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I guess nearly everyone remotely familiar with boats, or Florida, knows that Fort Lauderdale is a big time boating center. With the Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway and many more miles of canals than Venice, Italy, this community is one of the best places anywhere to be a boat owner. Or boat rider. But you have to try it for yourself to appreciate how wonderful the boating really is. You’ve got to get yourself onto the water for some sightseeing from a different perspective and maybe a few thrills along the way.
I had that chance again on Sunday when a close buddy asked me to join him on his speedy Sea-Doo Sportster jet boat – basically a small cigarette boat. This compact, maneuverable watercraft holds four people and can hit speeds up to about 60 mph. So Brad launched the thing in the Intracoastal at the Hollywood Marina on a pleasant, sunny afternoon, a great day for boating with a nice breeze and some puffy cloud cover to keep things cool. I hopped aboard and we putted through a no-wake zone for a little while.
But before long, we reached a section of the waterway where we could at least partially open things up. Brad shoved the throttle forward and we lurched ahead suddenly, salt spray splattering over us as the Sportster hit wakes, went airborne and crashed down hard in the trough between waves. It was jarring, right from my rear end up through my teeth. And it was a blast! He even let me drive. So I took the boat up to about the same speeds we’d been going, bombing over the big wakes just as my friend had done. And learning that the ride is a lot smoother when you’re driving the boat rather than sitting as a passenger, for some reason. Back in no-wake areas, we floated past million dollar, and multi-million dollar, homes lining the canals and bays off the Intracoastal. The whole thing made for an excellent afternoon. And a reminder about why Fort Lauderdale is such a boating capital. Coincidentally enough, our outing came only four days before the opening of the world’s largest boat show, October 25 – 29, right here in town. Later in the week, I’ll tell you more about that annual event, which really is a lot of fun. Meanwhile, I’m going to check my teeth to see if I lost any fillings during those watery crash landings. Hey, whatever – even if I did, it was worth it.
I had that chance again on Sunday when a close buddy asked me to join him on his speedy Sea-Doo Sportster jet boat – basically a small cigarette boat. This compact, maneuverable watercraft holds four people and can hit speeds up to about 60 mph. So Brad launched the thing in the Intracoastal at the Hollywood Marina on a pleasant, sunny afternoon, a great day for boating with a nice breeze and some puffy cloud cover to keep things cool. I hopped aboard and we putted through a no-wake zone for a little while.
But before long, we reached a section of the waterway where we could at least partially open things up. Brad shoved the throttle forward and we lurched ahead suddenly, salt spray splattering over us as the Sportster hit wakes, went airborne and crashed down hard in the trough between waves. It was jarring, right from my rear end up through my teeth. And it was a blast! He even let me drive. So I took the boat up to about the same speeds we’d been going, bombing over the big wakes just as my friend had done. And learning that the ride is a lot smoother when you’re driving the boat rather than sitting as a passenger, for some reason. Back in no-wake areas, we floated past million dollar, and multi-million dollar, homes lining the canals and bays off the Intracoastal. The whole thing made for an excellent afternoon. And a reminder about why Fort Lauderdale is such a boating capital. Coincidentally enough, our outing came only four days before the opening of the world’s largest boat show, October 25 – 29, right here in town. Later in the week, I’ll tell you more about that annual event, which really is a lot of fun. Meanwhile, I’m going to check my teeth to see if I lost any fillings during those watery crash landings. Hey, whatever – even if I did, it was worth it.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 11:58 AM
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