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| Going under the Seven Mile Bridge Saying goodbye to Marathon |
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| One of the several "Fast Boats" we saw along the way |
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| Playing Mexican Train in Bimini |
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| Sign says it all? |
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| Welcome to North Bimini |
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| Beautiful costumes at the Junkanoo in Freeport |
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| One of the dancers at the Junkanoo |
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| Saying goodbye to Rho-Jo in Ocean Reef |
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| Inside the Two Dollar Bar |
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| Having lunch and a beer in the Two Dollar Bar |
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| One of the local hangouts Two Dollar Bar |
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| Dinner tonight! |
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| Can't beat fresh grouper! |
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| Port Lacaya lighthouse |
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| Visit to the Straw Market |
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| Welcoming us to the market |
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| Running ahead of the storm! Just made it back in time! |
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| Mike taking the dinghy out for a spin to North Bimini |
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| Our first Bahamian meal! |
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| One of the huge container ships outside Port of Freeport He was staged and waiting for Customs |
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| Our first sunset in the Bahamas! |
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| The End of the World Bar |
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| This was our view from Nautinell every morning in Bimini at Bimini Sands |
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| Going fishin'! |
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| Our boats in Bimini Sands |
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| Resident shark here at Bimini Sands |
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| Lunch at the Island House |
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| Main Street in Alice Town |
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| Our other resident at Bimini Sands A Stingray |
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| This guy came in our harbor to pick up a boat! Quite a skillful maneuver! |
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| Saying goodbye to Rambler as they head to the Exumas |
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| Point Isaac Lighhouse about half way to Lacaya from Bimini |
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| Beautiful day for a wedding here at Ocean Reef |
April 9, Thursday We left with a plan to travel about 40 miles
to Sunset Cove in Buttonwood Sound (Key Largo).
We stayed there last year when we were traveling with Jeremiah and
Second Noelle. It was a great day to
travel although, we did go through some pretty skinny water! There was a lot of wind but the waves were on
our nose and it was just pretty much “choppy”.
We heard from the other two that they were at Gilbert’s where they were
tying up to the dock. Being still about
an hour away from them, we dropped a hook about 6:00 and enjoyed the sunset in
Sunset Cove. It was a little noisy for a
while with the music coming from the bars on shore but it didn’t last too
late. After that it turned out to be
quite a nice evening.
April 10, Friday We left about 8:30 this morning heading for
No Name Harbor. We had originally
planned to stay a couple of days in Boca Chita.
But it looked like we’d be crossing on Saturday so we passed on it and
went to No Name where the inlet – Biscayne Cut - is close by.
We made it to No Name which was about a 45 mile trip by about 3:00. We like it there. It’s very secure and there are lot of boats
to watch – especially on a weekend.
There is a restaurant there too, but we didn’t eat there this time. We wanted to just hang out on the hook and
relax. The others had gone to a marina
and would be coming back this way to go through the cut early in the
morning. We were hoping to be able to
cross altogether.
When we were in Biscayne Bay
earlier getting near to No Name, we saw a dive boat tending to a dolphin. They had it up on the swim platform. We couldn’t tell what was going on but it
must have been hurt. There were SEVERAL
dolphins jumping and swimming around the area – it seemed they knew he was
there and didn’t want to leave him. It
was pretty interesting. Hope he’s okay.
April 11, Saturday We are finally going to the Bahamas! It’s been three years since we were over
there. Things happen along the way and
the best laid plans don’t always turn out.
But this time we’re on our way!
We left No Name Harbor about 7:15.
It was perfect timing – Rambler and Rho-Jo were just coming into the cut
when we pulled out of the harbor. There
were also two other boats in the harbor that were also crossing just a few
minutes behind us. It was only about a
45 mile trip to Bimini. There was a
strong east wind that put the waves on our nose. They were pretty good sized waves too. We bounced around a lot. Let’s just say it wasn’t the best crossing
but it could have been much worse. When
we got past the Gulf Stream it seemed to let up some and as we got to the other
side, the winds seemed to lay a little. When
we got to our destination I had quite a mess to clean up in NautiNell. Things were strung all over – nothing broken
– and I’ve definitely seen it worse!
Now along the way we chatted with
Rambler and Rho-Jo. In those
conversations it finally came up that they had planned all along to go to South
Bimini! We had charted our way into
North Bimini where we had been before.
We talked about it some and decided that we’d just go south too. It’s not over a half-mile in difference. Plus it’s was actually easier to go into the
entrance of South than North. We stayed
at the Bimini Sands Resort. Much nicer
place than what we would have been in at North Bimini (Alice Town).
The water is unbelievable! I think I had actually forgotten just how
beautiful it is over here. The water is
the color of turquoise! You can see the
bottom from way over 20 feet. We soon
were seeing all kinds of fish, a stingray and a shark. The shark was about 4 feet long and just off
the side of our boat! We got to the
marina about 3:00 and the guys took a taxi to Customs to check in. Customs is here at the Bimini Airport. They all cleared customs easily and then it
was time to enjoy ourselves.
Of course one of the first things
Mike did was to take a dinghy ride over to North Bimini. He said it wasn’t bad at all so I know we’ll
be taking another ride tomorrow! We all
went to dinner at the restaurant here at the marina – The Petite Conch – conch
fritters and cracked conch! We’re in the
Bahamas, baby!
April 12, Sunday We had
an easy morning this morning. Mike went
fishing. Caught several but no keepers. We went on that dinghy ride! Went over to Alice Town. It’s still pretty much the way we remembered
it. Not much has changed except they
have built a huge new casino and a Hilton Hotel at the very north tip. That didn’t really interest us – we tend to
like the funky Bahamian style. We had
planned to go further south around the tip of Bimini where the Bimini Beach
Club is located but it was a bit to “wavy”.
The others hung out at the pool.
Later we all played Mexican Train.
It was a hoot!
April, 13, Monday Mike went fishing again early this
morning. Then we all took the ferry over
to Alice Town (North Bimini) so we could get Bahamian phones. Our phones won’t work over here so we got a
cheapy phone and a sim card from BTC. At
least now we have a phone where we can call and receive calls if
necessary. It went pretty smoothly
considering when we got to the BTC office – there was a huge line - all boaters wanting phones. We stopped at “The Taste of Heaven” bakery
for some wonderful Bahamian bread! And had lunch at the Island House. Now that’s a funky place! Margery and Mike (Brave Turtle) from Marathon
met us there. They had crossed over on
Saturday too and had stayed at the Beach Club. They had moved over to Bluewater Marina in
North Bimini this morning. It’s such a
small boating community! Even Hugh –
Mike’s barber from Marathon - came
walking in!
When we got back to the boat we
sat and visited with our new neighbors – Pete and Cheryl (Blue Moon). They are on a sailboat and it turns out they
spent the winter in Boot Key Harbor.
They’re on their way south and know Shenanigans who are traveling with
the other group that is leaving Sombrero Dockside soon.
Mike and Cheri (Pura Vida) – our
friends we met a couple years ago in Cocoa Village came in to North Bimini this
evening. They have been over here since
January and are heading back to the US.
We took the dinghy over to see them.
It was great visiting with them and hearing about all their fun
times. They are headed up the west coast
of Florida once they get cross back over.
They plan to leave Tuesday morning.
April 14, Tuesday We spent most of the day just getting things
ready to leave again. I did laundry and
Mike tied up loose ends. We’ve been here
now four days and the weather is going to be good for traveling tomorrow. So Rambler will be heading south and Rho-Jo
is heading the same direction as we are.
We are going to Lacaya where we’ll spend a few weeks. That is -
if it’s the way we remember it!
We really enjoyed it there three years ago. Let’s hope things haven’t changed. We’ll be leaving about 7:30 and traveling
about 65 miles. It will be a long day. Hoping and praying the water is our friend
tomorrow.
April 15, Wednesday We left Bimini about 7:30 – again not the
best travel day but it was okay. Rho-Jo
traveled with us. It was about a 72 mile
trip to Grand Bahama Island where Ocean Reef Resort is located – near Port
Lacaya. Rambler headed south toward the
Exumas. We saw several big container
ships and deep blue water. It was a
seven hour trip – we made it to Ocean Reef about 2:30. What a cluster that was! They had planned for us to share a big slip –
only it wasn’t big enough! Rho-Jo went
to different slip and we tied up there.
BUT Mike managed to negotiate us a different slip which was over to the
other side of the resort. It was where
we had been before – we really had requested that area earlier. SO another cluster! It took quite some doing to get us tied up
for some reason – but “Cowboy Joey” came to the rescue and lassoed the elusive
piling! We had a cocktail with them and
it was back to the boat for dinner. An
early night for all after fighting that wheel all day with the waves and
wind. But we’re here!
The next few days we’ve been lazy
– spending some time at the pool and of course, Mike has been fishing. Hasn’t caught much yet – but he will! There are a few couples here that we had met
three years ago. The place doesn’t seem
to have changed much. That’s good!
April 18, Saturday We caught the bus to the First Annual
Junkanoo Carnival that was being held this weekend at Taino Beach. It was pretty nice! Lots of music, colors and food! We really didn’t know what to expect. We knew it’d be different!
The rest of the week April 19,
Sunday through Wednesday April 22 again has been pretty much just taking it
easy so I’ll just hit the highlights. Rho-Jo left Sunday morning. It has been fun traveling with them and we
wish them safe travels. Who knows – we
may see them again while we’re over here! And we plan to see them again when we
make our trek up the east coast this summer to Norfolk. We went on a dinghy ride. It was too wavy outside so we spent the time
checking out the canals.
Mike has been out in the dinghy
fishing again several times. That’s
pretty much a routine for him. The
Resort held its Monday Madness – meet and greet. So we went to that – it’s free food and free
Bahama Mamas! Can’t miss that! Mike
played Bingo! Won a T-shirt! Wow!
We’re on a roll now! There was a
pool tournament going on but Mike passed.
After all, he was already a winner.
Ha! Then there is Karaoke. We, of course, were able to hear it from the
back of our boat. We had dinner and
drinks on NautiNell while we heard the “Stars of Karaoke”. That’s such a funny concept! Everyone wants to be a star and here you can
be! Today we wanted to go to the straw
market but it was a bit rainy. We had
planned to go over there by dinghy.
However, since the weather wasn’t cooperating, we decided to check out
the local hangout “ The Two Dollar Bar”.
Pretty much a dive even by Bahamian standards. I do love the name – but believe me, I don’t think
there’s anything there for two dollars!
You can get beer for 2 for $5!
Now that’s not bad! We had a few
beers and a good lunch. We had taken a
taxi there because we weren’t sure where it was. SO in our infinite wisdom – we decided it
wasn’t so far and we could walk home.
What we won’t do to save a buck!
That wouldn’t have been a problem but we walked way passed our road
where we should have turned. We kept
walking though pretty much knowing we’d gone too far. Finally we flagged down some heavy equipment
guys who told us we had gone way too far.
We needed to ”go back up that hill way back up there and turn left”! They flagged someone down for us who was good
to give us a ride back. That was really
nice of all of them. The guy took us
right up to the gate. Next time we’ll
either take a taxi, our bicycles or we can even get there by dinghy. I guarantee we won’t walk and we won’t miss
our road! It was an adventure though!
We also took the dinghy over to the Lacaya Marketplace. There are several shops and restaurants along with the Straw Market over there. It's where the Cruise Ships bring their passengers. It was a good day for a dinghy ride. We managed to have lunch and a few beers. We also shopped a bit - finding our favorite Bahamian rum! "Fire in the Hole"! Cheap and tasty! We also brought home some conch salad. The skies started looking a bit threatening so we decided to make a run for it. It started to sprinkle just as we were tying up Lil' Nauti to NautiNell. Then it poured! Good timing!
We also took the dinghy over to the Lacaya Marketplace. There are several shops and restaurants along with the Straw Market over there. It's where the Cruise Ships bring their passengers. It was a good day for a dinghy ride. We managed to have lunch and a few beers. We also shopped a bit - finding our favorite Bahamian rum! "Fire in the Hole"! Cheap and tasty! We also brought home some conch salad. The skies started looking a bit threatening so we decided to make a run for it. It started to sprinkle just as we were tying up Lil' Nauti to NautiNell. Then it poured! Good timing!
A bit of trivia on the
Bahamas: I read this the other day
- The Bahama Islands consist of over
100,000 square miles, however only 5,000 square miles are covered by land. That is about the size of the state of Connecticut! Bimini is the smallest named island and
Andros is the largest. There you’ve
learned something today!
Till next time!
Admiral "C"
Till next time!
Admiral "C"
BTW-we ended the day having fresh
fish for dinner that Mike caught this afternoon. Yum!
Life is good!
