10 February, 2020 Not in Kansas anymore

Lots of bridges under and opened.  Fuel stop. 27 SM; 4.3 engine hours

Warm at wake up time, showers around with the wind at 15-20 MPH, shifted easterly during the night.  Upped the anchor and eased out of a pretty good spot at 0730 headed south.  We make the 0740 bridge opening and ease through.  Not far initially, one of my cruising apps reports diesel fuel at unbelievable low price.  Will check it out.  Marina only 8 miles but almost takes two hours due to bridges, no-wake and slow speed areas.  I called the Sands Harbor resort and  marina and the dock master confirmed fuel at $1.99 a gallon.  What a steal.  Seems there is a bit of a war going on between a couple of resort/marinas.  So at 1015 Serenity secured starboard side to the fuel dock.  We took on almost 30 gallons of diesel.  Dumped off a big bag of trash and the ice was FREE.  Man, living large.  Cheap diesel, free ice and free water.  All topped off, we visited the ship store which was very well stocked.  Underway @ 1100 we headed south to negotiate the Ft Lauderdale area.

Data time.  With this fuel stop total diesel consumed since we departed on 1 Nov = 214.125 gallons.  Statute miles traveled 1844.  Trip to date:  8.61 MPG.  Serenity might not be fast, not big, not overly fancy, but I am liking the fuel sipping qualities.

Our passage through the Fl Lauderdale area was impressive and daunting.  Truly the land of super mega yachts.  I knew there would be big ones, but the numbers just boggles the mind.

Chart plotter Lauderdale maze

Cruise ship ahead

Name obvious 

Today was an enjoyable cruise, amazing the difference between the weekend and a weekday.  Busy around Lauderdale with water taxis coming and going and a few pleasure craft but not many.  It has warned up considerably down here and Iguanas are not falling out of trees.

Many Iguanas sunning on the bumpers of the bridges

POC picked the anchorage and it is a good one.  We have anchored in Golden Isles Lake just off the AICW mm 1074.4.  This place must have been dredged long, long ago.  It is circular ringed with condos and boat slips at the water.  Maybe 3/4-1 mile wide.  We dropped the hook at 1415 in 22 feet of water.  I have 90 feet of rode + 18 feet of chain out to keep us put in still strong easterly winds.  (map) Water is really clearing up and yesterday could see bottom in 10 feet.  SST is 76 degrees--time to swim.

Looking NE at anchor

The best is a super Walmart is 0.3 mile as the crow flies.  So we splashed KAOS and off we rowed about 1/2 mile to park KAOS under the bridge over the AICW.  The good attribute of a rowing 8 foot dinghy is that it is light enough we could lift it out of the water and set on the sea wall and lock up.

KAOS on sea wall

Just like that, we were walking across the Wal-Mart parking lot.  Rotisserie chicken, fresh eggs,  veggies, yogurt, kefir and chocolate we headed back to KAOS.  Loaded up and rowed back to Serenity.  Eating good tonight.

Not wilderness, but an interesting anchorage

1380.0 Hobbs; 1862 SM elapsed