Well, we did not expect this. Much to our pleasant surprise, it turns out that our new son-in-law Omar and his Father, Zeyad arrived in Ft. Lauderdale just prior to us - Omar for business and Zeyad for medical treatment follow-up.

With a good weather window on the 21st, we made the 55 statue mile off-shore run from Lake Worth to the New River City Marina in Fort Lauderdale in a little less than 8 hours. We motored the whole way from our anchorage as the wind never moved more than 30 degrees to port as we headed south, thus precluding sailing in the 12 knot winds and 3 foot seas.

And what a difference the Gulf Stream makes! It is here that it flows north closer to shore than anywhere else on the east coast. Motoring at 2,600 RPM's
2 1/2 miles offshore we made 6.8 mph. At the same RPM's but 100 yards closer to shore we made 8.3 mph! It can run as fast as 3 knots, almost like a separate river headed north in the ocean.

The Fort Lauderdale and New River experience is quite amazing. Upon entering
the harbor, you are greeted by, purportedly, the 2 largest cruise ships in the
world, tied up to port. We next pass by the extended "Golden Mile" with mega
yacht after mega yacht docked one after the other, most 100 to 200 feet long, and,as we later discovered, worth from several million dollars to $35 million.

Next, the New River winds a serpentine course through Las Olas and downtown Ft. Lauderdale. In some ways it reminds one of Venice except that it is enclosed by mega mansions with more mega yachts docked alongside making the channel(canal) very narrow. To make it even more interesting, there are several bascule drawbridges that we encountered along the narrow river. Of course, these have restricted openings to further the challenge.

So, we slowly approached the 3rd Avenue Drawbridge which is hidden around a
blind bend in the New River. A yacht backs off the bulkhead right in front of us and begins going around the bend with us following. It then suddenly comes to a stop and then begins backing towards us rather quickly. "Now, "Sylestial Star"
has a very responsive helm but, with pronounced prop walk to port, does not back quickly very well. So, in a tight space, we decide to move forward and to
starboard as the yacht angles back near it's original berth. Immediately a
push/pull Tow Boat U.S. Arrangement slides by in the opposite direction, the captain telling us that 2 large boats are passing under the bridge and will be
coming around the bend in the river. It is very tight where we are so we need
to move and backing "Sylestial Star" is not a smart option. So we go forward around the bend. As we do, two things are readily apparent. First, the large Jungle Queen Tour Boat is now passing under the bridge followed by a large,
towed yacht. They are about 100 feet ahead of us. Second, here there is enough room for us to pull tight to starboard and let them pass, which, of course, we do. Welcome to Fort Lauderdale!

The marina staff assign us space on the starboard side bulkhead, just several
hundred feet beyond the 3rd Avenue Bridge and right next to the "Riverwalk",
just a few blocks from Las Olas and the center of town. This is our home for the next 4 nights as we rest, explore the town on foot and its canals by an all day water taxi/tour boat and spend time with Omar and Zeyad. They are staying in
a hotel right on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Omar picked us up early Saturday and the four of us had a long breakfast in
their hotel restaurant. It was great to see them both. Omar flew in from L.A. and Zeyad from Amman, Jordan for a medical follow-up. As before, we talked family and business as well as international affairs. Zeyad's life story and political connections make him very interesting to listen to. We then did a reprise over dinner, including a call to our daughter, Lisa, back in L.A.

Of course, no sailor's visit to Fort Lauderdale would be complete without a visit to West Marine's new and largest ever 67,000 sf Super Store. Omar graciously
drove us and Sylvia and I were able to pick up several needed boat parts.

Tomorrow we leave Fort Lauderdale and head to Miami Beach.