Turning Left to Bimini

Day 285  |  Key Biscayne to South Bimini, Bahamas  |  7.1 Hours  |  48 Miles

We began the process of raising the anchor just after 6:15 and were out of No Name Harbor by 6:30. Flip Flop fell in behind us as we rounded the tip of Key Biscayne. The Cape Florida Lighthouse stood as a sentinel on shore, mere feet from the water's edge. Its flashing beacon was still visible as dawn turned into morning and the sun rose colorfully over the horizon. We made a final left turn and set a course for the entrance to Bimini Sands Marina. We had a perfect day for crossing with clear blue sky, light winds, and minimal waves. It was really just another day on the water. Keeping us alert were flying fish and two bundles of mylar balloons out in the open water of the Atlantic Ocean. (Please don't release your balloons.) Our other bit of excitement was playing "Frogger" with two large freighters. What were the chances that in the middle of this huge expanse of water, we all three would arrive at the same point at the same time?

We altered course and ended going behind each of these two. Before we knew it the beautiful blue water of Bimini began to appear on the horizon. Barry raised our Q Flag, signifying we had yet to clear customs.

We entered the marina through a tiny channel, and found the water inside to be crystal clear. We backed into a nice wide slip with floating docks and quickly began to finalize our customs paperwork. Barry and Jeff (from Flip Flop) took a cab to the airport and the immigration and customs offices. While waiting his return, I was restricted to stay on the boat, but did not mind. I enjoyed a beverage on Fiberglass Beach then turned quite a few more pages in my latest suspense book.

Barry returned and said we were good and were granted our requested 90 days. We changed out the Q flag for the Bahamian courtesy flag. It will fly from our halyard until we depart in May. As 6:00 approached we made our way down to the beach with all the mosquitoes and enjoyed a nice sunset. Our track from today shows it really was a straight shot.