It's
been said that the only way to see this remarkable city
is from the water, as there are some 185 miles of natural
and man made waterways. In a city that was largely dredged
up out of mangrove swamps, which created both the land
and its waterways, a cruise up the New River provides
a cruising experience unlike any other.
And in case anyone
doubts why this city calls itself the "yachting
capitol of the world", this river trip will dispel
any notions to the contrary, for you will see more
boats in just a few hours than you've probably ever
seen before. For boating is what this city is all
about.
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| It
all begins here: Looking inland toward the downtown
from the Intracoastal. That's Lauderdale Yacht
Club on the left. Watch out for those afternoon
thunderstorms. They spring up suddenly and drop
torrents of rain. It's best to start this trip
early in the day in the monsoon season,
May-October. |
Even the geology of
the river is unique, for it is not a normal river
as most people know them. It's not a drainage river,
but is completely tidal saltwater. On a rising tide,
the current flows upstream, even as far as five miles
inland. Twelve thousand years ago, the lower Florida
peninsula was a vast atoll, bordered by a coral reef
on the eastern side. The New River was actually a
cut or pass through the reef. As the earth cooled
and ocean levels receded, this pass through the coral
reef became this unusual river. It was cut by the
tidal flow between what is now the Everglades and
the Gulf Stream.
Because of this, the
river does not silt up, and does not pose the usual
threats of shifting sand bars and the like. It is
cut deep into coral rock, and her depths do not change.
You'll be amazed to
see that the water is clean, not muddy or badly polluted.
It is also very deep, up to 60 feet in places with
a minimum draft of 12 feet. It's not unusual to see
150 footers making their way up to the big yacht yards.
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The
Rio Vista River wends its way though
a posh neighborhood, but is not navigable to larger
boats due to low bridges. |
As you wend your way
up this endlessly twisting river, the scenery is constantly
changing. Lined with palatial homes at the mouth of
the river where it meets up with the Intracoastal
Waterway, with Las Olas isles to the north,
and Lauderdale Isles to the south, it passes
through Rio Vista, the highest ground in Fort
Lauderdale, which is actually the top of the ancient
coral reef.
After passing through a neighborhood of graceful older
homes in a setting of lush tropical foliage, rich
with flowering tropical trees like the flaming red
Poinciana and blue Jacaranda, you soon pass over the
New River Tunnel and into downtown Fort Lauderdale.
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