Many, many times have we visited Ft. Lauderdale, Florida by plane, car and by boat. If you come here to soak up some sunshine there is a seven mile beach lined with hotels of every kind. If you come by boat, you'll be astounded by the 165 miles of waterway, awed by the mega yachts tied up to properties of multimillion dollar villas and delighted by the marine stores and services to yachts. It's a boater's Mecca. Lake Sylvia had been one of our favorite anchor spots for years and it was not very well known, that is ever since "Skipper Bob" put it into their publication of "Anchorages along the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). Now the word is out and this little gem of an anchorage gets more transient visitors. However, it has always been a favorite for locals to come here on the weekend for a little swim, waterskiing or just partying on the boat. To get onshore, we have to dinghy underneath one of the three very low bridges (duck your head at high tide) and motor through the canal, cross the ICW and dinghy into the canal where the gas station is located at the corner. A little further up is a public ramp, but the wall is rough. A better choice is at the end of the canal, where the Southport Raw Bar is located. They let you tie up your dinghy for $10 but this amount can be redeemed for food or drinks when you come back from your errands or shopping. By the way, their food is very good! Across from the restaurant is a Winn Dixie Supermarket, less than a quarter mile further is a Publix Supermarket and the Bluewater Charts store, plus a large ACE Hardware etc. A West Marine flagship store is just 15 min. away and will be replaced next November 2011 by a West Marine Superstore (the size of a Super Walmart) just past the famous Sailorman store on Route 84. This West Marine Superstore is going to be the largest West Marine store in the continental USA! They will be having Segway scooters for the sales people in the store. Sorry, not for the customer. Please keep this confidential, this is inside information ;-)
In the picture: Diesel Duck anchored in the evening at Lake Sylvia.