I feel like we’ve been here for weeks, but it’s only been 4 days. Chris Spencer, the guy who made and is installing our hard top, took care of us all the way. We pulled into the channel after 8 days at sea and were lost, but within minutes, Chris made the calls and told us exactly which slip to tie up to. As soon as we were settled in, we needed to report to Customs and Immigration. On the islands this was a short bus or dinghy ride for Captain Eric, but in Fort Lauderdale the whole family needed to make their way to the office which was about 8 miles away in an industrial office complex. Since most of our errands were going to require a car, our first order of business was to call Hertz to come get us. The kids think this mini van is the same one we drove from Kissimmee to the Miami airport in November, we got a free upgrade and a free GPS in the car, I felt like it was my birthday.
The real reason why we’re here in Fort Lauderdale is the appointment we made with Chris Spencer months ago to set Makai up with a hard top over the cockpit. It’s a real upgrade for the boat to move from the canvas bimini to this fiberglass top.
The kids and I helped remove the old canvas. Bonjour, Makai is feeling naked with her top off.
Thursday morning the top arrived. They fastened it to a crane that was able to swing it’s arm from the parking lot over to the boat.
Then gently lower it into place. Chris set up temporary supports and clamped the back to the Targa wing.
Then he and Eric went to work. Chris filled the old holes, mounted forward supports filled, ground and blended the fiberglass from the top to the wing, and hooked up the wires to power up the built in lighting.
This top won’t leak in a rain storm, we can walk on it for better access to the boom and main sail, or sit on top to enjoy a new view. We haven’t had time to appreciate it yet, but everyone tells us its a huge upgrade.
Now for shopping. According to my American Express, we shopped at: West Marine, Costco, Supercuts, Old Navy, Ross, McDonalds, KMart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Golden Corral, a Pet Store, Michaels, Home Depot, a Soda Fountain Store, Subway, Bass Pro Shop, and Napa Auto Parts. That’s only my list, Eric has his own list as well.
The girls had been using napkins to make doll clothes. Ten dollars of multi colored felt squares kept everyone busy for hours.
Roy spent hours at the fishing counter in West Marine having his old poles and reels checked out and selecting new one for his birthday.
Roy also mounted the poles in his room to protect them from the elements on the back rail. Roy got a heavy trolling rig and a lighter weight casting rig.
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At Ross I bought a set of flameless candles. They provide ambiance and a little light without the frustration of blowing out, melted wax all over the place, and remembering to light and blow them out. At Costco we were happy to stock up on all the regular items, paper and soap products as well as all our favorite fruits. From Bed Bath and Beyond we got a Sodastream machine. Do you remember the pictures of the Cokes Eric had stored all over the place. Well, after lugging 2L bottles by the dozens through the streets of the islands, and finding places for the trash, I decided to try the Sodastream machine. I also found a fountain drink distributor for Coca Cola syrup because Eric only likes the real thing. Success, everyone is happy, and I love the plain carbonated water. The only problem is that the syrup only lasts about 2 months and has an expiration date. We’ll have to see how that goes.
There is a baby Golden Retriever, his name is Rio, at the marina office. I took dozens of pictures but most all of them were blurred because the little guy never stopped moving. Topaz wasn’t impressed, but the kids couldn’t stop squishing, squeezing, and touching the little fuzz ball.
Friday the kids and I decided to check out the Bass Pro Shop. This place was amazing. The merchandise was only a small part of the attraction. It was the displays, decorations, aquariums, restaurant and museum that kept us there for 4 hours. This place was like Disneyland, there was a parking structure, bus drop off locations, a lake with a beach and watersports lessons.
Roy bought himself a bigger tackle box.
The Fishing Hall of Fame Museum was top notch.
There were rooms that described tackle, game fish habitats, hall of fame records, conservation.
The kids played these virtual reality fishing games. They caught about 6 different types of fish from the bite to landing it.
Out back is a wetlands nature walk with these tiny frogs, birds, fish, grasses and of course, it wouldn’t be Florida without an……..
Alligator.
Today we have just a few little chores to finish up on before we leave.
How do you know you are in Florida?Everyone stays inside with the air conditioner running to hide from the bugs and humidity. The first few mornings and evenings we got massacred by no see ums. They swarmed all over us. We had to stay inside with the doors and windows closed and a sheet over our heads. Finally we got it worked out, hooked up to shore power and turned on the air conditioner.
The plan is to leave this afternoon and head for New Smyrna Beach and Ponce De Leon inlet, about 200nm and a day and a half north of here. This is a place we visited by land last November with my mom, and she’s planning to rent there next winter so we’ll visit by boat in the fall. I’m guessing we’ll stay for just a few days before heading for Maryland or Virginia on one more long passage. After that we’ll spend most of June and July in Lower New England, NY, CT, MA, RI.