Bimini

Location: North Biminii, Bahamas
Position: N25 43.469 W079 17.864

The crossing to the Bahamas went well, except the wind was forecast to be from the south and it actually was northeast. North wind is not good for crossing the Gulf Stream, but the winds were light and we motor sailed across into a pretty good swell. We arrived in Bimini Wednesday afternoon, got a slip for $30 a night, and cleared through customs and immigration into the Bahamas. Several of the boats that crossed over with us are in the same marina – the price was too good to pass up and the anchorage is reputed to be fair to poor holding.

That night (at about 2:00 am) a barge that was being towed into the harbor ran aground. The tug was working on it for about an hour, throwing prop wash through the harbour. We woke up bouncing then heard a loud “clunk” and felt a shudder. Mark jumped out of bed and rushed on deck. The prop wash from the tug was pushing Rachel’s stern away from the dock, forcing her bow in. He hung three additional fenders to protect her. The captain of the boat across from us also got up. One of the cleats on the dock his boat was tied to had ripped nearly all the way out of the dock. We figured that was the clunk. The tug finally got the barge off the bottom and proceeded up the channel. Not a very relaxing night.
The next morning we had a lovely long walk around Bimini. Everyone was friendly and said ‘Good Morning’ to us as we walked by. As we passed a school the kids were out in the playground. We love the colourful school uniforms: boys wear bright purple trousers and white shirts; girls wear yellow and purple plaid skirts, white shirts and bright purple vests.

North Bimini is only 7 miles from top to tail so transportation is mainly by golf cart. We were surprised however how many cars and trucks were on the roads also. Today happened to be the day that the mailboat arrived, this is the lifeline for all the islands. We saw trucks full of fresh produce, TVs, parts, anything that anyone may have ordered from the mainland.

In the afternoon we rented a golf cart with another couple to tour the island. We got most of the way out to the uninhabited end and the batteries started running down. As we headed back to town, the cart was running slower and slower. Whenever we got to a hill Mark would hop out and push a bit to help it over. Still slower. Only about a mile to go. Mark pushed with one leg like he was riding a skate board. Half a mile to go. He gets out, pushes, and jumps back in. Rides for a few seconds, jumps out, and pushes again. OOH! A small downhill run to the rental place! We made it back just as the battery gave it’s last gasp, having just enough juice to get us off the road. Mark negotiated a half-price deal, the trip only costing each couple $5.

A bunch of us made a package deal with a local fisherman for some lobster tails, delivered right to our boat. As a result, we decided to have a ‘seafood soirée’ Thursday evening. We all got together and grilled the lobster and had a pot luck dinner, sharing crossing stories and favourite Bahama stops.

The weather looks like it will cooperate for us to cross the Bahamas Banks tomorrow and then on to Nassau on Saturday, so we’ll probably head out at dawn and spend the night on the banks, then get up early again and head to Nassau. More later.