Waiting on the Front to Pass

Day 289  |  South Bimini

It was another sunny and warm morning in Bimini. Barry went to the pool to swim some laps and I headed to the beach for a walk in the surf. I am still fascinated by the crystal clarity of the water and stood watching the waves break on several occasions. Along my journey south, I collected several items including this stray mylar balloon and a ton of sea glass. In the beginning I was just excited to see the fragments of glass and picked them up indiscriminately. On my way back to the marina I had become more selective as my pockets were getting full and I had to tighten the drawstring on my shorts. Blue sky, white clouds, sunshine, and a warm breeze ... we were soaking it up for by the end of the day it was all supposed to change.

By midmorning we were walking back to the ferry dock for a ride to North Bimini. Our goal was to start at the southernmost point and walk in the surf to Blister Beach where we were yesterday. Interesting tile work adorned the basic concrete walls lining the road. The beach at the southern tip is rocky and irregular with many tidal pools. We saw this crab hiding out on the rocks. Barry found a coconut and set out to crack it open on the rocks. He succeeded, but, alas, the coconut was empty. We continued up the shore until we found the gorgeous sand at Radio Beach.

Our big landmark of the day was coming upon the wreck of the Gallant Lady, resting against the rocks. This small freighter out of Belize crashed on the shore during Hurricane Mitch back in 1997. Only a rusty skeleton remains. Opposite the shipwreck was this cool piece of street art/graffiti. We stopped at Big John's for lunch on their deck. The mango daiquiri hit the spot. The view of the water and great, but the remains of Weech's Marina stand as a testament to the destructive power of a hurricane.

After lunch, we headed back north to Nate's Bakery in search of cinnamon raisin swirl bread. We arrived too late for that popular item, but got a loaf of coconut bread and loaded it into the backpack. Back on Crossroads, we examined and then sorted the collection of sea glass. The bread survived the trip home as well. We put the dinghy back on the upper deck and I returned to the pool for a little reading. Almost exactly at the time predicted, the sky turned dark and the wind picked up. By the time I got onboard, it was drizzling. Ten minutes later, the sky opened up as the squall rolled through.

This cold front dropped the temperature and humidity and will make tomorrow windy. We spent the evening going over weather reports and charts trying to figure out we can leave out of Bimini.