Bimini

Bimini!!!!!

Our second gulf crossing attempt was a success

(Heading out into the Ocean on Wednesday afternoon)

So as usual the plans changed and instead of going across in the day we opted for Wednesday night as the winds looked lighter and from the south. We worked our way back up the keys and on Wednesday anchored about 1 mile from Angelfish Creek, the channel that we would take to get to the ocean. My dad had his reservations remembering how our last crossing went and he had heard that the wind was going to be coming out of the east - the direction that we were heading. We decided that we would leave with enough daylight so that if it was too rough, then we would turn around and make it back through the channel before it got dark. We left at 3pm on Wednesday and the winds were light, the sun was shining and waves were very calm. We figured it would take us around 13-14 hours to get across. As we were heading out of the reef into the ocean, we saw a sea turtle right at the surface of the water paddling along. We took this as a good omen. At the edge of the reef we decided to go for it as the waves were calm for ocean standards. We were also making good progress and we really really really wanted to get across to Bimini. As we entered the gulf stream the waves were a bit bigger but we didn’t get one drop of water into the cockpit which was a completely different story from our last attempt. At about 10pm we were still making exceptional progress with the help of the Gulf Stream pushing us south as we steered east, in fact we were scheduled to arrive at 3 am. This was not good because we weren’t comfortable getting too close to land until we could see the markers and any potential hazards. So around midnight we turned off the engines and slowly sailed toward Bimini. Sal and I took turns sleeping while the other would steer and look out for any freighters or cruise ships. A long night, but at 5am we started up the motor and headed into land. The sun rose at 7am and we were able to see the markers for the entrance channel. We were then able to see the colours of the water and both Sal and I were in awe. It’s more beautiful than any postcard we have seen. All different colours of blues and greens and so clear that you can see the bottom in 30 feet! We arrived in Alice town at about 8am and docked at the government docks where we got our paperwork for customs.

(An old wreck washed ashore)

(Beach doggies)

There have been rumours circulating that Canadians are only being given 30 days to stay, but we had no problems and received 120 days and the opportunity to apply for more days if need be. After we checked in we got 2 slips in the marina nearby where we tied up, raised the Bahamian courtesy flag, showered and slept for a few hours. We walked around briefly and then stumbled upon the beach… It was so inviting we wanted to jump right in then and there but thought better of it since we didn’t have our bathing suits. We saw a young couple that we met briefly on the ICW and they introduced us to another young couple and it turns out that that couple knows my Irish cousin from her time in Chicago – what a small world. We were invited to their boat and had a great time annnd ate the most delicious fish tacos – made with fish caught only a few hours earlier.

North Bimini is a small island with 2 main roads running parallel north/south. There are no large stores or restaurants, only small ones run out of the homes. The Bahamians are very friendly and loud but I cannot understand what they say when talking with each other as they have a strong accent that I’m not used to yet. Today we walked almost the entire island and on the way back picked up some coconut bread (delicious sweet bread). Mom, Dad, Sal and I headed to the beach for a picnic lunch and to do a little snorkeling. We saw a few fish swimming around a rock, a couple of rays and some creepy barracuda watching us. So far the Bahamas is meeting all expectations.

(we finally got a picture of a manatee before leaving the Keys)