Ft Lauderdale Air Show 2023

[ocgrant]

ok so when I get there I will just drop the main hook in the best place I can find and wait for you all to show up. I think we are pretty protected from wind in that lake as the bridge and buildings block the south side really well. I will fly the CSR flag on my roof so you all know it is me.

 

[ocgrant]

Anchored up and ready… watched boys in blue practice today!!! What a great site. Can’t wait for tomorrow. Fricken hot and steamy just like I like it….sent to you via Starlink.

 

[ocgrant]

Awesome time had by all… Thanks to Alex and Vince for both coming and making this a great time. The location was perfect and while there were well over 200 boats in that lake at show time the party was kept adult like and no blaring music or stupidness. So great time had by all and look forward to doing this again next year.

 

[highslice]

Awesome time had by all… Thanks to Alex and Vince for both coming and making this a great time. The location was perfect and while there were well over 200 boats in that lake at show time the party was kept adult like and no blaring music or stupidness. So great time had by all and look forward to doing this again next year.
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Very cool. Looks like a blast.

 

[Alex F]

We started our voyage later in the day, with expectation to arrive after dark. We always enjoy ICW cruise in this area. This is not something you see every day, couple 100-110'ers rafted in a backyard

The port everglades had all the ships out, so not much to report there.

Just passed 17th street bridge, Hilton resort had good looking addition.

And stunning classic sail ship docked right in front of the hotel.

While we were making our way to FTL, Grant took off for dinner. As we passed Bahia Mar and came up to Las Olas bridge, I see a tender on my STBD side. I tell my wife, I wander if it's Gant coming back from dinner. 30 seconds later I get a text "Hey Alex, I think I see you on my port side".......Talking about perfect timing.

Gorgios view upon arrival to the anhorage.

Interesting arrangement of the raft in front of us.

We enjoyed beautiful evening greeted by Grant and his wife.

We definitely made a good call coming Friday eve. The "boater's show" began much earlier than the air show. Here's a quick look at what I meant earlier how local don't really care coming too close to you. This guy was no more than 2' off H2O Therapy's bow.

If Grant's anchor had a line instead of a chain, I could bet this guy would have snagged it with his STBD prop.

The place is getting packed pretty quickly.

Before you know it, there was barely any room for a small boat to anchor.

To be continued...have to split my posts due to attachments limitation.

 

[Alex F]

Luckily, Vince just made it in time and was able to spot our raft with very little room to get through the maze.

Here's a good example of how close some boats are possitioning. The two center consoles are in their own raft from the one just to the right.

They happen to put a bit of a "show" as they started to drag with only 20-30 feet of spare room between another raft behind them. So, they had a great idea and "perfect" execution. As they were dragging, they decided to raise both hooks, as a step #1 .

Now, while freely drifting they decided to split up. And as you can guess, it only led to this...

I was amazed how they worried about everything else, except controlling the boat's position. Interestingly enough, even with all the commotion, everything was pretty cool and civil. Everyone was friendly and just worked together to keep things civil.

With no room to spare, this 85-90'er sport fishing behemoth decided to plow through the crowd.

 

[Alex F]

Here's part of our gang enjoying the show on the bow.

The location to see the air show was excellent, we had prime views with plains going right above us. Grant was able to catch an awesome shot of Blue Angels doing the formation just as they snuck up on us super close.

I only cough few shots from a further away.

All in all it was a great trip and huge thanks to Grant for starting the thread. We had a great time and it was an excellent opportunity to meet some local CSR members. Can't wait for the next rendesvous.

 

[FootballFan]

Sounds like a great weekend. I can understand the crowds from the time we kept our boat in that area. If you haven't spent time there it can be hard to comprehend the quantity of boats. Guess that's why it is the boating capital of the world.

Thanks for posting the pictures and the recap.

Alex, if you find yourself headed to the west coast let us know.

 

[Boca_Vincent]

Late post - been meaning to check in...
Great day hanging out with cool people for this awesome event. Thanks to both Grant & Alex for securing a prime spot and the help getting me rafted up in very tight field.
For those of you who don't have an an anchor valet, I highly recommend this service.
In case you aren't familiar, this is when you just tie up with your buddy boats, and then Alex & Grant come around in the dink and strategically place your anchor in the optimal spot. Works perfect!!