TUESDAY
We traveled a leisurely 12 miles up to our stopover spot in Fort Lauderdale and tied up at 17th Street Yacht Basin, which is part of the Hilton Hotel. Let me tell you…we have officially entered mega-yacht country. Wow. These boats aren’t just big—they’re the kind that probably come with their own helicopter and staff that folds the toilet paper into swans. 😄
After carefully threading our way through the narrow canal lined with floating mansions to get to our slip, we both just looked at each other and took a deep breath. There is a lot of money floating around here!
First order of business was giving the boat a good wash. The salt builds up fast out here and our girl was looking a little crunchy. Once she was sparkling again, we changed into our swimsuits and headed straight for the pool. Absolute perfection of a day—sun shining, warm breeze, and not a care in the world for a couple of hours.
Later in the afternoon we hopped in the dinghy and puttered about a half mile down the main canal to a spot called Southport Raw Bar. It’s a great little place with a fun history. Back in the 1970s a couple of New Yorkers came down here and decided to try their luck in the restaurant business. They bought this tiny raw bar on the water with just a few slips for boats. As Fort Lauderdale grew, the place slowly turned into a local legend.
One of their favorite stories is that Johnny Weissmuller—the original and best Tarzan—used to stop in regularly. Apparently after a couple of beers he’d belt out his famous Tarzan yell for the whole place. I wish we could’ve heard that!
Today it’s still a lively spot but thankfully not ridiculously overpriced. There’s outdoor seating right on the water, indoor tables, live music, and great seafood. We had a fantastic time.
The dinghy ride over was a fun little cruise…about a half mile. But as luck would have it, we ran out of gas just as we arrived. Perfect timing, right? 😆
Thankfully we learned our lesson earlier in the trip and always carry a spare gas can now. Jeff topped the tank off before we went in for dinner. Somehow though the motor must have flooded, because when we came back it refused to start.
So Jeff did what any good captain would do—he rowed us all the way back.
And I? I sat in the front, enjoying the ride and pretending I was on a romantic gondola in Venice. 🚣♀️
All in all, it was a pretty great evening.
WEDNESDAY
First thing Jeff did when he got up was give that dinghy motor another try… and just like that, it fired right up! YAY! Nothing like starting the day with a small victory.
With that bit of excitement behind us, we set out on foot to pick up some provisions. Whew… the humidity here does not mess around! By the time we finished, we were more than ready for a break, so we hopped on the water taxi and cruised over to 15th Street Fisheries for lunch. Great food, and even better entertainment. We had front-row seats to the parade of mega yachts coming and going, some gracefully gliding into tight slips… and others… well… providing a bit more drama. Let’s just say there were a few captains out there giving the dockhands—and the spectators—a real show. 🤣
After lunch, we rode the water taxi a few more stops to visit the Stranahan House, the oldest house in Fort Lauderdale. It was originally built as a trading post and is packed with local history. Really interesting to see how it all began here compared to the massive homes lining the waterways today.
Once we wrapped up the tour, we enjoyed the ride back, taking in all the mansions and yachts along the way before returning to our humble floating home. Of course, the next order of business was obvious—we quickly changed and headed straight for the pool!
We finished off the day with dinner at Boathouse at the Riverside, where we met up with my niece Angie (who visited us when we were in Sarasota) and her coworker. As luck would have it, they happened to be in Fort Lauderdale for a couple of days on business. What a treat! We had such a wonderful evening catching up, sharing stories, and making up for lost time. We had so much fun, I forgot to grab a photo 😞. A perfect end to a really fun day. 🌴🚤🍹
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