Ft. Lauderdale to Hollywood, FL |
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We got up early today and moved Surprise to a dock at the Fort Lauderdale City Marina to pump out and fill the fresh water tanks. After a final hot shower we paid our bill and were away heading towards Jackson Marine. We had hoped to get away by eight thirty but it was closer to ten before we were actually underway to head south and then west into the New River. The trip up the river was interesting and sometimes scary. The entire river as far as we went was bulk headed on both sides. It was narrow in the sense that two boats passing had to be very careful. There were several low bridges along the way and they quickly opened on demand. The narrow river (actually a canal in most places) has swift currents and the bridge tenders are sensitive to minimize accidents. Part of the river was hair pin turns. We traveled through the area called River Walk which we had visited a few days ago via car. Joe was looking forward to this trip. This is the older part of Fort Lauderdale. This is the real Florida. Along the way we passed homes of every shape and size and canals leading off the river lined with still more homes. Most houses had a boat parked on the water. We arrived at our destination, a large crowded marina with narrow fairways. The fairway we entered had a large 60+ foot yacht on our starboard side and several smaller boats to port. There was barely enough space for us to pass and Joe became worried on how we could possibly back Surprise through that space as there was not enough room for us to turn her around. The Battery installation was complete in about an hour. Another half hour was needed to get the bill paid. Then, fortunately, the two technicians who installed the batteries and three others came to our rescue. The came aboard Surprise and manned both sides as Joe slowly backed her out the narrow fair way. Surprisingly he was able to accurately position the boat in the narrowest part of the fairway using the bow thruster. Then the men on each side of Surprise were able to fend off when necessary. When we reached the last boat they all climbed aboard it we were clear to back into a wider fairway and then turn into the New River. As we headed back east we were approached from behind by a large yacht who wanted to cruise faster and we allowed him to pass and set the pace down the river. In hind sight it made our journey less enjoyable. It's two props caused turmoil in the river and sometimes its wakes would bounce between bulkheads making it rocky for our small boat. Also, we were compelled to keep up with him for bridge openings. We were joined by two other boats before reaching the two main downtown draw bridges. One boat was a cruising fuel barge. It had two tall pilings resembling sail boat masts that are pushed to the sea bottom to secure it as a pier when boats want to take on fuel. The other was a mid size tug boat with powerful engines and large props. Together, the four boats formed a convoy to pass through the drawbridges and cruise east into the ICW. The only positive was the bridges opened even quicker. Otherwise the turmoil was amplified by the other boats and us being last got to experience it's full force. White knuckle all the way. We found ourselves back in the ICW with a brisk wind behind us and a one knot opposing current. We passed Fort Lauderdale Inlet there were several cruise ships in port making sure to stay far to the other side of the ICW as there are posted warnings of security zones in the port. Once past the port we were again traveling alone and had to request several bridge openings before arriving in Hollywood Florida. We were tired and sure enough were able to find a slip at the Hollywood City Marina for the night. Also there were storm clouds off to the southwest and luckily we were safely tied up and registered with the marina before the skies opened up. Rain, rain and more rain for about and hour. We enjoyed a quiet afternoon onboard and a nice dinner on board. |