracoastal Waterway at the New River in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Wow! This is a whole new experience! There is current (strong in places), its winding and fairly narrow, lots of traffic in both directions (including ferries, LARGE yachts in tow and the Jungle Queen!), boats and yachts of all sizes tied up on the seawall on both sides of the river, and last but not least are 5 bridges that open on request but all have timing restrictions! And to top it off, the vehicle traffic on the bridges is heavy at times (downtown) so even after requesting an opening it may take several minutes for the vehicle traffic to clear before the bridge can start its opening!

Steve hates transiting the New River but likes Lauderdale Marine Center, the marina we will be staying at while in Ft. Lauderdale. Luckily, he has transited the river many times so knows the tricks….like always go against the tide/current!…listen carefully to radio traffic warning of large yachts in tow!…and avoid rush hours, when there are bridge restrictions! We get a surprise large-yacht-in-tow passing in the opposite direction but otherwise our trip up the New River was without incident. The New River is beautiful and VERY exciting for a first-timer like me!!

After about 925 miles and 16 days in “the ditch” (Intracoastal Waterway), the Neuse River and the New River, from New Bern, North Carolina to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, we arrive at our destination, Lauderdale Marine Center, at 3:00 pm. What an awesome trip this has been!! I was a little bit melancholy that it was over but then reminded myself that this was just the tip of the iceberg! We will have lots more boat life, cruising and adventures over the next 5 1/2 months! Steve and I agree that we make a great cruising team! When not cruising, we manage to share the living space amicably, enjoy each other’s company and laugh all day long!!! Looking forward to our continuing adventure on “WHO CARES”!!