Barb and I had reached Weech’s Docks, Alice Town, North Bimini, the Bahamas safely at 1430 on January 12, 2008. The sky was deep blue in full sun and the nine feet of water at the dock was crystal clear. Cleared Customs and Immigration and paid our $300 for the cruising permit. Weech’s wanted $20 for the docking priviledge or $26 to stay overnight with showers and easy access to the nightspots of Bimini. We paid the extra $6.
Reunited with Tisha Baby, Pam, Richard and Chloe
Sailed to North Rock and North side of Bimini but it was rolley so we continued and anchored on the banks (no land in sight) for the night.
Sailed to Stirrup Cay much of which is private except for the southeast end where there is a lighthouse. We walked and explored there.
Sailed to cut between Hoffman and Devil’s Cay. Short hike to blue hole.
Sailed to Bond’s Cay. Great walk along beach. Found four beach lounge chairs and lounged.
Sailed to Royal Island and sat out a cold front. Met Pelagic (Graham and Iris from Austrailia) and Boree (Burt and Inghy from Germany.) We walked around Royal Island.
Went to Spanish Wells and got fuel, water and groceries for Tisha Baby
and Boree.
1/22, all four boats sailed to Current Settlement and had Birthday Dinner for Pam at the most inept restaurant. Lester is an Irish fellow. Says his Great, great, great grand father was the captain of the vessel that brought the original “adventurers” to Eleuthera (eleuthera means adventurer in some language.) The reason they stayed was because they wrecked their ship. Well it was a bit of a shipwreck of a restaurant too. We were the only diners and they couldn’t keep the order straight and they didn’t have the food they thought they had. Drinks came about fifteen minutes after the main course. We were the first customers they had had in two weeks. The company was wonderful but I doubt that we’ll ever be back.
Went to Alabaster Bay south end and found pink sand beach with assistance from Bee’s Knees. We are sworn to secrecy so we can’t say a lot about it, but we did miles of walking. Barbie about doubled her sea bean collection. On our second day Tisha Baby rejoined us. They had gone to Gregory Town and had done laundry. Pam had twisted her arm badly as she reached into a dryer to check her clothes. It was a dryer that doesn’t stop turning when the door is open. She thought that she had broken her arm. With her arm splinted and in a sling she joined us for another foray on the beach. During the walk a dog bit Pam on the leg! We sat out that night’s cold front in north end of Alabaster Bay.
Next day we sailed about 5 nm to Levi Island. Went to Governor’s Harbor by dinghy to a clinic. Dr. dressed Pam’s wound, gave her antibiotics, declared her elbow strained, gave her some pain meds and gave her some ointment for the exema he noticed. $66 total. Next day Barb did laundry while I checked e-mail and Skyped. $5/hour for the internet connection at the library. We stayed two nights as we sat out another cold front.
We sailed about 5 nm to South Palmetto Point Settlement and picked up one of the four free government moorings and Tisha Baby got one of the others. Went ashore, walked to North Palmetto Point Settlement (1.5 miles) and strolled the beach a little. Got lunch at a well run Bahamian restaurant and some fresh veggies and fruit at two of the five grocery stores. Some settlements only have one grocery (if any) and it is often open for short hours some days.
We sailed to Rock Sound and got some more groceries, Richard got propane and Barbie got some more fishing gear. We walked around town and visited several shops and talked to folks. After lunch at Sammy’s we returned to the boats. Barb and I lifted anchor to run the boat out of the harbor for about an hour to get a head start on tomorrow’s Exuma Sound crossing and to heat some water for showers.
We headed toward Highborne Cay in the Exumas. The trip was lumpy and Barbie caught no fish, but we arrived safely and anchored in a good location for a dinghy ride to Allen’s Cay and a shot at some snorkeling spots we had missed last year and to photo the iguanas for Tom. We went for a dry run of the trip that turned out to be a bit of a soaker as we went through some pretty good wind chop. We found that Boree was anchored amongst about 15 other boats. This was the most crowded anchorage we have seen in the Bahamas so far. I’m glad we were not in it with our boat. We enjoyed tea with Burt and Inghy and returned to Jupiter’s Smile with a good soaking because by then the tide had changed and there was now a rage in the cut. A rage occurs when the current and wind oppose each other and there are standing waves in the cut.
Next day we snorkeled the Allen’s spot and some places near our anchorage at Highborne Cay where we saw many small fish and gorgeous corals.
We have you up to date through January now and I hope to be able to get a good enough Internet signal to post this blog along with some photos.
Till then, be well.
J&B
Reunited with Tisha Baby, Pam, Richard and Chloe
Sailed to North Rock and North side of Bimini but it was rolley so we continued and anchored on the banks (no land in sight) for the night.Sailed to Stirrup Cay much of which is private except for the southeast end where there is a lighthouse. We walked and explored there.
Sailed to cut between Hoffman and Devil’s Cay. Short hike to blue hole.
Sailed to Bond’s Cay. Great walk along beach. Found four beach lounge chairs and lounged.
Sailed to Royal Island and sat out a cold front. Met Pelagic (Graham and Iris from Austrailia) and Boree (Burt and Inghy from Germany.) We walked around Royal Island.
Went to Spanish Wells and got fuel, water and groceries for Tisha Baby
and Boree.
1/22, all four boats sailed to Current Settlement and had Birthday Dinner for Pam at the most inept restaurant. Lester is an Irish fellow. Says his Great, great, great grand father was the captain of the vessel that brought the original “adventurers” to Eleuthera (eleuthera means adventurer in some language.) The reason they stayed was because they wrecked their ship. Well it was a bit of a shipwreck of a restaurant too. We were the only diners and they couldn’t keep the order straight and they didn’t have the food they thought they had. Drinks came about fifteen minutes after the main course. We were the first customers they had had in two weeks. The company was wonderful but I doubt that we’ll ever be back.
Went to Alabaster Bay south end and found pink sand beach with assistance from Bee’s Knees. We are sworn to secrecy so we can’t say a lot about it, but we did miles of walking. Barbie about doubled her sea bean collection. On our second day Tisha Baby rejoined us. They had gone to Gregory Town and had done laundry. Pam had twisted her arm badly as she reached into a dryer to check her clothes. It was a dryer that doesn’t stop turning when the door is open. She thought that she had broken her arm. With her arm splinted and in a sling she joined us for another foray on the beach. During the walk a dog bit Pam on the leg! We sat out that night’s cold front in north end of Alabaster Bay.
Next day we sailed about 5 nm to Levi Island. Went to Governor’s Harbor by dinghy to a clinic. Dr. dressed Pam’s wound, gave her antibiotics, declared her elbow strained, gave her some pain meds and gave her some ointment for the exema he noticed. $66 total. Next day Barb did laundry while I checked e-mail and Skyped. $5/hour for the internet connection at the library. We stayed two nights as we sat out another cold front.
We sailed about 5 nm to South Palmetto Point Settlement and picked up one of the four free government moorings and Tisha Baby got one of the others. Went ashore, walked to North Palmetto Point Settlement (1.5 miles) and strolled the beach a little. Got lunch at a well run Bahamian restaurant and some fresh veggies and fruit at two of the five grocery stores. Some settlements only have one grocery (if any) and it is often open for short hours some days.
We sailed to Rock Sound and got some more groceries, Richard got propane and Barbie got some more fishing gear. We walked around town and visited several shops and talked to folks. After lunch at Sammy’s we returned to the boats. Barb and I lifted anchor to run the boat out of the harbor for about an hour to get a head start on tomorrow’s Exuma Sound crossing and to heat some water for showers.
We headed toward Highborne Cay in the Exumas. The trip was lumpy and Barbie caught no fish, but we arrived safely and anchored in a good location for a dinghy ride to Allen’s Cay and a shot at some snorkeling spots we had missed last year and to photo the iguanas for Tom. We went for a dry run of the trip that turned out to be a bit of a soaker as we went through some pretty good wind chop. We found that Boree was anchored amongst about 15 other boats. This was the most crowded anchorage we have seen in the Bahamas so far. I’m glad we were not in it with our boat. We enjoyed tea with Burt and Inghy and returned to Jupiter’s Smile with a good soaking because by then the tide had changed and there was now a rage in the cut. A rage occurs when the current and wind oppose each other and there are standing waves in the cut.
Next day we snorkeled the Allen’s spot and some places near our anchorage at Highborne Cay where we saw many small fish and gorgeous corals.
We have you up to date through January now and I hope to be able to get a good enough Internet signal to post this blog along with some photos.
Till then, be well.
J&B
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