Ft Lauderdale Sailing.

Benny17441 · Apr 20, 2015

Used to keep a boat in Ft Lauderdale and I don't think I ever went day sailing. Having to motor 30 to 45 minutes to reach the open waters of the Atlantic was not my cup of tea. On the other hand it is a good jump off point for the Bahamas. I mention this as there are probably more cruisers than day sailors in the area. The bridge tenders in the area do not like it when one raises sails in the Intra Coastal. It does not hurt to ask but do not feel bad if you don't find any takers. Good luck.

Claude L.-Auger · Apr 21, 2015

geehaw said:
I have a free day 04/23/15 in Ft Lauderdale. Anyone like to take me sailing for the day or part of the day?

Having sailed out of there numerous times, I tend to agree with Benny, particularly since the 23rd is a week day. Check with the local yacht clubs. Also smaller boats using the Hillsboro Inlet might be more prone to going out daysailing. Good luck

MrBill_FLL · Apr 21, 2015

your 1 day open is pretty limiting.

on Saturday you can come to north lake in hollywood, and rent a sunfish, 420, or JY boat. (opti's too)

I Think its 20 bucks, for non-members.

also on wednesday nights we also rent the same boats. 5:30- till about 7:30 or so.. weather permitting.

http://www.gulfstreamsailingclub.org/sailorspoint/about_us.php

if you have a bit more money check arc in miami, for j22's and c22's
http://www.arcmiami.com/rental.htm

pateco · Apr 21, 2015

geehaw said:
I have a free day 04/23/15 in Ft Lauderdale. Anyone like to take me sailing for the day or part of the day?

I would be happy to take you sailing, but I have to work on Thursday. Are you staying the weekend?

emergpa1 · Apr 22, 2015

geehaw said:
I have a free day 04/23/15 in Ft Lauderdale. Anyone like to take me sailing for the day or part of the day?

geehaw, are you not in Alaska anymore?
This brings up a tangential subject which I thought about posting in a separate thread but decided it didn't deserve the exposure of a new thread. Let me explain. We were in Stuart Florida about three weeks ago and decided that we were going to work our way south to Fort Lauderdale. Initially we tried to go outside however weather, seas and beginer mistakes involving rigging and prepping the boat required us to turn around go back into St. Lucie Inlet. We huddled a couple of nights at Peck Lake, (a small bay off the intercoastal waterway and a great Anchorage just south of Lake Worth) to regroup and try to make Fort Lauderdale by the intracoastal waterway ditch. Unfortunately, we left on a Saturday. Of course springtime Saturdays on the intercoastal waterway are very busy. Let me tell you it was a nightmare. Large power boats everywhere not giving a damn about a small sailboat. Bridge operators who had fun making the pudgy little sailboat flounder about in the heavy traffic. Rude power boat operators who shake their fist, give the middle finger and were verbally abusive to slow moving sailboats such as ours. An overall terrible experience. And let me assure you this southerner is polite and considerate. I always tried to keep my boat to the right side of the waterway. However often I would simply be pushed even further and further over. I have been around a little bit and I have never encountered such rude and unprofessional behavior from fellow boaters and one of the drawbridge operators anywhere.
Unfortunately that is an area that we often have to transverse if we want to get in position to sail the northern route to the Abacos.

Kings Gambit · Apr 22, 2015

emergpa1 said:
... Let me tell you it was a nightmare. Large power boats everywhere not giving a damn about a small sailboat. Bridge operators who had fun making the pudgy little sailboat flounder about in the heavy traffic. Rude power boat operators who shake their fist, give the middle finger and were verbally abusive to slow moving sailboats such as ours. An overall terrible experience. And let me assure you this southerner is polite and considerate. I always tried to keep my boat to the right side of the waterway. However often I would simply be pushed even further and further over. I have been around a little bit and I have never encountered such rude and unprofessional behavior from fellow boaters and one of the drawbridge operators anywhere.

My pet name for the ICW of Florida was "The Motor-Boater Highway." I actually also owned a Grady White when I lived there in the 1990's, and when on the "Highway" running at 30 kt it was not fun to slow down to avoid, or to "politely" over take, sailboats truding along at 6 kt. My best time on the ICW of southwest Florida in the sailboat was a Christmas Day sail from St. Petersburg to Sarasota one year--not a single motor boater to be seen the entire trip. Also, bridge tenders are loath to wait for slow moving traffic to pass under, so it seemed to me. They do not like to have the bridge up longer than minimal necessity to clear the boat traffic. If on demand, they'll wait until nearly the last moment to have it up by the time you're in position to go under--you may even have to slow down some to allow it all the way up. However, I've always found them "professional" in the sense of typically polite and respectful communications--but they have a job to do---and they do it!! Regretable to hear of your experience:neutral:

pateco · Apr 22, 2015

The ICW and inlets can get crazy on the weekends down here.

Usually though the bridge tenders, and most boaters are patient with us sailors. I did have a large yacht try to back down on me while waiting on a bridge opening recently, and I had to get on the radio, and tell him to take it easy, as backing a sailboat takes some time and finesse.

emergpa1 · Apr 22, 2015

pateco said:
The ICW and inlets can get crazy on the weekends down here. Usually though the bridge tenders, and most boaters are patient with us sailors. I did have a large yacht try to back down on me while waiting on a bridge opening recently, and I had to get on the radio, and tell him to take it easy, as backing a sailboat takes some time and finesse.

yes, I certainly did not begrudge the large boulders for not slowing down. Even though the lake for a pretty large and we rocked a lot I still understood those things burn a lot of gas and, heck, I'm a sailboat and can take a week or two. That wasn't the issue. I guess the biggest thing was people just continuing to push me on over and out-of-the-way. Also, I had little fist shaken at me during the really traffic he periods when I was trying to maneuver the boat safely waiting on the bridge operator. There was one absolutely her Renda's bridge experience. It was the something something federal drawbridge. It was a bridge that opened upon request. I had already been through several brawl bridges and sort of understood the technique. Also I realized that they do not like to hold the traffic longer than necessary so to call out at the earliest possible moment to request the opening. Also when I was told that they would open "as soon as possible" I would begin to motor forward to the bridge. I would watch for the gates to go down then power up fully trying to make the bridge crossing as rapidly as possible.. I follow the same procedures at the something something federal bridge just north of North Palm Beach. The boating traffic was exceptionally heavy through this point. However the soonest possible must not have actually met soon as possible because when I got within about 600 feet of the bridge the Gateshead still not gone down at this point I signaled to everyone around me that I was going to have to loop and indeed did have to leave right away. I made a large circle being as careful as possible but still angered many of the boulders there. When I came back around facing the bridge I was at about 500 feet away from the vendors of the bridge facing the bridge. Again the traffic was quite heavy and the Gateshead still not gone down I throttle down to 1000 RPMs to try to keep a little water flowing over the writer. Heading forward as close as I could the gates finally went down at about 200 feet outside of the fenders. Heavy heavy traffic. At this point I was moving very slowly five minutes past that seemed like 15. But steal the bridge did not budge or even began to open although B Gage had been down for several minutes. I radio the bridge operator but got no reply. At this point I was stuck in heavy traffic. Finally reaching the entrance of the fenders. I had to do a loop actually within side the fenders perimeter. The bridge was still not budging. This caused me to have to leave suddenly and in heavy traffic but at this point I had absolutely no choice. Wrecking the side of the fenders, damaging my outboard engine, and railing holding the sewer panels I was able to get back up river. While attempting to maneuver back up river approximately three minutes after getting back outside of the fender perimeter the bridge begin to open mind you my Stern was steel to the bridge at this point. So now the bridge was opening while my sailboat was pointed in the wrong direction again I had to turn the boat rather suddenly in traffic and a make it underneath the bridge. The bridge operator came on, braided me, and asked me to spell my name very slowly. I ignore the request thank him for the opening and apologize for the trouble. What I really wanted to do was pullover climb up the bridge and beat the living **** out of him. He knew exactly what he was doing. It may not be easy to tell from this description but the timing as I experienced it leaves no doubt. Unless he was sleeping up there. This is a rather long post and it was voice to text so I did not bother to scan it for voice to text errors, hopefully the idea gets through.

Coyote · Apr 22, 2015

Hey Pateco:

with respect,,, what have you done to your Head Sail as you head out into the Atlantic,,,, it looks like a "Maypole"???

cheers,
Coyote

pateco · Apr 22, 2015

Coyote said:
Hey Pateco:

with respect,,, what have you done to your Head Sail as you head out into the Atlantic,,,, it looks like a "Maypole"???

cheers,
Coyote

Coyote,

Its a roller furling sail with White UV cover. To keep the jib sheets closer to the deck, I roll it a couple of extra times to wind them down from the height of the clue. I also use a small bungee between the foredeck cleats to hold them down to the deck. It makes walking around the bow while docked or under power easier as you don't have to worry about tripping over them.

MrBill_FLL · Apr 24, 2015

Where are you staying?

for a beach, I like lauderdale-by-the sea area...(commercial blvd) good snorkeling. small town feel.

The ft lauderdale strip is tourist mecca... most locals stay away...

try the water taxi... ~$20/all day. good way to see the area. -you can bring a cooler

Ft Lauderdale Sailing.

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