A Classic Landmark Among Fort Lauderdale Resorts, With An Extensive History

• 1875. Bahia Mar became the site for a house of refuge to provide shelter for survivors of the area's frequent shipwrecks. The Coast Guard took over the house during Prohibition as a base for chasing rum runners who brought illegal whiskey in from the Bahamas. This facility was made larger with the addition of the "Moccasin," a large houseboat which was towed up from Miami to serve as the headquarters for Coast Guard Base Six. The following year, a thundering hurricane drew "Moccasin" into the Idlewyld side of the ICW.
• 1930. The old inlet was closed up by accretion when Port Everglades - as it stands today - was opened. This officially closed the Coast Guard Base Six. During Prohibition, the Coast Guard sold the property to the city of Fort Lauderdale for $600,000. Just after that, a proposal to build a world-class yachting center was accepted on a Friday the 13th, during a raging hurricane. A series of lethal storms followed, delaying construction.
• 1949. The Bahia Mar Yachting Center was completed, with slips for 400 vessels - making it the largest marina in the world.
• 1950's. The property began to soar with success. Patricia Murphy of Westchester, New York, opened the world-renowned Candlelight Restaurant. The rest of the basin was later leased to MCD Holdings of Seabrook, Maryland, which turned it into one of the finest water resort complexes in the world.
• 1960's and 70's. Bahia Mar South - with its 115 rooms - was completed in 1966. The pedestrian walkway to the beach followed in 1970. The 15-story, 185-room Bahia Mar North Tower was completed in 1975.
• 1980's. During renovations, the famed Patricia Murphy's Candlelight Restaurant was torn down in order to expand the resort and marina. Four lighted tennis courts were built, and new parking and landscaping followed. The Patricia Murphy Gardens remain and offer a wide variety of native tropical plants and trees.
• 1987. On February 21, 1987, the Bahia Mar Marina dedicated a Literary Landmark in honor of the "Busted Flush," the home of Travis McGee - a fictional hero and salvage consultant created by mystery author John D. MacDonald. Travis McGee's character was "born" in the first book in a series, entitled The Deep Blue Goodbye. Travis McGee remains immortalized with a brass plaque at Slip F-18, Bahia Mar, Lauderdale.
• 1994. In November 1994, Tropical Storm Gordon stormed the Fort Lauderdale Beach. The 508-foot Turkish cargo vessel "Firat" ran aground within 50 yards of the property. Authorities said the "Firat" was anchored the prior evening in a specially designated anchorage zone for vessels awaiting berths in Port Everglades. The ship's captain stated the 30-knot winds and 10- to 15- foot swells caused his ship to start dragging its anchor. At 5:30 a.m., the ship was stuck on the first reef. It later broke free and landed just yards from the beach, directly in front of the entrance to the Bahia Mar Yachting Center. With the rough seas, several attempts to unload the fuel on board the freighter were unsuccessful. Finally, lines were run from the ship to the beach to transfer the fuel to trucks. The Bahia Mar Bar & Grille - with its beautiful ocean view - provided perfect "front-row seats" of the grounded freighter for many days. With the help of numerous tug boats and cooperative seas, the "Firat" was pulled free and towed to Port Everglades.

A Tradition Of Dockside Service At This Renowned Fort Lauderdale Florida Resort

• Shipbuilders and brokers
• Full-service yacht maintenance
• Yacht rentals
• Laundry and shower facilities
• High-speed fuel pumps
• Marina store, with a variety of supplies