We were up and underway before official sunrise. We wanted to get a mooring ball under the Las Olas Bridge in Ft.Lauderdale, but we knew there are only nine of them. Boats generally leave those moorings early in the day and other boats, such as us, coming in from elswhere pick up the moorings as the day progresses. Vessels are allowed to stay on a mooring as long as 30 days, so getting a mooring ball in Ft. Lauderdale is like hitting the lottery. We wanted to enhance our chances so a pre sunrise departure was called for. We had to negotiate 16 bridges enroute from Lantana to Ft. Lauderdale. They all went smoothly. Picking up the mooring ball was the only drama of the day. A strong wind was coming out of the southeast. A stronger tidal current was flowing out of the north. These opposing forces made it difficult to stay on the ball long enough to pick it out of the water with the boat-pole. We finally snagged the pennent for the mooring on the second pass. Some days you are the audience. Some days you are the show. Anyway, we are now on a mooring ball near the Las Olas Bridge just off of the beach in Ft. Lauderdale.