While in Bimini

Hi All,
We're still in Bimini, waiting for better weather. The weather here has been great but our next passage will be two days with anchoring on the Great Bahama Bank for the night. We'll be out with no land to protect us from wind or waves so we're being picky and hoping to find a time where we can get a nice calm night. It is soooo nice to not be in a hurry and not on a schedule.

Our first night here we were anchored on the west side of North Bimini. We did the same the second night but didn't get much sleep that night. The wind was out of the East while the swells (waves) were out of the north. Even though the swells weren't more than 2 feet we were rolling all night. The truth is the rolling wasn't the problem, the problem was all the creaking we heard all night from the rolling. I tried to find the source and though I narrowed it down to the bulkhead between the salon and forward cabin, I could never fix it. So now we're at the Bimini Blue Water Marina in a slip. The marina is on the East side of the island and protected from the swells. Much better sleeping.

If you've ever been to the Bahamas you may know about the bread here. Wow is all I can say, wow! A short walk from the marina is "A Taste of Heaven and Take Away". The lady there does know how to bake some bread. Yum! Our first full day here Susan, Allen and I walked by and bought a loaf of bread. It didn't make it back to the boat. We pulled off hunks of it and ate it while we explored. Later in the week Susan and I went back by there and I can now report that the Guava Cinnamon Roll is outstanding as well.

Bimini is an interesting place. It is definitely a much slower paced life here. Some of the people have been very nice yet others are far from friendly. When I was walking around looking for the Customs office when we first arrived I saw a sign that read "Say Please. Say Thank You." It is obvious some effort is being made to get the people to be friendlier but you can't help but feel some of the people are not glad to see you. The first lady I spoke to at Customs was this way and I think somehow my attempts to be friendly and talkative put us on the list of boats that must be boarded in order to clear customs. I've talked to many others that have never been boarded when clearing in here yet she told me that all boats must be boarded. Maybe it's just my beard and shaggy hair. I must admit I do look a bit like Ted Kaczynski.

Where next? The next stop, after anchoring overnight on the bank, are the Berry Islands. Our departure date was originally going to be Sunday. Then Monday. Now Tuesday. THE weather guru in these parts is Chris Parker,and we've subscribed  to his service. When I talked to him this evening he said he would feel better if we stayed in Bimini through tomorrow and then headed to the Berrys on Tuesday. So we are...      going to do exactly what he says. If you watch the weather as closely as we do you know there is a tropical low that has moved up into the Southeast Bahamas and there is a good chance it will develop into a tropical storm. It isn't coming anywhere near us and we aren't going anywhere near it.

Two quick updates. I FINALLY got the AIS working again. I had to splice the cable when I installed it and one of the splices had come loose. Today we went fishing and though Susan caught more fish than I did, we caught the same number of edible fish. I think mine was bigger than hers. :-)

That's all for now. Take care.
Brian