Preparing for the big show

And so the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show begins…

Last Friday we waited until 2:30 for our call to come into the marina at Bahia Mar. Thank God we had Jim driving. Blossom was squished into a slot not any bigger than she is, with a piling in front and a dock behind. We also got quite cozy with the 68 next to us.

Jim, our most excellent captain!

Blossom getting cozy with her neighbor

N76 and N86 across the way

We are on a temporary “F/G” dock for the show (in between “F” and “G”). Normally, there is nothing but water here. They build out several docks and then place temporary structures on top of that. They then have to run water and power out to all the boats. It’s like building a small city. Unfortunately we didn’t get power until Tuesday so everyone was running their gens all the time. It was a nice relief from diesel smells once the power was on.

View from the fly bridge

This year Nordhavn isn’t with the other “long range power boats” by Cruiser Port but rather on the north side of the marina with the megayachts. We feel a bit out of place sitting amongst huge boats and their crews. For days we’ve watched the crews clean, clean and then clean some more. I’m not a fan of reality tv but I have seen the show “Below Decks”. While I know very little of the social environment of yachties I do know this – they clean a whole lot more than that show would have you think.  

One of the highlights of our week was a chance encounter. On Sunday we went for a walk on the other side of the marina, where the other trawlers are. We were walking by a gorgeous Outer Reef 72 when we saw the owners on the bow. We commented on how beautiful their boat was, then we all stared at each other as recognition set in. It was Paul and Angela!  We met them back on 09’ in Atlantis, Bahamas. They we aboard their Tiara 43 (just like ours) with their children and we spent a lovely evening sipping sherry. Sure enough, 5 years later, we’re both in Ft. Lauderdale aboard our new boats. They spend a good deal of their boat time in the Bahamas and we’re looking forward to seeing them there this winter. It’s a small world!

Another highlight was a lovely visit on Wednesday with family friends from Leeds. Jonny, Helen, Lucy and Max are visiting Ft. Lauderdale and the timing was perfect for getting together. They came over to see Blossom and then we introduced them to our favorite restaurant, Coconuts. We had a great time visiting with them!

The gorgeous Adler family

We’ve spent the last few days tidying up the boat and making her a bit more presentable for the show. This includes picking up the clutter as well as storing our valuables. The unfortunate truth is that it’s prudent to leave nothing too tempting out in plain sight or easily accessible to wandering hands. For the duration of the show we’ll be staying at a hotel about a mile up the road. It’s easily accessible by bike so we plan to spend our days at the show, on the boat as much as possible, and at the hotel in the evenings.

The Nordhavn crew arrived today and there's all kinds of activity going on. We're enjoying our last day of relative "calm" before the crowds descend upon the show. We have several friends who will be coming by and we’re looking forward to a fun 5 days!