A. Water Fantaseas, Inc. is pleased to provide the following sample itineraries and excursions as a base to begin planning your own charter from. Please note that these are not “group trips” or cruises that you can purchase individual tickets for, rather they are ideas, suggestions and samples of what you can do and where you can go when you charter a private yacht from A. Water Fantaseas, Inc.

FORT LAUDERDALE & POMPANO  (4 hours or more) ::

   
This fun and sun filled adventure is one of our most popular charters. Your cruise begins with a brief tour of the Intracoastal Waterway and Port Everglades. During weekends, you will be able to see a number of large cruise ships, and at times, Navy warships, visiting port (Fort Lauderdale is the world’s second busiest cruise port and a very popular “liberty port” for the U.S. Navy and the Navies of our allies, as well!).

After we pass through the harbor, we take the short run out Port Everglades Inlet to the open ocean. North of the inlet we travel along the famed beaches of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale by the Sea and Pompano Beach. Instead of lying on the beach and looking out to sea, you get to be at sea and look back on those who are “stuck” ashore. This trip can be run in close (just outside the buoys that tell us not to enter the restricted “swimmers only” waters immediately off the beach), where we must proceed slowly, but can sight-see in detail, or we can hang farther off shore and advance at a faster pace. Though we can’t see things on shore quite so clearly this way, the high-speed run is exhilarating! But this journey doesn’t have to be just cruising, either slow or fast. There are mooring buoys along the reef not far from the end of Commercial Boulevard where we can stop for some snorkeling if you wish. It’s along the way, so stopping to view the reef is not a “detour” and thus takes little time away from other activities. And it does offer a whole different experience. Whether we go slow or fast, stop for snorkeling or just keep on cruising, our northern route eventually takes us to Lighthouse Point and Hillsborough Inlet in Pompano Beach.

We can simply view this historic site as we cruise on through (the lighthouse is one of the most powerful along the entire east coast of the United States!) but it’s even better if we stop to anchor in the peaceful cove just inside the jetties. This is an ideal spot for swimming and/or to use the WaveRunner. The area is quite sheltered, and almost always calmer than the open ocean, yet ocean access for unfettered use of the WaveRunner is just a matter of yards. Of course, you could snorkel here, too. But the mostly sand bottom offers nowhere near the kind of magnificent sights that are so plentiful back out on the reef. When it’s time to head home, we avoid backtracking by taking the inside route. The portion of the Intracoastal Waterway from Hillsborough Inlet down to Fort Lauderdale (the waterway as a whole runs from Norfolk, Virginia all the way down to Miami) is lined with interesting homes, hotels, condos and restaurants. Indeed, this stretch of the ICW probably offers a greater variety of places to stop to eat or drink than any other. And that’s anywhere – from Norfolk to Miami!

There’s a sign on the Commercial Boulevard bridge that reads: “Welcome to The Yachting Capital of the World.” And along this route you’re likely to see a large number of boats of all kinds. Some will also be underway; others will be moored behind homes or at one of the several marinas we’ll pass. One of the aspects of Fort Lauderdale that helps contribute to its being known as “The Venice of America” is the New River, which runs through the very heart of downtown. Even the county jail is on the waterfront! So if we have time, we can take a run up the river, which will reveal many homes of the rich and famous as well as many that are merely homes of the very rich. Along the way we’ll pass the eating/drinking/entertainment complex known as Las Olas Riverfront. There’s dockage available on a first come first served basis if you care to stop (and have the time). Farther up river there are yet more restaurants, homes, boat yards and other attractions that you’ll see nowhere else but in Fort Lauderdale. The only drawback to a trip up the New River (and it’s just a minor one) is that for boats of our size there is no other way out. Our only option is to turn around and go back the way we came. Note also that just how far upriver we go most often depends on what else you may wish to do (or have already done) in your allotted time. Just know that even a short trip up the New River can be quite an experience. But unfortunately, time always runs out eventually and we must head back to where we started. But throughout you charter, you will have experienced much of what makes Fort Lauderdale so extraordinary. And because you’ve done it all from the water, you’ll have special memories that will last a lifetime.

Original Content: Boat Write