Bahia Mar Marina - Fort Lauderdale

I have been truly neglecting my blog. Nine months of working on my new house has really taken it's toll on my fun time. To remedy that I have decided to cram this weekend full starting off with a visit to the Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale. 

The goal was to take a few quick pics of a replica 1526 Spanish Galleon in town and head home. I got a bit more adventurous than I planned.

When I moved to Florida in 1978 from Philadelphia, the first tourist attraction my parents took us on was the Jungle Queen. I started my appreciation for odd Florida attractions right then and there. For many years the relatives would come down from the cold, white north and we would entertain them by taking this cruise up the New River. Probably 20 times, the last time probably 20 years ago. I think it's way past time to do it again.

After shooting a few pictures of the Jungle Queen, I spotted distant pirate flags blowing in the wind. Being the easily distracted type, I took a stroll over to see what was going on and found the
Bluefoot Pirate Adventures. Stay tuned. I'll have a lot more to say about this ship next week.

As I turned to head over to the Spanish Galleon, yet another blast from my past - Flamingo Deep Sea Fishing. How many times did Dad take me out deep sea fishing? How many times did I bring in the bigger fish? I don't even like fishing. I do like the memories though. Eventually we bought our own tiny boat. Most of those memories involved poor seamanship. That and Dad always made me bait my own hook. Best to leave all that to the professionals.

After an hour or two crossing the parking lot and an as of yet undisclosed detour, I finally reached my destination, complete with a ridiculously long line. Right in front of the ship I spotted my new best friends - The South Florida Pirates. I may have even captured a few of the Pirates of the Treasure Coast. These groups have been turning up in my photos for some time now. I'll have more to say about them later this week as well.

South Florida Pirates

With all the running around then spending time with the South Florida Pirates, I ran out of time and got way too much sun to tour the ship. Last day in port is tomorrow so I will give it one more try, maybe a little more focused this time around. Assuming I'm not already too crispy.


There was one additional ship hovering high above. Not sure how to secure passage but if anyone knows, drop me a line.

How do I get a ticket for this ship?

This concludes my first cliff hanger blog. Be sure and tune in tomorrow and the whole rest of the week for a recap of this weekends adventures.