Day 63-77

Pete and I cruised out from Melbourne with fair winds over blue waters, palm trees and manatees. We stuck to the Intracoastal and continued our tour of Florida's backyards, courtyards, and verandas. They seem to be getting bigger.


Now that we are enjoying beach weather in Spring Break territory during Spring Break time, Pete and I have decided we need to get our beach bodies back. Chin-ups from the boom, dips in the companionway, push-ups and sit-ups on the foredeck. Day one of this new resolve resulted in a good long workout. It felt great to get some exercise after so long without. Day two through five were dedicated to recovery. On day six workouts were resumed though with considerably more modest routines.



Two nights out of Melbourne anchoring in wide spots in the channel and then we rolled into Hillsboro where Pete's uncle had arranged for us to spend the night at his boss's house. The family wasn't home and neither was the housekeeper, but they'd left the door unlocked for us. We tied up at the private dock, took showers, did laundry, cooked dinner, and then in glorious lethargy, whiled away the rest of the evening in front of the huge flat screen TV, paralyzed by the sheer number of channel choices.



The next day we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and began threading our way through the maze of canals and drawbridges leading into the heart of the city and eventually to Pete's cousin Laila's house. It was a fun stretch but no place for daydreaming. These waterways meandered their way through the urban landscape in what felt like an unending series of blind corners and 180 degree s-turns with drawbridges inconveniently spaced every quarter mile.


Clogging the canals along both sides were massive yachts tied bow to stern in unending lines. In the little room remaining between, we fought for space against every other motorboat, sailboat, ferry, and boat taxi on the water, all stopping and starting and trying to maneuver or hold position against the conflicting forces of wind, and wake. Any miscalculation could have sent us bouncing off the gleaming hull of one of the multi-million dollar motor yachts always only a few feet away. The repair bill for such a blunder probably would have cost more than our boat.



Laila's friend John met us partway out in his boat and led us the rest of the distance back to her house. There we tied up and there we have stayed for the past ten days, living off Laila's incredible generosity while we make some vital repairs on the boat. This city proclaims itself the "Yatching Capital of the World" and based on the number of mega-yatchs I've seen here and the marine industry that exists to support them, it very well could be. Anything we could possibly need for the boat can be found here in Ft. Lauderdale. Its the perfect place to get Strolla up to scratch and, with us poised to make the jump into the Caribbean, its the perfect time as well.


To this end, John has been immeasurable help to us throughout our stay, offering advice and expertise, recommending stores and helping us to resupply and refit. Some of the more pressing improvements to the boat he has helped us with include finally and fully fixing the motor, plugging the bilge leak, and finding a new dinghy.

Pete and I have stayed very busy, working everyday on the boat. There was and still is a lot to do but, that's not all we've been doing. We have managed to squeeze in a couple of beach days, sunning, swimming, and being badly beaten on the volleyball court. We went SCUBA diving with Laila and her boyfriend Micheal and spent a night in Miami with Pete's friends Dave and Christina.



Today we made a run on Costco for some bulk food buying. Tomorrow we'll get our jib back from the sail repair shop and then bite the bullet and pick up a pricey new set of navigational charts for the Caribbean. Tuesday, weather dependent, we leave this little haven of safety and comfort and strike out for Nassau, Bahamas. There we will rendezvous with some of our friends from Woods Hole and begin our Sailing Trip Part II: The Suntan Challenge.