Bimini

At 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 28th we left the anchorage outside of No Name Harbor and finally headed for the Bahamas. We only had about 5 -10 knots of wind, so it was a motor-sail (mostly motor) across the Gulf Stream to Bimini. The seas were mostly calm so it was a nice easy crossing. OUR DIAMOND and SEA JULES left about two hours after we did. It was nice to be in radio contact with friends on the crossing.

The color of the water is amazing. The deep water is a dark blue then as the water becomes shallow it is every shade of light blue.  The flying fish put on a show, unfortunately one very small one misjudged its flight path and landed on deck. 

We did not have reservations for a marina and none of the marinas answered on the radio.  When we came by Brown's Marina for the second time one of the cruisers tied up at the dock yelled to us that there was room and helped us tie up. 

We have spent hours every day walking around the island, which is a very good thing considering how much we have been eating.  Miss Jennifer sells home cooked meals out of her tiny car parked outside the craft market.  Each meal is $10 and there is more than enough food for two people.  The first day we had fry fish, rice and peas, mac and cheese, and plantains. The second day we had barbeque chicken, rice and conch, mac and cheese, and plantains. The third day we had stuffed lobster, rice and conch, mac and cheese, and plantains.  On Sunday we went to the bakery and bought Bimini Coconut Bread. I have no words to describe the deliciousness of this bread.

QUEST, the powerboat in the next slip, has a fast tender and invited us to join them on the sand bar on Saturday afternoon.  They have a black flat haired retriever and a blond flat haired retriever puppy. The dogs had a great time playing in the shallows and rolling in the sand.  On Sunday QUEST again invited us for a boat ride and took us through the maze like channels in the mangroves to the Martin Luther King marker showing where he wrote his I Have A Dream speech.  The water in the channels is crystal clear so we were able to see fish, rays, and turtles. 

Saturday afternoon was spent touring the Dolphin House museum.  The three story building is built entirely of recycled materials that are left over from building sites, found at the dump, or washed up on the beach.  The third floor is under construction. The building is a good example of how often we look but do not see.  In the middle of the floor was a pile of what looked like junk. The builder explained that it was his building material and pointed out the pieces of tile, bottles, and wood that he would incorporate into the designs that cover the building.

New Year's Eve was spent on SEA JULES with OUR DIAMOND enjoying a good meal, good company, and a mostly friendly game of marbles.  When we returned to our marina we stayed up until midnight with a group of cruisers.  This is the first time in years we have stayed up.

Bimini has been a nice place to wait out the cold front and its 20-25 knots of wind.  We are now waiting for the weather to settle down so we can head for the Exumas. .