Greetings From Fort Lauderdale

     The topic for my previous blog was provisioning for the Bahamas. That was a couple of weeks ago. We are still in the States...eating the provisions. It isn't all that bad. Balmy breezes, warm sunshine along with a few walks on the beach and lunch at a couple of delightful restaurants. A few boat projects have been checked off the lengthening list which included refinishing the teak toe rail and replacing the fresh water pump.




     

No that's not Joe running away from me in a thong!
It's Thong Man of Fort Lauderdale out for his daily run.

Waiting for lunch at the Casablanca Cafe on the beach
enjoying the sights.

     

The anchorage at Lake Sylvia, Fort Lauderdale

     Simple Life has been anchored in Lake Sylvia in the heart of the so called "Yachting Capital of the World." The only negative side is that it seems cruising sailors aren't welcomed with open arms here unless they stay at marinas with exorbitant dockage fees. Those of us who live on the hook in a couple of designated anchorages in the area are clearly not among the welcomed in Fort Lauderdale. I'm not out to paint a picture of negativity, but there is an undercurrent of gate crasher mentality in this city. For instance, a small let's say 20 foot power boat filled with a crew of wake boarding under age young men are allowed to speed by throwing wakes at anchored cruising boats in Lake Sylvia. Police do not take notice.
   

     On the other hand we cruisers who dinghy across the ICW from Lake Sylvia to a dinghy dock where we land for grocery shopping and a laundromat are charged $10.00 per day to land. Along the way we are often stopped for minor infractions while traversing the area at idle speed and reprimand for throwing wakes! I suppose we are not contributing enough to the Fort Lauderdale economy.

   

     Within a couple of days the easterly winds we've been experiencing have been forecast to lighten and our plan is to sail Simple Life from Port Everglades Inlet in Fort Lauderdale to Government Cut in Miami. Provisioning options are better there since we have easy access to Publix and Fresh Market groceries. Also, shore access is convenient with a couple of options. One being a dinghy dock in Collins Canal directly across from Publix! Public transportation is also excellent in South Beach. Ahh, the life of the cruising sailor...we all tend to get delirious discovering the whereabouts of the nearest grocery, laundromat, liquor store and West Marine!


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Location:Lake Sylvia, Fort Lauderdale, Florida