We caught a lot of fish shortly after leaving Cape Canaveral, including several mahi and a delicious skipjack tuna. We spent the next two days motoring into the wind and four foot waves before arriving in Fort Lauderdale at Port Everglades. At that point, all we wanted to do was drop anchor and get some rest, but we quickly learned it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Arrival
Fort Lauderdale was swarming with boats, especially since we arrived during the International Boat Show. All the marinas were full. There was nowhere to anchor. There were cruise ships, cargo ships, and draw bridges at every turn.
After navigating through several draw bridges in search of an anchorage and calling every marina, we finally decided to leave Port Everglades and spend another night sailing offshore.
The next morning, we managed to find a private dock in Dania Beach where we could stay until our boat was scheduled to be hauled out of the water later that week. There was no dockside power or water, but at least we could get some sleep!
The Haul Out
That Friday, the real stress began. Our boat needed to be removed from the water so that new bottom paint could be applied, which helps to keep barnacles and other marine growth at bay. We had to maneuver her into a concrete well with only inches to spare on either side. A large lift hoisted all 30,000+ pounds out of the water and set her on wooden blocks.
Since BAGIA would be out of the water for about a week, we rented a nearby rental home through VRBO. We took the kids trick-or-treating on Halloween, but they didn’t last very long with thick costumes in the 90 degree heat.
Things didn’t go so well with the first contractor we hired, but another company, Yacht Management, did an excellent job cleaning up their mess and applying new bottom paint. While the boat was out of the water, we also serviced the saildrives and replaced grounding plates and anodes.
Escaping Fort Lauderdale
BAGIA was finally put back in the water on Thursday, November 3rd. We stayed a couple more days to finish up projects, like servicing the engines, generator, and air conditioners. We stocked up on groceries and ate a delicious meal at Krakatoa Indonesian Cuisine before leaving on November 5th.
It was a big relief to get out of the Fort Lauderdale area. Between the traffic (cars, boats, and cruise ships), the numerous draw bridges, and the not-so-friendly people, it was definitely our least favorite stop so far.
