Fairly long travel day from Key Biscayne to Fort Lauderdale going 35 miles under 14 bridges. We filled up on diesel while the price was right in Key Biscayne ($3.89) and then traveled on the intercoastal going 8 miles per hour and getting 1.4 miles to the gallon. We totally enjoyed traveling slow while going through the Miami area.
They call it the Venice of America because of all the canals but that’s as far as the comparison goes. The area is filled with mega yachts, beautiful homes, and lots of beachfront resorts. We thought we might run into more Spring Break crowds than we did but by staying at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club on Sunrise Key we were not in the heart of the resorts. We took the dinghy on a delightful afternoon tour, 8 miles roundtrip into downtown, and saw life on the water in Fort Lauderdale.
View of Downtown Miami. Enjoyed traveling on “inside” today with winds being 25 mph+ on outside. This part of ICW is filled with Mega Yachts, Cruise Ships and beautiful homes or should I say mansions.Filled up in Key Biscayne before we left, last of the gas under $4 a gallon. Wayne, Asst Dockmaster was great!Our itinerary included 14 bridges 6 of which we had to have open. When we put our mast down our air draft is 18.5 feet. We attempted to time our travel between bridges so we wouldn’t have to wait til the scheduled opening but in some cases ended up waiting anyway. Reminded us of doing locks again. This made for a long day. Arrived safely at Coral Ridge Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale. Nice quiet area, no Spring Break kids here, relaxed with a swim.Not too crowded considering it is Spring Break!Hiked the State Park, trail goes along ICW but in the woods we spotted these Gopher TortoisesFort Lauderdale had a lot to offer – Sunrise Beach, Galleria Mall, Hugh Taylor State Park and a Publix within walking distance, we did it all!Many tour boatsWater taxis run between a dozen different areasDiesel boats running the canals and fueling up the Mega YachtsMega Yachts everywhere – this one lifting their $100k “dinghy” into a side storage areaToured downtown on the New River in our dinghy. There’s a lot happening in these canals.The downtown Riverwalk is a popular destination. Many restaurants, shops and boat watchingBy the inlets we share the water with cruise ships.
Reimanns 'round the loop in 2022 
Awesome! Thanks for your reporting this beautiful trip
LikeLike
We are enjoying reading about your journey! Safe travels! We will catch up at some point!
LikeLike