Bahamas
We finally left Marathon, FL on
Saturday, March 22, 2014 accompanied by Glenn on Footloose, a Caliber 40. Of
course, the wind was on our nose so we motored to Rodriguez Key near Key Largo,
arriving there about 4:30 in the afternoon. Got up at 1:30 a.m. and left
Rodriguez at 2:00 to head to Bimini, Bahamas. We had to motor most of the way
again because the winds were so light but we got the sails up for a few hours.
The Gulfstream was calm and the current really helped us. We arrived in Bimini on
Sunday about 1:30 in the afternoon with the sun behind us just like all the
gurus tell you to do. The channel was actually marked(often not the case here
in the Bahamas) and we made it in to Bimini Blue Water Marina just fine
although every dark spot in this crystal clear water made us fearful that there
was a coral head under us.
 |
| Getting some maintenance done on the sewing machine before we left Marathon. |
 |
| A moonlit passage from Rodriguez Key to Bimini 3/23/2014 |
|
|
|
 |
| Sunrise over the Gulfstream 3/23/2014 |
 |
| Lowering the Q flag and raising the Bahamas flag. Our first Customs/Immigration event and all went well. |
 |
| At the dock in Blue Water Marina, North Bimini |
.
J.R., the dockmaster at Blue Water
is great and so friendly. Just an hour or two after we arrived, our friends,
Lynn and Brian on Midori (who we met in Marathon) also arrived from Miami.
Several other boats came with them. We made lots of new friends in Bimini. We
spent a week there marveling at the colors of the water(such variations of blue, green and everything in between) and trying conch salad
(Greg loved it, LizAnn not so much) and walking almost the entire length of the
island. We visited the Dolphin House one day, a house built by hand by a man
named Ashley Saunders. He has used shells, bottles, discarded tiles and
leftovers from places being torn down. It is a whole house of folk art.
 |
| The beaches of Bimini |
 |
| Greg with Derek and Sue from New Brunswick |
 |
| Our favorite photo |
The guys had a rum tasting one
night and amazingly, everyone brought a different rum without even coordinating
it. People from another marina heard about it and invited themselves too!
 |
| Peter (S/V Now or Never), Perry (S/V Teckla Bramble) and Greg rating the first few samples |
 |
| The selection expands. A lot to taste! |
 |
| Kids enjoy the pool while the rum tasting goes on |
 |
| Robin (S/V Rafiki), Greg, Brian (S/V Midori), Paul (S/V Tehani), Glen (S/V Footloose) and Mark (S/V Adagio) discussing the merits of the various rums |
 |
| Greg and Irene (S/V Teckla Bramble) |
 |
| The ladies provided some appetizers to absorb some of that rum! Sherry (Tehani), Ingrid (Rafiki) Irene (Teckla Bramble), Lynn (Midori) and Lauren (Que Sera Sera) |
|
 |
| And the winner IS .... |
We went to Holy Name church on
Friday night for Way of the Cross with Mark from Adagio. The singing was
amazing. There were some men there with beautiful baritone voices. We met the
retired priest who is there as a volunteer until Easter. The R/O water system
was down so he could not get any fresh water. We offered to make some for him
and took a 5 gallon jug he had to refill it. Mark took the jug because he was
making water that night anyway. The next day we walked with Mark and his 3 kids
(ages 3, 7, and 9) and 2 kids from other boats back to the rectory and took Fr.
Denny the water. We went to Mass on Sunday with the crews from 3 other
boats: Adagio (Mark and Jen and 3 kids),
Rafiki (Canadians Robin and Ingrid and 2 girls), and Sea Hunt IV, a motor yacht
(Canadians Andre and Lisa and their 2 boys).
We were quite a crew walking down the road in Alicetown.
 |
| Goats in the front yard and on the roads as we walked to the north end of the island. |
 |
| The Dolphin House |
 |
| The Dolphin "shrine" |
 |
| Dolphin mural on the wall in the living room |
 |
| Unique uses of discarded bottles, shells and other stuff |
Sunday night we had a potluck
before seven of us departed the next day. It was also a birthday party for Sue on Panacea. The food was delicious and we said
goodbye to Lynn and Brian(Midori) and
Derek and Sue(Panacea) who weren’t going on.
 |
| Sue's birthday brownies |
Ready to cast off for the Bahama Banks and on eastward!
 |
| All the fuel and water we could carry. Just have to lower the dinghy onto the deck and we can head out. |
