By Kira Robles, BHS Miami Realtor Associate
From the Mediterranean to South Florida, the yachting world follows the sun and another season begins.
Every fall, the yachting world begins to shift. After summers spent cruising the Mediterranean, New England and the Northeast or completing maintenance and refits in shipyards. The focus turns toward warmer waters and the winter season ahead. And nowhere is that transition more visible than in South Florida.
From Monaco to Fort Lauderdale
The international yachting calendar has its own rhythm and if you follow it, you can almost follow the sun. September begins with the Cannes Yachting Festival, which this year presented nearly 700 boats across two harbors. Then comes Monaco, where the focus shifts decidedly toward superyachts: the 2026 Monaco Yacht Show expected approximately 120 superyachts in Port Hercule, including 43 delivered this year. A month later, attention crosses the Atlantic. The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs October 28 through November 1, 2026, and is the largest in-water boat show in the world, bringing more than 1,300 boats, 1,000 exhibitors representing more than 90 countries, and over 100,000 visitors to South Florida. And FLIBS is much more than a collection of superyachts. Across six locations, the show ranges from the largest yachts at Superyacht Village to new builds and brokerage yachts, sportfishing boats, runabouts and cruisers, along with marine electronics, equipment and accessories.
I’ve always thought of the great international boat shows a little like Fashion Week or the international auto shows. Beyond the spectacle, part of the fascination is seeing what’s next. New yachts make their debuts. Design evolves. Technology advances. Builders, brokers, owners, captains and crews converge in one place. And then the show ends.
That’s when we begin seeing some of those extraordinary vessels farther south, cruising through Government Cut and into Miami.
Behind the Season
Through my husband’s work with Sea Ready Marine and his relationships throughout the industry, including Allied Marine, I’ve had a glimpse behind the scenes. Captains and crews prepare for owners, provisions come aboard, tenders and toys are readied, and winter itineraries take shape from South Florida to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
The yachts don’t simply move south. An entire industry moves with them.
One Home on Land. One at Sea.
Living in South of Fifth, I’ve come to appreciate the natural relationship between yachting and condominium living. At sea, there is freedom—the ability to explore another coastline or wake up anchored off an island. On land, luxury can be simplicity: a full-service home you can arrive at, enjoy and lock when it’s time to leave again. At the southern tip of Miami Beach, South of Fifth sits between the Atlantic and Biscayne Bay, with Miami Beach Marina, Government Cut, the beach, South Pointe Park, restaurants and the energy of Miami all within reach.
And the views tell their own story: sunrise over the Atlantic, sunset over Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline, and occasionally an extraordinary yacht passing through Government Cut.
One home on land. One at sea.
But what makes Miami especially compelling is everything in between. Business, art, food, sport, beach and boating can all be part of the same life. For me, that’s the real luxury: not having to choose one version of it.
And Then There’s Home
I’ve called Miami Beach home for almost two decades, and some of my favorite parts of season remain the simplest. Friends coming back to town. Walking to dinner. Bike rides along the beach with my son. South Pointe Park at sunset. Sunset cruises. Cruise ships gliding through Government Cut and every so often, a yacht behind them that makes you stop and look. There are days when everything we want is right here and there’s simply no reason to leave the beach. And then there are those beautiful South Florida mornings when there’s every reason to leave it by boat.
Welcome back to South Florida. Season is almost here.
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