Valentine Day 2001 finds us in Ft. Lauderdale, waiting for favorable winds to carry us across the Gulf Stream and on to the Bahamas. This wind stuff can be fickle business especially at this time of year. Wave after wave of low pressure cells ( called northers ) blow down from the north bringing winds from the north and north-east, making a crossing to the Bahamas lumpy and downright uncomfortable. Because we have to cross the Gulf Stream with its northerly two-knot current, bucking an opposing wind against that current can make things much too lively . We prefer a leisurely crossing so we wait for winds from the southern quarter to carry us with the stream rather than against it.

We returned to the boat in mid-January after a holiday visit home with family, friends and the yearly round of doctor / dentist visits. We have been slowly and leisurely making our way south and enjoying southern Florida hospitality . We enjoyed St. Augustine, touring the city, taking in all the early Spanish history. We explored Palm Beach and window shopped along Worth Avenue, the Florida equivalent to the Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive. We rented a car and drove down to Miami to meet relatives of Crissie’s that she hasn’t seen since she was five, and had a great afternoon . It is always fun to become acquainted with relatives that you always knew about; had heard others talk about, but could never recollect actually meeting. While there we decided to take in the famed South Beach area of Miami Beach, with the restored art deco hotels, beach clubs and the slim, svelte and scantily clad.

We decided to stay in the Intracoastal Waterway all through southern Florida in spite of the many bridges and delays they create because the homes and boats on this stretch of the waterway can be impressive. Is not uncommon to see 80 to 100 footers gliding down the waterway passing us and waiting at the bridges. In Ft. Lauderdale The Limitless, a 315 ft. motoryacht is the largest privately owned pleasure boat in the U.S., we are told. It dwarfs even the 100 footers berthed nearby.

From the Stuart area to the Homestead area, south of Miami, it is solid city–a densely populated metroplex with a cosmopolitan ethnic mix, the predominant groups being Haitian, Hispanic, and in Miami, Cuban. According to the local papers, this area of Florida is growing at a steady rate. Such growth brings problems. The one we notice the most is the traffic and congestion as all these people try to get around, especially at rush hour. At other times of the day the traffic is heavy, but not grid lock . We use local busses, or walk, so the traffic doesn’t bother us. We also notice lots of building. There seems to be no lack of construction work.

Ft. Lauderdale is a boaters paradise. There is every kind of boater service available here. We decided to get our fuel tank cleaned and the fuel polished because we seemed to have "critters" clogging up our filters much too often. We are on a mooring ball by the Las Olas bridge and were concerned that we had to go into the marina to get this work done, and pay the high dockage fees. Not so. The technicians pulled alongside in a very sophisticated work boat with all the equipment necessary to perform any service required. They did their work while Jack looked on, were gone in fairly short order, and the price was reasonable. We were impressed. There is a shortage of marina slips so those prices are high, but the marine service industry is very competitive so those prices are reasonable; more reasonable, we found, than other places. You can get diesel delivered to your boat by barge or be pumped out by the Turd Tender, all services performed as you quietly bob on your mooring. There are the common boating stores like West and Boat U.S. but there is also a wonderful treasure trove called Sailorman. Sailorman is what Jack calls a nautical junk yard without the junkyard dog. They have all kinds of stuff, some of it new, some lightly used and some very used. It is a wonderful place to haunt for that special something that you need to complete a project. Ft. Lauderdale is also home to Bluewater Books.

Bluewater Books is known far and wide as a wonderful source for anything in print, nautically related. But they are especially noted for their impressive collection of nautical charts. They carry charts for anywhere in the world, produced by any mapping agency , with the associated cruising guides to go along with them. If they don’t have something you need in stock, they can get it in very short order. It surprised us to see the Russian charts of Cuba. We spent a fair amount of time in this bookstore, spending some fair dollars as well.

Ft. Lauderdale is also fun to explore by dingy. It has been dubbed The Venice of America and we can see why . There are canals cut in from the Intracoastal, canals cut in from the New River, cutoff and connector canals cut to join man-made lakes with myriad of canals cut off them. There are huge marinas housing huge boats several miles inland along these water pathways. There are boats berthed behind homes and shops all over this town. There are bridges everywhere, some operating on a schedule, some operating on demand. Waterfront is one of Ft. Lauderdale’s greatest resources. Then there is the beach.

Ft. Lauderdale beaches, made famous by all those Beach Boy type movies are internationally known and wonderful. The dingy dock is just two blocks from the beach so we often walk over and sit at one of the sidewalk cafes in the afternoon, as we wait for the proper conditions for crossing the Gulf Stream for the Bahamas, and people watch. We see all sorts of beachwear on every body type. People of all ages stroll the street seeing and being seen, talking and being talked to, eating at the sidewalk cafes, and just hanging-out. We hear lots of Spanish, but also lots of French and German.

Because the beaches are such a draw, they are kept in pristine condition. Every evening a beach tractor pulling a special beach-cleaning rig scours the beach for cans, debris and whatever the sea has given up for that day. The special rig deposits the debris in a bin and returns the cleaned sand to the beach ready for the next day.

Beaches and the sea fascinate and captivate people. You see young kids, and not so young kids, building sand castles at the waters edge, daring the waves and tide to demolish their creations. Sections of the beach, away from the heavily touristed area, are available to surfers. Just out beyond the buoys marking the limits of the swimming section you see parasailing, sailboarding and a hybrid of two, that uses a sailboard / surfboard and a kite affair. The trick is to stay aboard, steer with your feet and body, we presume, and keep the kite in the air pulling you in the correct direction. There is an activity here to suit everyone’s taste and pocketbook. We have had great fun doing the cheapest of all, watching .

We are looking forward to our crossing over to the Bahamas, and the new experiences that trip should bring, and we are thoroughly enjoying the warm weather and sunshine.