Bimini - the Bahamas

Statistics - 2 islands (north and south)
major influences - British heritage and religion
7 miles long - 700 yards wide at it's widest point (basically a long sand bar)
elevation 15-20 feet above sea level
main settlement - Alice Town
many fishing tournaments - famous for big game fishing - bonefish, marlin, sailfish, dolphin, wahoo, mackarel, shark, grouper, snapper and conch
famed home of Ernest "Papa" Hemingway whose "Islands in the Stream" was inspired by the Biminis
Observations - the water is indeed turquoise colour and the rum is very inexpensive (l beer $2.05, 6 oz. rum - $l.80)
- huge sting rays and sharks in the harbour
-new channel to enter north island marked by 4 can buoys to supplement original channel marked by 2 orange and white stakes on the beach that form a primitive range - unfortunately channel markings too new to be noted in guide books
-the majority of travel along the one road is by golf cart, then cars, foot and bicycle
-everyone offers a very friendly greeting as you pass of "okay" or "alright"
-the sand at the edge of the road is raked each morning - extremely clean island
-conch shells are used to edge lanes, walls, gardens etc
-there are no liquor laws (we openly enjoyed a bottle of champagne at sunset, on the beach, on
Valentine's Day.
-beer is sold individually and many are drinking it on the street
-freighters frequent the very shallow, strong current, waters of the harbour to stop at the electric generating plant - the yachts on anchor (us and others), do some serious scurrying as they approach
-famed Bimini roads dive site off North Island shore
- new development share the beach with many ruins of past developments that are eroding away
Overall Views
-residents are a very religious, friendly people who made us feel very welcome. They were intently interested in being of service to us in any way possible. We enjoyed our time with them - felt extremely safe.
We made many new friends while on anchor in Bimini - Debbie and Larry on Tsunami, Vivian & Stephan on Floridays, Jacques & Nicole on Oliver Plunkett and Tom & Alexandria on Blind Faith. Solsean from Goderich caught up with us, once again, here.

Crossing the Stream - Gone Sailing

The much awaited weather window arrived on February 8th and we embarked upon our journey across the Gulf Stream to Bimini in the Bahamas. No more motoring along the Inter-coastal waterway for us, it was time to put the sails up and head out to sea - well, that was after we got free from being aground as we exited the harbour.
We had intended to travel with 3 other boats, but by time we realized that 2 of them were not ready, the other had left and was 90 minutes ahead of us (ah, the best laid plans).
It was 0415 hours when we lifted anchor at the venetian causeway and by 0520 hours we were aground behind Dodge Island in the harbour. Fortunately Barry has become very adept at getting us out and we were soon underway again. We made our way through a fleet of small fishing boats that were darting back and forth as they worked the area at the end of the harbour.
We reached the Morse A racon sea buoy at the end of Government cut in Miami at 0600 hours and set our course of 126 degrees magnetic for Bimini. A vector diagram was used to establish the course to compensate for set and drift. We send thanks to Dave Corke and Merritt Ede at CPSS for their excellent instruction that allowed Barry to make a perfect calculation.
The current slowed our progress by l.5 knots.
We enjoyed watching the sun-rise reflect off of the hi-rise buildings in Miami for 25 miles before they slipped from away from view behind us.
We could see and hear a flotilla of 4 other boats, as they contacted each other along the way. We made contact with them on our VHF radio and also kept in contact with Mike on Soaring Eagle, who we knew was 90 minutes ahead.
By 1215 hours Bimini was in sight and by 1500 hours Barry had the quarantine flag up and was on his way to the Customs building. He returned shortly thereafter with a 6 month cruising permit for the Bahamas.
By 1615 hours - exactly 12 hours after our departure, we had the hook down in the turquoise waters off Alice Town, Bimini.
We relaxed that evening, stretched out on the foredeck, under a clear star filled sky that seemed to wrap right around us.

Miami

The Collins canal runs off of the anchorage and made for a pleasant means of dingy travel along the South Beach area.
The Superbowl pre-game festivities enticed us into an extensive tour, on foot, of the wonderful art deco area of South Beach.
As in the Palm Beach area, we delighted in the combination of colours used in the building designs. The warm hues of pink, coral and yellow as well as cool tones of blue, green and lilac give the buldings wonderful eye appeal. Even the sidewalks in Miami were pink! It was all so bright, warm and cheery.
We were awed by the spectacular hotels such as Loews and the Royal Palm that edge the beach walk-way.
The five cruise ships in a row in the harbour attest to the magnitude of Miami as a tourist destination.
We loved every aspect of Miami that we saw and hope to visit again some day.

Miami

We edged our way along the venetian causeway that runs through Biscayne Bay in Miami and dropped anchor on January 3lst.
A welcome visit by the Police informed us that they'd be sorry to see us leave in 7 days or less.
The anchorage is surrounded by hi-rise buildings, five of which are offering a green lazer light show across the bay in the evenings. (picking up 44 wi-fi prospects)
We found ourselves with the best seats in the house for a spectacular fireworks display, on Saturday night, which was part of the Superbowl pre-game festivities.
Many of the buildings are topped with cranes, which seem to be the combined effect of the apparent building boom in North Miami and hurricane damage re-construction.

Superbowl fever in Miami
One Game - One Dream

Miami - Bakers Haulover Inlet

We spent 2 nights anchored off of Florida's University (what fun they must
have with their logo), just north of Miami in Baker's Haulover Inlet.
We beached our dingy here and gave her underside a good scraping - pretty scary to see what's been growing there. It saddens us that she's been taking on water at a fairly steady rate lately.
We use a chain and lock to secure her when we leave her behind while exploring, but we do enjoy knowing that she'd be the last one someone might take.

Ft. Lauderdale On January 23rd we find ourselves moored in Ft. Lauderdale amidst the areas mega-yachts. The Good Year blimp, which is circling overhead, doesn't seem at all out of place here. A rental car has enabled us to complete provisioning which included anchor chain and a new head. While here, we further explored our offshore email options. We investigated, at great length, the StarMate system as well as attaching a modem to our single sideband radio. After great deliberation (6 months) we have made the decision to pick up wi-fi when possible and to purchase, in the Bahamas, a cell phone and package. This will be our future means of communication - the decision is made.

Properties Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale As we travelled south along the ICW on Florida's Gold Coast, the homes seem to be becoming larger and larger. Each, of course, has a matching size mega-yacht docked alongside. Lately we've seen so many huge yachts we find that any under 100' now seem small to us. Passing of these mega-yachts is a daunting task when they are moving slowly, but downright intimidating when they have any speed on at all.

Palm Beach Golf Courses During January 18th and l9th we travelled a total of 55 miles which took us from Peck Lake (M992) to Lake Boca Raton (M1047). During that time we passed through 23 bridges that have restricted openings. In the 85 mile area known as the Gold Coast there is a total of 36 bridges with restricted openings. On approach, negotations must be made with each bridge operator (by means of the VHF radio) for a convenient opening time. Some open promptly on request, but others are on a set schedule and often we find ourselves biding our time for up to half an hour awaiting opening. After we passed through the PGA bridge in Palm Beach we enjoyed travelling by many of the beautiful world-class golf courses that line the ocean in the area.

Florida's Gold Coast - Palm Beach - Lake Worth The 85 miles of Florida's coastal area from Palm Beach to Miami is known as the Gold Coast. On our approach to this area we observed many properties for sale. We can only assume this is due to the higher cost of insurance problem the coastal area is experiencing. However, once we reached the Palm Beach area, money seems to be no problem what-so-ever (for them, not for us). Never have we witnessed such indulgence and opulence. We are definitely floating past and observing lifestyles of the very rich and famous.

Titusville to Hobe Sound National Refuge We returned on January 5th, 2007 to find our boat still snug and secure in Titusville, Florida. We were delighted to "catch up" with our friends Charlie and Chris on board Wingspread, who were on anchor there at the time. We spent four days in Titusville during which time we took delivery of a new life-raft, installed our wind generator and did extensive provisioning. Our next extended stop along the inter-coastal waterway found us anchored out for a week's time in Ft. Pierce as we awaited delivery of a new windlass. As we resumed our southward travel on the ICW an over-night anchorage in Peck Lake afforded us the opportunity to explore the Hobe Sound National Refuge. The beautiful ocean beach there was awash with shells as well as a great number of Portuguese Man of War.

Merry Christmas This Christmas we found ourselves overwhelmed by the love of our family and friends. We were extremely humbled by the immense kindness extended to us, by so many, at the get-togethers we enjoyed. It was wonderful to see everyone again. Thank you. We send special thanks to Barry's Mom, Alberta, for opening her home to us. It was great to be "home" for the holidays. As well, we extend a special thanks to Barry's brother, Randy, who graciously chauffered us, both ways, to the Detroit airport. We were grateful to have our daughter, Robin and her husband Matt home for the holidays, from their adventure in London, England. We also, so enjoyed, our time with our daughter Susan and her friend Chris. It was great fun to meet her new dog, Barkley. We send our most sincere thanks to all for making our time home so enjoyable and memorable. Happy New Year