The weather forecast finally gives us a window to head across the Gulf Stream to Bimini. We are looking for gentle breezes that come from any direction other than north, and we get about 24 hours of light easterly winds. True, we will have to motor to Bimini but that is a small price to pay. That night boats begin to congregate near No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. Some choose to crowd inside the small harbor while others decide to anchor outside along with us. We hear a few more on the radio arriving in nearby locations. Four in the morning is the bewitching hour. In the darkness we hear engines starting up and anchors being hoisted. We see anchor lights turn into running lights, and it off to the Atlantic for a parade of at least 13 boats. The waters are flat, and it’s a beautiful vista to look back as the fleet winds its way through the shallows south of Key Biscayne and out into the ocean. We find ourselves in the lead and perhaps that is a good thing. There is plenty of commercial traffic out on the water, coming from and going into the south Florida ports. Our AIS proves invaluable in tracking the traffic, and we are able to communicate the locations and names of freighters to those boats behind us. One unlucky freighter has set its course to Miami directly through the fleet. Most boats make changes to their headings to avoid any close encounters, but one trawler insists that the freighter should change course. As many of us know, the whole idea of right-of-way goes out the window when you are looking at the bow of an 800 foot freighter. It takes some forceful explanation by the freighter to convince the trawler of this concept. Listening to their radio exchange, we laugh as the trawler is aptly named “Life is Short”.
The feared crossing turns into a cake walk. Forty miles later we head into the confusing channel towards North Bimini Island. The water turns from the sapphire blue of the Gulf Stream to the intense aqua of the inshore waters. I am on the bow of the boat, watching water colors to gauge depths when I see a school of rays scooting along the sand bottom under our keel. The channel is poorly marked with missing and perhaps misplaced markers; it is quite different from the wonderful navigational aids managed by the US Coast Guard. We avoid grounding but several others aren’t as fortunate, although all seem to easily extricate themselves from the sandy shoals. We tie up at one of the small marinas in time for lunch and a quick trip to customs and immigration. Everyone is all smiles as Bahamian courtesy flags are hoisted, celebrating finally arriving in the Bahamas! The afternoon provides an opportunity to walk through the small community and take a swim on the ocean side of the island in incredibly clear water.
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| Swimming beach at Bimini |
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| Nearby wreck of an inter-island freighter |
We will be in Bimini for a few days as the wind is again kicking up her heels. Bimini is both interesting and a bit sorry.
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| Amazing what you see along the streets in Bimini |
We were warned of the poverty we would encounter, but it is still unsettling. The marina provides good security, and we have been assured that serious crime is non-existent. Yet, the infrastructure is crumbling; buildings are in various stages of decay and the streets are riddled with pot holes and trash. The people are friendly on the surface, but we wonder if there is some underlying resentment when the “rich” Americans begin to arrive. We take time to begin our quest for phone and data service from Batelco, the Bahamas Telephone Company. While in Bimini, we visit the office frequently; phone service is fairly easy to acquire on our American smart phone, but data is proving more challenging. We seem to be spending inordinate amounts of time in the office waiting room trying to make progress, and we finally give up with the intention of starting over in Nassau. But the high point of wandering the streets is finding an outstanding bakery. The Bahamas are known for their excellent homemade bread, and we feast on coconut bread that almost floats out of your hand.
Meanwhile there is time to explore the island, both on foot and by bike. We pedal to the north end of the island to see the exclusive Bimini Bay Resort, quite a contrast from the settlements to the south. It is pristine with lovely large homes overlooking the water, pools, beaches, marinas, restaurants, and shops, all in a beautifully landscaped setting.
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| Ocean side homes at Bimini Bay resort |
The only unusual aspect is that there are virtually no visitors. The marina which would hold hundreds of boats has only five at best. There are only two people sitting by the free-form infinity pool. And yet, they are building a casino and another neighborhood of multi-million dollar homes and condos. Perhaps no one heard that the economy isn’t exactly thriving.
We stop by the boatyard of Ansel Saunders. Ansel is an older gentleman who has made quite a name for himself as a bonefishing guide, builder of fine wooden fishing skiffs, and as an important figure in the history of Bimini. We get an opportunity to see an almost complete skiff and hear his stories of his life in Bimini.
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| Ansel by his latest project |
Ansel’s greatest claim to fame is connected with the relation that Adam Clayton Powell had with Bimini. Due to legal entanglements, Powell found himself exiled to Bimini. One of his closest friends was Martin Luther King who often visited Powell’s home on Bimini, and Ansel had the pleasure of acting as a bonefishing guide to them on occasions. One time, King came to Bimini to escape the pressures he was under in the States and to write what he thought would be an important speech. He spent that time with Ansel, cruising through the mangroves as he tried to consolidate his thoughts. Three days later he was shot, and Ansel was credited with giving him some peace during the last days of his life. It is a distinction that continues to be celebrated as just recently Ansel received a plaque from the American government recognizing his contribution to the civil rights movement. Over the years he has been recognized by dignitaries from both the United States and England, including two meeting with the Queen. He shows us many pictures of such events.
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| Dolphin House, the home of Ansel's brother, a noted naturalist |
The weather is improving but we decide to stay an additional day. It is the community’s Christmas celebration and Junkanoo parade. Starting at dusk, vendors set up in the center of the town and school children begin performing on the outdoor stage of the cultural center. We see singing groups, dancers, and instrumental ensembles from the local school. Some are decent, some strain the ears, but it is wonderful to see families together enjoying their children’s accomplishments and the spirit of the season.
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| Performers at the Christmas program |
It is just that Christmas music and nativity scenes still seem out of place under palm trees. At 9 pm we hear the distant drumming of the Junkanoo band. Junkanoo is a celebration of freedom that has its roots in Africa. Many Bahamian communities put together Junkanoo bands which are composed of brass instruments, goat skin and steel drums, whistles, horns, and one or more costumed dancers. It is like something out of “Stomp” crossed with a high school marching band, and it is hard not to bounce along with the intense beat. In Bimini it is just half an hour of loud chaos; in larger communities like Nassau it rivals Trinidad’s Carnival with the prime days of celebration being Boxing Day and News Year’s Day.
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| Bimini's Junkanoo group |
We check weather once more and make the decision to cross over the Great Bahama Bank, transverse the Northwest Channel of the Tongue of the Ocean and duck into an anchorage in the Berry Islands. It’s a trip of over 90 nm. This route is one of the few you would take at night, and this is good as we will arrive at our destination around midnight. We start with the wind on our nose so we motor through choppy waters until we reach a navigational mark that allows us to turn more off the wind and begin sailing. We are sailing across waters only 15 feet deep but are totally out of sight of any land. It is a bumpy ride along a path taken by many inter-island freighters. Fortunately they are all well lit and using AIS, so we have no problem avoiding unplanned encounters. As we exit the banks the bottom drops off into depths many thousands of feet deep. The wind keeps building, the waves get bumpier, and we are relieved to pull into our anchorage, drop the hook, and dive into bed exhausted. The next morning we are seeing gusts into the 30’s. One boat is anchored nearby in the lee of an island; all the others are up a narrow channel with considerable exposure to the wind and seeing 2-3 foot waves in their anchorage. We are slightly uncomfortable; they are very uncomfortable.
We wait another day at the anchorage and receive an invitation from a home owner on shore to join the other cruisers for a potluck supper. But we see we have the last opportunity to head to Nassau before the winds really kick up, so we decide to continue on. Some boats in the area feel the conditions are too challenging, but along with four other boats, we head out to Nassau. It’s only 32 nm – how bad could it be? We progress under sail although the wind is quite tight; the other boats motor sail which will make their passage more uncomfortable. We are seeing winds in the mid-20’s with a few higher gusts, and the waves are averaging a steep 8 feet with a few larger ones mixed in for good measure. The boat handles it well if you ignore the contents of several cupboards that dump on to the floor. The crew spends their time bracing themselves against all the motion. Just as we approach Nassau Harbor, the depths come up along with even steeper waves.
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| Finally inside the Nassau breakwall |
All give a sigh of relief as we enter the shelter of the harbor. Immediately inside we find four huge cruise ships at the docks.
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| Cruise ships docked in Nassau |
We motor through the anchorage seeing several other boats we have met along the way. But, we will go to a marina in Nassau. The holding in the harbor is poor and crime is an issue. Our marina has secure docks and security guards on duty – it seems like a wise, albeit expensive decision. This night we celebrate our arrival in Nassau with several other boats that have also made the grueling passage, knowing the next few days will see winds in the low 30’s – rum is the only logical antidote to the day’s adventure.
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| Exuberant at dock - our next door neighbor is a 95' Riva luxury yacht |
