3/31/2011 FORT LAUDERDALE'S HALL OF FAME MARINA

THURSDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 31 NM

SUNRISE: 7:14      SUNSET: 7:36

HIGH: 92                LOW: 73

It was a hot one today but we were able to find relief with the breeze as we were traveling the ICW back to Fort Lauderdale. Once again we were requesting and waiting for numerous bridge openings then quickly passing through and thanking the accommodating bridge tenders.

With no need to be near downtown or the FLL airport, we opted to stay at one of the marinas right in the ICW. Garth and Cathy, our New River neighbors on the Algonquin, had moved to the Las Olas City Marina but they had no room for the Quest. We took the next option, the Swimmers’ Hall of Fame Marina and snuggled in right next to N II Wishin. We met Joan and Jerry on N II Wishin in Leland on Lake Michigan and had not seen them since Grand Harbor in mid October. We met Paula and Todd on Ocean Breeze at the same time and they are on a mooring ball just outside of Las Olas City Marina. Both of these boats are waiting for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas and I am extremely jealous!

N II WISHIN AND QUEST, TOGETHER AGAIN

After completing all the tedious docking chores and getting the much needed air-conditioning humming, we took off to find the office for check-in then walked across the street to the Fort Lauderdale Beach. With the wind blowing and the sand whipping about we stayed only long enough to stick our feet in the ocean then moved on. Passing a seedy little beach bar we caught sight of two guys with Camelot M/Y (motor yacht) shirts on and stopped in to see if we knew them. Sure enough, it was two of the crew that Dan met at Compass Cay Marina in the Exumas. The Camelot is a fractional-ownership yacht and the guys had just spent a week of extreme maintenance in preparation for its being shipped to the Mediterranean for the summer months.

Quest was the site of tonight’s gathering. Cathy and Garth walked up with Zeke, Paula and Todd dinked from their mooring and Joan and Jerry just walked out their door and into ours. Everyone brought something to share and it was almost like a good old Middletown Springs Potluck! Oh, the stories about happenings and mishaps were told and laughter could be heard until the late hours from our Quest.