2009 Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show; Pre-Show Cruise

There was a 1982 Broward docked at Pier 66 along the backside canal for many years named "Northern V's". It was a classic Broward RPH in the 80' range and it was kept in immaculate condition. Always occupied the same spot on the face dock of the parking lot. Not sure if the boat in this pic is related, but here is an updated "Northern V's" cruising past Pier 66. Say what you want about about old Browards, but it's falling on deaf ears. Still magestic, beautiful yachts that men of mortal means can aspire to. Living with the blisters is another story!

On the subject of classics, whether they be 1980's era Browards or 1920's era Burgers, historically... few can compare to "Chanticleer". This boat was originally owned by Ralph Evinrude (think outboards!) who shared his love of boating with his wife, Francis Langford.

I found this boat in Jensen Beach way back when I started YF. Since then, a number of magazines picked up on our coverage of Chanticleer and published articles on the boat, none of them coming close to the history and accounts that members of YF brought forward. For more on Chanticleer, visit our original thread...

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/burger-yacht/2941-burgers-118-chanticleer.html

Chanticleer underwent a major refit by two astute entrepreneurs who recognized the value in her history. Last I heard, they sold her for a tidy little profit. Who says a boat is a hole in the water?

Not to upstage Tom, but here's a full length pic of Aurora, former Evviva.

Saluting our sistership, here's the sportdeck version of YF's photo-boat, the 33' Powerplay...

Before we got to Bahia Mar's face dock, which is far from filled in, we took a cruise down the backside to Bahia Cabana, checking out the Knot-So-Fast cruisers. We were lucky to have trawler expert Judy Waldman onboard, who will be baby sitting a Bering 55 trawler along this very dock at the show. The first in the "Are We There Yet" class, this 60' Sea Spirit built by Dan Fritz, who originally started Queenship and remains a partner. The single engine Spirit has been so well-received, Dan's on build #8 already.

Nordhavn's are an acquired taste. Either you like them or you don't. It's basically a black & white thing. For those who see the world in shades of gray, or can't decide between power & sail, Nordy has a boat for you... the motor slooper.

American Tugs toted this little trawler to FLIBS. No joke, at 34' feet long, you could probably trailer it!

CRN will have a presence at FLIBS this year with "Maraya". It is likely we will not provide a review for this builder. As YF's popularity grows, we are becoming more selective about the boats we feature, the builders that deserve coverage and those who appreciate our media.

Case in point, two years ago at FLIBS, we covered MCC's "Marco Polo", a boat that stood out for a myriad of reasons, taking a commercial approach to yachting with a single screw displacement hull, built by a legendary yard and a project engineer who has forgotten more than most of us will ever know. Here's the review...

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/u...view-mcc-147-marco-polo-expedition-yacht.html

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As usual, Trinity brought a line-up of superyachts to the show (no less than 5), but this year they brought one of their biggest, most beautiful yachts-to-date, the recently launched 60-meter "Bacarella".

Dwarfed by Trident berthed alongside, this is Richmond's latest lady...

Abeking's 60-meter Elandess is berthed beside Trident. You probably won't see a review on this either. I've had more contact with dead relatives than the marketing people at Abeking. No worries, plenty of other builders to cover.

In the category of "Who Cares", more obscenely oversized expresses with an abundance of wasted space...

Considering the number of boats based on image, not on engineering and reliability, here's the most important boats at the show...

The defender of the fleet, the 174' Oceanfast "Sea Bowld"...

Enterprize V...

For me, one of the most exciting boats to see at the show, Christensen's new 49-meter "Odessa". A full YF review is in the works...

As we cruised north along the intracoastal to Sunrise Harbor, many of the usual suspects were lurking down canals or in the shadows, including this modern day Pearl, owned by Captain Jack Sparrow himself, the "VaJoliRoja". Say "The Jolly Roger" with a drunken slur and you'll understand the name.

VaJoliRoja-side