Thurs., April 9 — From the land of WOW to OMG

We’ve moved from the land of WOW to the land of OMG. You’ll see what I mean in the pictures. OMG would also describe our day on the water. Too many bridges — most of which we had to wait for because we were too tall to go under them. Even these bridge tenders agreed! What “could” have been a 4 or 5 hour trip turned into nearly 8. We also had a few glitches along the way. A couple of times the radar went out (we didn’t need it — so no big deal, but scary to have anything go out on a boat). Another time the chart on one side went out (we had another, but, again, any electronic problems are worrisome). One time one of the engines stalled (we figured out the reason much later) and tested our ability to calmly figure out what the problem was and then solve it. Lessons learned. And totally annoying was the fact that our cruising guide turned out to have some out-dated information which caused us some delays as we dilly-dallied in a couple of places thinking that we would have to wait for the timed bridge opening when, in fact, we could easily get under the “new” bridge. Our reward was a berth at Pier 66 surrounded by mega yachts and a posh dinner at the Hyatt Regency.

A fun thing we saw on our way -- one of the "rocket ski" contraptions.  He splashed down rather inelegantly about a second after I snapped this photo.
A fun thing we saw on our way — one of the “rocket ski” contraptions. He splashed down rather inelegantly about a second after I snapped this photo.
The first of MANY mega hi-rises we saw along the ICW on our way to Ft. Lauderdale.
The first of MANY mega hi-rises we saw along the ICW on our way to Ft. Lauderdale.
The first photo I took of this house turned out to be just half of it.  Do you suppose they hold conferences in the large glass atrium structure?  This house took up at least three lots.
The first photo I took of this house turned out to be just half of it. Do you suppose they hold conferences in the large glass atrium structure? This house took up at least three lots.
Here's another ultra-modern house.  This one came with a boat called "Sexy."
Here’s another ultra-modern house. This one came with a power boat called “Sexy” which you can see to the left side.
Here's another mega-house stretched out along prime ICW real estate.
Here’s another mega-house stretched out along prime ICW real estate.
This monster is still under construction and is located on the eastern side of the ICW.  The other side of the house is on the ocean.
This monster is still under construction and is located on the eastern side of the ICW. At first we thought it might be a boutique hotel!  The other side of the house is on the ocean.
And look at that gorgeous boat reflected in the window of this modern mansion.
And look at that gorgeous boat reflected in the window of this modern mansion.
This modest house (by comparison) was one of our favorites after seeing more tile roofs and Spanish porticos than you can imagine.  Very stylish we thought.
This modest house (by comparison) was one of our favorites after seeing more tile roofs and Spanish porticos than you can imagine. Very stylish we thought.
We are thinking that this little number might be our best (and only?) option if we decided we had to live on the ICW.
We are thinking that this little number might be our best (and only?) option if we decided we had to live on the ICW.  We saw quite a few homes being torn down and lots of places that looked like tear-down candidates.

2 thoughts on “Thurs., April 9 — From the land of WOW to OMG”

  1. I can visualize you and Cliff calmly discussing, analyzing and resolving each glitch with the technology and engine. I do envy your ability to do that; it makes you perfect shipmates; as for me, my heart would have stopped each time and I might even have abandoned ship! I’m not proud of this, but it’s the truth.

    How does it feel to be among the lucky 1 percent? You’re looking at magnificent homes from your magnificent yacht on the ICW! What a wonderful way to spend retirement and so well deserved.

    1. We may look calm — just like ducks on a placid pond but underneath we are paddling like mad! To tell the truth, all those GIANT homes and mega-yachts are nice to look at, but I wouldn’t want any of them. They all look like a lot of work to me. A guy at Coral Reef Yacht Club gave us the perfect distinction between a boat and a yacht….if you are doing the work, you have a boat. If someone else is doing the work, you have a yacht. We have a boat:-)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *