Friday 2/21/14 – Start 0800, Finish 1250, from Miami Stadium to Fort Lauderdale

Weather/Sea – Partly cloudy 75, SE wind 5to10 knots,  seas 2-4-5’

Captain - John Kwak

Crew – Dan Martin, Paul Kirk

We raised the anchor with difficulty, it was again really sucked into the white cement like shell bottom and came up with lots of white mud. The chain was clean however and we only had to rinse off the salt as it came up. By dragging the anchor in the water as we left all the white muck washed off.

We tried to sail out of the Main Channel but were stopped by security and had to turn around and back into Dodge Island Cut, Lummus Island Cut and out of Government Cut into the Atlantic. The Inlet was very rough. Outside in the Atlantic, the wind and waves were on the starboard stern quarter with a very confusing wave pattern. The boat rolled diagonally and diving into troughs, a very sickening motion. We only unfurled the Jib sail but with the light wind and the rough motion it slatted back and forth. We could not keep wind in the sail. We finally furled the sail and proceeded at 6 knots on the engine.

About 4 miles from Fort Lauderdale Inlet, I tried to stay parallel to the waves which lessened the weird motion but brought the boat further off shore. Then about 2 miles from the Inlet I turned into the waves at about a 45 degree angle and that got us to the Inlet. Again a bumpy ride in the Inlet but that is now expected.

We got to the 17^th Street Bridge just at opening time and followed a Catamaran thru. Called Las Olas Marina and again picked up a mooring for 2 days. They Charge $93.00 for the 2 day mooring.

We showered, after 3 sweaty days it was necessary!   Then we walked to the beach and had dinner at Bubba Gump’s, their specialty is shrimp, of course.

On Saturday, after a lazy morning and a good breakfast we went ashore with the dinghy which you can leave at the marina. We walked Las Olas Blvd. all the way to Cooley’s Landing Marina where I had stayed in 2013 only 4 miles. Then we had a late lunch in Briny Pub Riverside on the New River. The New River winds its way thru Fort Lauderdale with lots of boat traffic. We walked the 4 miles back but about a mile from the Marina I got a cramp in my right leg so we flagged down a bus for the last mile. I stayed in the boat that evening while Dan and Paul walked to the beach.