History Meets the Present
What an experience to bring a rudimentary craft through the complexity of modernity. Our vessel gently grazes over the surface yet it is not nature we find ourselves in, but a metropolis. We pass through slowly as cars zoom over and past us. Each bridge lifted for us another example of the miracle of engineering, each mansion a reminder of wealth beyond reckoning.
In reaching these shores we have crossed paths with giants of the seas and empty beaches. Yet here we are received by the wake of speedings vessels and the shade of towering complexes. How curious to bring something such as a sailboat to the hustle and bustle of city life.
If you were to ask me what I expected on this journey I certainly would not have responded with cruising down a river so full of humanity. Forever winding further south and reminded of how small I am relative to what mankind continues to produce. It is an experience, to be sure, to sail between buildings that dwarf what most cities across the country produce.
On the open ocean there is nothing but space and its scattered inhabitants. You monitor the sea and the winds for what else is there to concern you? Not so in the city. Suddenly every passing yacht, every bridge, is a slow moving train you must actively avoid.
If you find yourself seeking an abundance of money look no further than Fort Lauderdale. Say you are granted the opportunity to cruise the intracoastal waterway in this area. You will have the distinct privilege of gawking at the sheer amount of cash that surrounds you. From multimillion dollar castles to 100 foot yachts that peruse the byways.
To make matters even more interesting is the fact that all low hanging bridges are obligated to open at your request! And not one bridge, not five bridges, but over twenty total bridges in this passage. Some are as tall as 75feet, but many many others must raise for you to pass through. How strange is the ability to force someone to stop driving their car so that you can move your boat…
Much of the river is this area is banked with magnificent homes of all styles. Yet what truly left my jaw on the deck was the passing between the mountainous high rises that engulf each side of the water. So high are they that the sun is easily hidden behind their forty stories. I have walked between such buildings but to guide your floating home amongst them is another experience entirely.
As incredible as the sights were I must confess each bend left me with anxiety. A million dollar accident at every turn seemed to confront us. Adding to my “excitement” was the many other boaters that had little regard for our ships inability to maneuver quickly in such tight spaces.
Where our merry crew was dumbstruck by the absurdity around us, the locals were equally perplexed by our old ship passing through their waters. This demonstrated by the many videos and photos taken of our passing by. At the least, most, if not all, were kind enough to give a smile and wave. Some even cheered!
A place of many sights and sounds, but a place I find myself happy to done with. Leave me to the vast stretches of the sea with many horizons to chase. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.
