Nassau

We left the Bimini marina at 7:00am heading to Nassau.  About thirty minutes later another boat "Wind Runner" was behind us with a request to follow.  Sure was the reply. He felt we were "seasoned" boaters!  At 5:00 pm we both decided to drop anchor, have dinner and get a few hours rest as we wanted to arrive at Nassau at daylight.  Anchor was up at 9:00pm and we were on our way. We received a call on the VHF radio from another sailboat close to North West Channel.  Eva answered the call and stated our intentions.  They introduced themselves as "Sea Dancer" whom we had met in Vero Beach and last year in Georgetown.  They said they were crossing from Miami with six other boats which also said hello.  Then as clockwork, on the hour, every hour for the next 10 you heard roll call:  This is "Sea Dancer" - "Sun Spot Baby", "Beans", "Southern Estate" "Shannondoha", "Jona" - what is your location and do you have any questions?  Trivia questions were also asked.  Reminded us of being in Georgetown   We had a very nice crossing taking 20 hours from Bimini however we motored the complete trip during the night as the winds died but the seas were somewhat calm.  We are currently at anchor in Nassau, close to the 5 cruise ships in port and across from the famous resort, Atlantis, on Paradise Island where a round of golf will cost you $280.00.



There is an inexpensive ferry which will take you to Atlantis. Plenty of expensive shopping and a beautiful casino.  A really beautiful resort for a price. We should be anchored here for a few more days and then on to the Exumas. When we get a couple of good weather days with calm seas.....

Merry Christmas

Christmas in the Bahamas --- temps in the high 70's and a little cloudy but all in all a great day!  Ed and I started out our morning by attending the St. Stephen Anglican Church 10:00am service and much to our surprise there were only seven (7) people in attendance and that included us!  We had later inquired and found that all parishioners attend the midnight mass and then attend a "souse" (a type of soup, mainly fish) breakfast.  The most wanted christmas gift this year were bicycles as we saw no less than 10-12 kids riding brand new shiny ones in the streets.  And much to our surprise, several stores were open, including the grocery and clothing store!  Most families order in a ham or turkey from the states for the traditional meal. Eva and I are both amazed that every single person we have seen on the streets have wished us a good day and Merry Christmas!  We took a walk to the beach and the water looked calm and later saw 3 boats - 2 power and 1 sail pull into the marinas.

 DECEMBER 26: Boxing Day, is celebrated on Dec. 26th, the day after Christmas.  It was a way for people to make contributions of cash or goods to those less fortunate.  It was also when the servants who had to continue with their normal work and so, in effect, missed out on the celebrations on Christmas Day.  To compensate for this, families would set aside Dec.26th as the time for their servants Christmas.  The term "Boxing Day" refers to the gift that the family gave to each servant, wrapped in a box. Usually, Bimini has a junkanoo, but they have moved it to Sunday. Saw several of the 12 sailboats that were able to cross from Florida last night as the weather was good.  Captain Ed has checked the current weather and it looks like we will get Makai ready to head to Nassau tomorrow morning. 

Night on the town!

Ed and I decided to make it a night on the town, so we invited Sandra and Hank to join us at Mackey Sand Bar, part of the Bimini Sands Resort on South Bimini.  We left the marina and headed to the ferry, which is a 5 minute, 150 yard ferry ride ($2 per person) to South Bimini Island.  Then there is a "Partridge Family" bus that comes from the Bimini Sands Resort and picks you up from the ferry stop. It takes you through the bumpy, pot hole dirt road 3 miles to the end of the island and the bar/restaurant.  The one story building is all that is left from the original resort that was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. A new resort has since been rebuild at the other end of the island. The island itself is sparsly populated, but is slowly being developed.  There is an airport, two small convenience stores, a liquor store and a launderette.  There are no churches or schools, so the residents must come on the ferry to North Bimini to attend these.

 Back to Mackey's Sand Bar, it is the newest hot spot, having an all sand floor, eight flat screen televisions, a private beach and pool outside the bar.  On Wednesdays and Fridays, they have Happy Hour with $1.50 beer and $3 mixed drinks --- a real deal on the island!  Also Karaoke is held, staring at 9:00 pm, but you must remember, you are on island time and we left the bar at 10:30 and they were still getting ready, but after losing part of our hearing, we decided to leave for our trip back. You can get "bar food" at  the bar, hamburgers, wings, fries, etc. or go into the dining room which we did and have an excellent upscale Bahamian dinner.  It was just great!

The views are breathtaking as the bar/restaurant is surrounded by water on three sides and the pretty lighted outdoor pool is on the other!  Overall it was a great night with great food and better friends Hank and Sandra.

Fishing for Wahoo With the Pros on "Baer Essentials"

We have met so many people here on Bimini, but the nicest two are our dock neighbors, Hank and Sandra on "Baer Essentials".  They have given us so much information regarding things to see, and places to go as they are actually living here on the island.  They were so kind and invited Ed and I to go out with them for a day of fishing for Wahoo.  The wahoo is a dark blue fish that is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas.  Its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish.  The body is elongated and covered with small, scarcely visible scales, the back is an iridescent blue-green, while the sides are silvery, with a pattern of vertical blue bars.  The colors fade rapidly at death.  The mouth is large and lots of teeth!  Some have grown to 8 feet in length and 180 pounds.  Wahoo can swim up to 50 miles per hour!  They are one of the fastest fish in the sea.  Sandra was at the controls and Hank was getting all the fishing gear ready with the ballyhoo bait and it wasn't long after that we had the first hit.  Hank gave the rod to Ed and said "reel it in!" 

 One in the tank....and then there were two...and last catch of the day was the 30 plus pounder that Ed reeled in! Hank knows how to get them on the boat and in the well in a matter of seconds!  Then you wait for about 20 minutes and you hear a "thump" and you know they are taking their last breath and banging their heads on the well door.  Ed and I have tried for 2 years to catch a fish - any fish other than a barracuda, but we needed to go with the "pros" to show us how to do it!  We will try again on "Makai" but we are not being optimistic!

We had traveled to Gun and Cat Cay, where we will actually take "Makai" thru the cut when we continue on to Nassau.  We all did well for being out on the water for 3 hours.  The waters were great and we had only seen one other boat fishing.  A incredible day of fishing with 2 fantastic people that we were so lucky to have met! Thanks so much to Hank and Sandra - looks like fresh fish tonight for dinner!  There are days when they go out fishing and catch so many fish that they take a few pieces for themselves and give the rest away to the locals! 

Bimini

Our stay in Bimini is unexpectedly long due to a lingering  pressure system and continued 25 to 35 knot winds. A walk to the beach and you can see how treacherous the waters are and no one wants to be out on a boat out there - not even the local fishing boats.  We are getting plenty of exercise walking the 2 streets in Alice Town and seeing the sights.  The Dolphin House (Museum) is a 15 year work in progress, entirely constructed from surplus materials by a talented man named Ashley Saunders. It  draws its name from the large dolphin mosaics which adorn the exterior and interior walls of the structure which houses living quarters, guest quarters, shop/museum, and a boutique under development. The structure also houses Ashley's collection of books by prize winning authors. While the basic construction was concrete frame with in-fill concrete blocks, the exterior and interior walls were adorned with recycled ceramic tile, coral, and conch shells, and other found materials in an eclectic but pleasing pattern. Limerock from South Bimini was used for the low walls, planters and entrance way. One of his guests termed her quarters as a "smorgasbord for the eyes". As it turned out, Ashley was a teacher and had received a BS degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, having been provided a full scholarship by the British to prepare him to teach. He had been instrumental in bringing curriculum reform to the Island.

Saturday night, the island had a Christmas Festival with their loud Christmas Parade,  Santa, tree lighting, skits, plays and carols by the local children and church choirs. Everyone in the marina, Ken & Heather on "Faring", Howard & Lois on "ChrisPamMel", Luke & Bobbie on "Lattitudes" John from "Torzo" and the boat "Plume au Vent" went and we had a great time! Ed met a few new "island buddies".  It is a festival enjoyed by all the locals with loud music and dancing in the streets!  Great fun even if you lose your hearing for a day or so. This is not their "Junkanoo", that is held on New Years Eve only.

Ernest Hemingway lived on Bimini from 1935 to 1937, staying at the Compleat Angler Hotel. He worked on To Have and Have Not and wrote a few articles, but mostly he fished aboard his boat Pilar, trolling the deep blue offshore waters for marlin, tuna and swordfish. Hemingway was attracted to Bimini by tales of the incredible fishing available in the Gulf Stream, the legendary “river” of warm water that rushes north past the Bahamas. An Atlantic blue marlin with a mass of 500 pounds (230 kg) caught off Bimini allegedly inspired Hemingway to write The Old Man and the Sea and Islands in The Stream. On Friday, January 13th, 2006, it burned to the ground. The picture below shows what is left.

Then there are the fish.....huge tarpon, stingray, starfish and of course the cute little "aquarium" fish always swimming around the boat. Bimini is an island that we enjoy.  The 1500 islanders are always welcoming and friendly however we have yet to see where they all live. It seems in Bimini, like most of the Bahamian Islands and Cays, that everyone knows each other and love it when white folks in boats come to visit their land.  While many are poor they are very happy and are worry free.

Crossing over

After staying a day on a mooring ball at Dinner Key Marina, in Coconut Grove, FL we decided to move back to No Name Harbor and wait there to go out the inlet to the Bahamas.  We got to say hello to some old friends, Larry and Gale on "Tropical Gale Winds" and met up again with 2 other Caliber sailboats, "Roundabout" and Sea Trekker."  The Captains all got together and decided the weather looked good to cross over on Tuesday and Wednesday. So, we prepared "Makai" for the crossing by anchoring everything down inside and outside, putting the dingy motor up on the railing and tying up the dingy to prevent swinging.  At 4:30am, the radio was buzzing with sounds of everyone ready?  Next, you saw all the navigation lights on and anchors being pulled up.  "Sea Trekker" led the way, followed by "Roundabout" "Makai" and "ChrisPamMel".  As we got a little further, a call was heard from "Seas The Day" catching up and following us.  The winds were SW at 10-15 knots, and the seas were 3-4', higher than what was predicted, but we pushed on only making 4 knots.  As the day went on, the seas calmed down a little, but we still were not able to do more than 6 knots, so the 42 mile trip which should of taken 6-7 hours took 10 hours!  "Makai" and "ChrisPamMel" chose to go to Bimini, while "Sea Trekker" and "Roundabout"  chose to continue on through the night to Nassau.  "Seas The Day" decided to turn around and head back to Florida.  We are currently at the  Blue Water Marina and will enjoy Bimini and Alice Town for a few days and then continue on to Nassau hopefully to enjoy Christmas there. We are so surprised that the marinas here are empty.  Actually "Makai" and "ChrisPamMel" are the only 2 sailboats with about 4 fishing boats scattered between the 5 marinas.  Captain Ed cleared us through customs with no problems and everyone so sees Rylee loves him.

A little about the island ...Bimini is a skinny island with two parallel roads running down it. It is two blocks across, but several miles long. The buildings are mostly painted in these bright colors, probably so cars don't crash into them and yes, they drive alot of cars here, even though there is only 2 blocks in one direction and a few miles in the other, and there is nowhere to go to in either direction!  The people are super friendly and helpful.  The island is rather littered and dirty, the homes and buildings are in ruins, and food is non-existent in the 3 grocery stores here.  Eva priced a few

items:  milk, $5.50 for half a gallon, box of cereal $7.00, pound of spaghetti $2.25 and a can of corn or greens beans $2.20.  It makes you wonder how people can afford to live here!  All things considered, however, the atmosphere is very pleasant and the weather is beautiful.

  

No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, FL

Makai is sitting at anchor in No Name Harbor, a small secluded anchorage inside Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne along with 16 other boats.
  Bill Baggs State Park is a beautiful park. The park is open from 8:00 am until “sundown” and they mean “sundown.”  The park closes down precisely at sunset, which differs each day.  The ranger drives around and makes sure no one is on park property. They charge a fee of $20 to anchor overnight, which is a bit high but it entitles you to use the restroom (no showers) empty trash and they offer 1 washer and dryer for laundry.  Bill Baggs is within a mile walk of a Winn Dixie grocery store, CVS drug store, the post office and a few other shops and restaurants. There is a nice Cuban restaurant with dingy tie-ups at the end of the harbor. There are miles of nature trails complete with “critters" on the land and even in the water as we watched a ground of spotted string ray swan around the boat.  Then there is Cape Florida Light. Cape Florida Light was (according to the ranger) the first permanent structure in the Miami area. The Light House is open to the public and the view from the top is spectacular.  The harbour was actually closed to boaters on Saturday, Dec. 12 for the annual "Winter Lights Boat Parade" from 5pm until 9pm. So, we will just anchored right outside the park for a front row seat for the parade.  The weather window was not right as the winds were coming from the East which means head on, so we are moving to Dinner Key Marina for a few days and going to enjoy Coconut Grove.

Miami-ami!

Couldn't have asked for a nicer day to make the trip from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. We left the ICW behind and headed to the open waters where the sky was blue, sun shining, light winds and calm seas. The skylines along the way were  so pretty and interesting. 

 We did encounter a huge cargo ship coming out of the Miami inlet but Captain Ed was standing his ground and forced the huge ship to move over to the side for us!  We looked like a mini toy sail boat compared to him.   Our plans were to anchor in Sunset Lake, off the Venetian Causeway, but the anchorage at the end of the causeway only had 3 other sailboats with plenty of room, so we are currently at anchor beside the park, Marine Police Station and the Sunset Harbour Yacht Club.  

Who doesn't love 87 degrees, palm trees, sun shine and warm ocean waters in December????  We are having fantastic weather and really enjoying South Beach, a section of Miami Beach.  There are several different sections along the South Beach area, from Ocean Drive, 1st Street to 12th Street is the topless beach; the gay and lesbian beach is from 8th Street to 12th Street and Collins Avenue from 78th Street to 87th Terrace is a quieter section, ideal for families.  There are lifeguards and concrete promenades bordering the beach, where you can just sit and "people watch" for hours! The Lincoln Mall area is filled with shops and every type of restaurant you could think of, with plenty of outdoor dining with your pet. Such a vast variety of people everywhere along with the Rolls Royces, Jaguars and Hummers pulling out of the fancy hotels!  We could make this place home for awhile but we have to move on and get ready to cross the Gulf Stream to deep into the Bahama Island chain.

More problems!

Ever since the mechanic at Deltaville VA did the 1,000 hour service on the engine, we have been having problems.  Seems that the gasket isn't sealing and fuel is leaking out.  We left the anchorage at Lake Worth this morning and started to head to Fort Lauderdale but Captain Ed noticed the leak more than ever and the batteries were not charging.  So, we got 4 miles down the ICW and dropped anchor and made a few phone calls to find a marina and a mechanic who could come and check things out.  The mechanic was able to come and tried to figure out the problem...he tightened a few bolts and checked the alternator regulator.  Ed will keep an eye on things and hopefully it will be fine.  The winds and rains are also here, so we will stay for the weekend. We have  been having a small problem with the water pressure, so we decided while here, we would just buy a new accumulator tank.   Ed was able to install it with no problems.  This is a big weekend here in Riveria Beach starting with "Breakfast with Santa" Saturday morning and Saturday evening is the Boat Parade!  People are really into Christmas being dressed up and decorations everywhere you look.  


Everything seemed to working just fine, so Makai pulled out of the marina on Sunday morning and headed to Fort Lauderdale via the ICW.  Staying on the inside meant 16 bridges but the weather just wasn't good for an outside run.  So, after 42 miles and only 1 bridge delay for a running marathon, we are currently anchored in Lettuce Lake, 7 miles north of Fort Lauderdale inlet.  Will check the weather and hopefully go outside Monday or Tuesday for South Beach, Miami FL.  


Our crew, Alice, will be at the end of her journey once we arrive in Miami.  She has been a great help while aboard and will be missed.  Could of done without the guitar serenade as she is a beginner and made RyLee howl when she tried to play a tune. 


The day  is almost over and tonight we will all get a well deserved rest at a wonderful anchorage in Pompano Beach, FL.........
The repairs were successful with nothing more then tightening up a couple of nuts and tightening the alternator belt.  Sometimes simple problems are amplified when one is not that much of a mechanic.

Vero Beach to Lake Worth

Thanksgiving week was pretty busy!  Our newest crew member, Alice joined us on Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving.  At Vero, Thanksgiving is a "big to do" but with over 180 people and the possibility of rain, the dinner at the park didn't sound inviting, so Chef Ed cooked a small turkey breast, stuffing, mashed potatoes, maple carrots, cranberry sauce and we even had apple and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Later, after dinner we heard the call "Makai, Makai" and there was Scott and Kitty from "Tamure" who we hadn't seen since leaving them in Norfolk in May.  But after 3 weeks of Vero it was time to move on.  So we started looking at the weather and decided that Monday would be a good day to go.  As we were finishing up things on shore on Sunday, we met up with Rick and Linda on "Sojourner".  They had just arrived on Sunday and were also planning to leave on Monday.  Our plans were to go down the ICW but after checking the weather again, we decided to drop anchor at Fort Pierce which is only 14 miles from Vero and stay over night for an outside trip to Lake Worth.  We dropped anchor by noon and as the day went on, the anchorage became crowded with more than 10 boats pulling in, and "Sojourner" was one of them along with 2 boats he was traveling with, "Bravo" and "Avalon".  We talked about Tuesdays outside run and decided to leave at 6:30 am for the 54 mile trip to Lake Worth.  Captain Ed fought the 3 knot current going out the inlet but the day was perfect.  We could of used more wind, but was able to put up the sails and motor sail.  The water was calm and the skies were cloudy but it was nice and warm.  So, here we are currently at anchor at Lake Worth where we will stay until the weather gets better.    The sun is shining but the winds are blowing 20-25 knots so we are on anchor watch .  Two other boats already had to re-anchor as they were not set and were dragging!