Bimini

Cricket doesn't look happy but she was
purring thoughout the life jacket fitting

After nearly two weeks waiting for the weather at Dinner Key we followed Kathy & Dan on their boat Majiks over to Key Biscayne.  It was out of the wind and waves which would be really nice for a change.  The plan was, weather permitting we would leave in the morning.

We set 3 alarms so we wouldn’t oversleep and were both awake well before they went off.  The anchor was up and we were on our way before 6:30.  There were four of us crossing together and we checked in by radio every hour on the hour.

The sun was just starting to come up as we made our way into the Atlantic.  We watched our depth change and as we went from the hundreds to thousands of feet the water changed from emerald to sapphire.  It was really beautiful. 
We were heading directly into the wind so we didn’t have a chance to sail.  We ended up motoring all the way across.  Right from the time we headed out the channel there were good sized rollers which made for a bumpy ride.  At times the waves would break over the bow but we stayed dry although not very comfortable.  We were making jokes between the boats about how everyone’s kidneys were holding up.

I noticed what I thought were tons of plastic water bottles.  They were actually hundreds of Portuguese Man O War.  They look like an iridescent panzarotti floating on the surface.

As the day progressed we kept getting weather updates from the other boats.  Thursday looked good but a cold front was expected on Friday.  Once to Bimini we still had to make it through the banks and that wasn’t going to be a good place to be during a blow.  A group decision was made to find a marina to wait out the front. 



our first view of South Bimini







our Bahamas courtesy flag is up

Majiks was the first boat into Bimini Sands Marina and secured slips for all of us.  It’s very nice here, well protected and relatively inexpensive.  There are two pools, showers, laundry and a nice beach to explore.  We haven’t spent a night at a dock in two months so it was a big treat for us.  The water is crystal clear and there's lots of marine life to see right around the boat.  Starfish and sea urchins and all kinds of fish.

After a good night’s sleep all the guys went into customs and got us cleared in.  We now have a 4 month cruising permit for the Bahamas. 



our group are the 4 sailboats on the right

This afternoon we took our snorkel gear and headed down the beach.  Brian and Dan checked out the underwater scenery and Kathy and I floated in the waves.  It was wonderful.



it's Dory from finding Nemo

As the afternoon wore on more and more boats pulled into the marina to hide out from the weather.  We had a squall pass through earlier and right now it’s really blowing even in the marina where it is almost totally enclosed.  I think we made a good call to not move on.

We shared a happy hour potluck at the pool tonight with about 10 other couples who are staying here.  It was a good time to meet other cruisers and see where they have been and where they are going.

Tomorrow we’re heading out to explore some more.



it really is this colour
it's amazing