Welcome To The Bahamas

Key Biscayne to Bimini  |  7 Hours  |  49 Miles  

The alarm rang at 4:30. On most days, I would groan and protest such an early wake-up call. Today was different, for we were crossing to The Bahamas. I put my headlamp on and proceeded to easily get the bridle removed and anchor up despite the darkness. At 5:00 we were on our way, following our previous tracks out of the harbor. A waypoint for Bimini and we sat back and enjoyed the smooth ride thanks to low wind and low waves. Barry was napping as the first light of dawn slowly lit the horizon and then the sky. There were other boats around us -- container ships, tankers, sportfishers, cruise ships -- but everyone was playing nicely together. We were almost sideways (we call it crabbing) as we crossed the Gulf Stream with the current running close to 5 knots. Our heading and course were off by 26 degrees, as we had to point further south because the current was pushing us north. When the sun peeked over the horizon, the show morning's show commenced. 

For the next hour, the sun rose through a cloud bank and produced quite the light display. I never mind having watch duty at either sunrise or sunset. Barry returned to the helm at 8:00 and we had breakfast. I took my break at 9:30 on Fiberglass Beach. I snoozed a bit until Barry woke me up to say we were five miles out. We could see the large cruise ship docked off Bimini's western shore. I strung up all nine docklines, not knowing the which setup we would use when we arrived at the marina. I prefer to be prepared for all possibilities instead of scrambling when plans inevitably change.

Barry attached and raised our quarantine ("Q") flag on the signal halyard to signify that we had not been processed. On our previous three trips to Bimini, we had stayed at Bimini Cove Marina in South Bimini. This year it is closed for renovation so we bypassed their entrance and ventured into uncharted territory for us in North Bimini. We timed our arrival for slack tide which helped us maneuver easily into our wide slip. After we got tied up, we sat down to complete the immigration forms to go along with the Click2Clear customs forms Barry had completed online. He took his zip-lock bag full of information to both offices, while I stayed onboard and cleaned up the unused docklines and positioned our fenders for protection from the fixed dock. Barry returned as I was finishing up with the final fender placement. Perfect timing. He was all smiles and carrying what he termed a welcome bag. OK, for the nightly rate at this marina, maybe they did offer some trinkets and trash with their name on it. Barry went up to the flybridge and changed out our Q flag for The Bahamas courtesy flag. Upon his return downstairs, he pulled two chilled Pink Sands from the bag and said, "Welcome to The Bahamas."

We chose to check in once again in Bimini because we knew where to pick up the SIM cards for my phone and our Myfi. Comfort does lie in the familiar. Our first stop was BTC to get the card for my phone only to find they were closed until 2:00. No worries. We walked down the road to get the other card only to find out they didn't have any. Neither did the store around the corner. Things were not looking good. The only way to restore peace was to walk along the ocean and take in The Blues. The photos do not do the water justice. Blister Beach was unoccupied and beautiful. The more famous Radio Beach was packed with folks from the cruise ship. 

We noticed a few new signs along our walk that really brightened up the streetscape. We returned to BTC which finally opened at 2:20 (Island Time) and got my card. It was quite warm today and the marina pool was an excellent way to finish off the afternoon. 

Following showers, we walked back across the island to Radio Beach. The cruise ship had pulled away from the dock and we enjoyed a much more serene environment as we watched the sun set. We picked up take-away dinners of lobster and conch from CJ's Deli and brought it back to Crossroads to call it a day. The Captain was all smiles, even while waiting for our order. The crossing from Key Biscayne to Bimini is a very short and easy trip. It is nowhere close to the 11.5 hours and 74 miles we knocked out on our previous travel day from Palm Beach to Key Biscayne. It also pales in comparison to our next segment which will take us into The Exumas. Once we get that last SIM card, we'll figure out when we leave and where we will go next.