Finally after eight days and five hundred nautical miles, I was back on the New River headed home. In our last blog, I made the journey back to Fort Lauderdale from the Bahamas. Unlike other inlets like Haulover and Boca, the Stranahan River inlet is pretty mild. This is the main inlet to Port Everglades where all of the Fort Lauderdale cruise ships are based out of.
Because we were coming back into the US we needed to clear customs. The captain of our yacht used the CBP mobile phone app to check in our crew. He took a photo of our passports and uploaded them to the platform.
The winds were pretty strong that day and I was surprised to see so many small boats out there. In fact as we were coming back, there was a mayday call on the VHF for a small capsized boat.
Water Taxi Route on the New River
Scott and I have taken the water taxi on this route a number of times. That amenity is one of the favorite things we love about living in DT Fort Lauderdale. But there’s something about riding down the river on a yacht versus a taxi. Big yachts come down the river during our walks and I always wondered what it was like to be on one. Well, now I know.
The New River is somewhat narrow and you also have to cross under a number of bridges. Typically the larger boat has the right away, but don’t’ count on every boater following that rule. Plus there are all kinds of vessels on the river including dinghys, jet skis and tiki huts that you have to watch for. Our captain was very experienced and instead of passing by the oncoming vessels, he stayed put and let them pass by us.
Venice of America
When we left for the trip, it was before dawn and it was pitch black. It was pretty cool to see everything along the New River in the daylight. Scott and I can walk to the 7th avenue bridge, but that’s as far as we can go on foot. As the yacht crossed under the bridge, I was curious what the rest of the river looked like. Cruising down the new river, you will see everything from mansions to old homes, vacant lots, large yachts, tiki huts and fancy RV parks. They call Fort Lauderdale the Venice of America due to all of the canals.
The entire trip from Port Everglades to Roscioli Yachting Center took us about an hour and half. So if you plan on doing this, give yourself plenty of time. I never get tired of seeing yachts, so the trip was pretty cool. There are many other ways to cruise the river if you don’t own a boat. You can rent one with a captain, take the Jungle Queen, hop on the water taxi, take a gondola or rent a jet ski.
Finally we’re home
Soon we were in the industrial part of the river. We passed by Safe Harbor, which is one of the largest super yacht ship yards in Florida.
After eight days of cruising and working at the same time, I was ready to be home. Seeing Scott waiting for us at the dock was just what I needed. This was certainly an epic trip and I respect the job that these captains do. They have to work under difficult conditions and yet the passengers rarely know that.
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Cheers, Scott and Ally
