Ahhh, another first for me: food shopping from the dinghy.We took two canvas bags with us, and my new backpack. There are two Publix Markets two blocks from each other.The old one was a longer walk from the dingy dock but a canal ran right past it. Going to the old Publix was a good choice. Art deco style building, check out lines with the short, rounded belts – very neat! Soon the cart was getting pretty full, Wayne was complaining that we wouldn’t be able to carry all the groceries back, but the prices were so much better than in the Keys! I said, “so, what’s the worst that can happen”? Spent $101. He was such a grouch! Sadly, he made my first adventure not fun and I told him so. He was sorry…but…bottom line: we managed very nicely to get everything into the dink and back to the boat. He can be such a pessimist.We spend a nice evening with Pete and Geneva. Same ole discussions about the weather and toilets. They, too, were waiting to cross but they had a complication we didn’t have. Somehow they got committed with two other boats (a 32’ Grand Banks with a 70+ year old couple aboard) and were planning to cross together. Wednesday, 4/25.We didn’t know what the weather was doing ‘cuz it was three in the morning! He said, she said: “Winnie, you awake?”…“Yeah – seems calmer”…“Yeah. What do you think…want to go?”...“Let’s look”…“The dink is still in the water!”…“I know, you were a bit too tipsy to put it on-board last night..” It wasn’t raining - it wasn’t blowing - we decided to go for it. “After all, what’s the worst that can happen?” This probably wasn’t a prudent thing to do since we had been out late and half in the bag when we went to bed and we hadn’t readied the boat. Miraculously, we were underway by 5 am and well out into the Atlantic by sun rise. YIKES! My first, ever crossing! The only time I ever left through Government Cut was on a 76,000-ton cruise ship – now I was on this teeny weenie 20,000 lb. trawler. All those freighters scared the hell out of me –it's so disorienting in the dark! Wayne made a piloting error (but was first to admit to it) in leaving the channel – he crossed the bow of an inbound ship. Once we were safely out of the traffic, he had me take the helm while he deployed the paravane stabilizers (flopper stoppers). Our next way point: Bimini. ETA 1 pm.
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Storm ahead during the Crossing
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We plodded along at 7 knots in confused seas. I slept a lot – not sure why – but Wayne has told, and will tell everyone who will listen, that I was 'hung over pure & simple' - I say, not true. What was weird is that I troll a line with the ballyhoo Wayne bought me. About 25 miles from Bimini a couple of squalls were building ahead of us. A heavy squall had just passed to the North while I was asleep. At first there were two separate storms with an opening in-between. I thought we might be lucky enough to pass thru the two. Not so…remember the gods? The storms merged and it was obvious that we would have to pass right through the worst part. A large waterspout developed to our South – we veered North were the radar revealed a part of the storm that seemed less intense. I went back to bed. Wayne got us through the storm without any problems and BLUE MAX got a much needed bath. She was encrusted with salt. At about 1230 we were just off Bimini -I took the helm while Wayne raised the flopper stoppers. During the crossing we monitored conversation from Norm & Ann on CARPE DIEM, (a 36’ Grand Banks) who were about an hour behind us.
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BAHAMA'S flag
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They caught up to us while we were retrieving the flopper stoppers and hoisting the Q flag (quarantine). Their route took them South of the storm. Their friends, Bob & Bev on KHARISMA, (a fast 40’ Californian motor yacht), had avoided the storm completely and were already snuggled-in at the dock.The channel was tricky. There were two range markers on shore but very difficult to see since they were not very tall. All notes we studied said it’s not wise to attempt to enter the
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Approaching Bimini channel
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channel if there was a Westerly wind. Guess what! The wind shifted around out of the West due to another storm heading towards Bimini. but...“All’s well that ends well”. We tied her up during the storm (so what else is new).The $100 fee included an unlimited fishing permit…YES!
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| Some of the greeting party |
After the rain ended, the other boaters came to check us out. Introductions were made and we were invited to join the others for dinner at the Red Lion restaurant. Wayne and I shared a delicious rib and cracked conch dinner. Drinks and tip: $25. After dinner, we walked down King’s Highway to the Sand Bar, a great little hole-in-the-wall bar with sand floors. Later, we stopped in at the Compleat Angler – a very old and wonderful building across from Bimini Blue Water Resort Marina. We danced to the “reggae” beat of a local band. This was Hemingway territory, big time, with a multitude of fabulous pictures and stories of his history.
4/26 to 5/3 Steady 20-25 knot NE winds, cool with intermittent sun and showers.Wearing jeans, shirt, sweatshirts and a blanket at night. What’s wrong with this picture??!!
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Carol, me, Fred & the Yellow-eyed Snapper
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While walking the docks on the first day, I met a guy named Carol who was visiting his friend, Billy. Billy owns a 1986, 49’ Grand Banks named CONCH PEARL and has kept his boats at Bimini Blue Water Marina for 15 years. He’s been fishing Bimini some 35 years. Carol and Herb arrived to have a “just the guys” week of fishing and frivolity. A third friend, Fred, lives on the island most of the time. He is a retired restaurateur & now he makes specialized fishing lures for the big boys who pay $100 or more for one of his masterpieces.The weather was dictating what most of us could do. I got invited to go fishing with these guys on Thursday.Wayne was happy and encouraged me to go. So….what to wear? My thong, of course. (oh how brazen I’ve become!) Off I went with four strangers but oh, what a gorgeous boat. I boarded with my favorite pole and little tackle box. What a joke. Wayne said "she looked like “little Orphan Annie”. I did manage to learn lots about deep sea drop fishing that day.We fished with a down-rigger, a specially made rig with eight circle hooks and a really heavy weight on the end. We were in 700 ft of water and just off shore – maybe only ½ a mile. My job was to ‘lop off’ the weight so it wouldn’t damage the boat while Fred manned the down-rigger. We were after yellow eye snapper - a fish I’ve never heard of but then, of course, I’ve never fished in 700 ft of water either.The line bounced as the fish bit the Wahoo bellies we used for bait. Then, all you do is push a button, and up come the fish. (seems like cheating to me).We caught about 20 before we had to come in due to a change in the weather. They are a great tasting fish. Fred gave me one of these rigs and I’m gonna git me a down-rigger for TIGER TOO! Another important lesson learned was – are you ready for this? – you can actually catch fish while trolling or jigging using a McDonald’s or Burger King straw. McDonalds are the best they tell me because of the yellow and red colors. I saw it work! Now I could hardly wait to get to Nassau and git me some straws. I picked up a few small blue drink straws before we left Bimini just to try it out. I decided to strip down the teak steps that connect the deck up to the aft trunk.You could see that I was getting the other women in trouble, what with me working while Wayne watched. There are three ‘major’, one-lane roads that run North and South. There are multiple, tiny cross roads from East to West. The high road winds along the West, or ocean, side. When the road ends, it heads East down the hill toward the middle and lower roads. The middle
road takes your through Bailey Town where most of the locals live and the majority of the churches have been built. I counted six beauty parlors (??), two hardware stores (they were closed or we surely would have spent hours browsing), several cemeteries and tiny shops selling a variety of goods including groceries. On close inspection the grave sites revealed many recent deaths of young people in their 30’s and 40’s.We wandered all over the island and was a pleasure to meet so many wonderful people. I heard children as we passed the open door of the Catholic Church. The minute they saw Molly, they came running out to see her, disturbing their lesson.
I apologized but was welcomed inside for a tour. What a beautiful structure. The original church was built in 1946 and this structure was completed in 1989. The property also contained a school and an old monastery where one nun remains.The new church is all wood – shipped in from Canada.I asked the woman why so many young people have died in the last 10 years. She said, “there were many alcoholics on the island and many with cancer”.The middle road ended just before the new ‘construction’ site. The lower road, called The King’s Highway, seemed to run the entire length of the island on the bay side. There was a multitude of fast boats out on the hard, many in various states of disrepair. Hum…wonder where they got the money to buy these? Wayne tells me that Bimini used to be the stepping off point for drug running to South Florida. We came across a small clinic with a doctor in a rather new and well-kept building as well as the police headquarters and Immigration office just a little North of the marinas. Chalk Airline terminal and Customs are at the other end of the island. There is also a small airport on South Bimini - Bahamas Air has two flights daily. Once you land, you have to take a land and water taxi to get to North Bimini, Alice Town, where all the action is. 
The beaches were gorgeous, especially at the North end of the island. Such a shame that the rest of the island looks like a 
trash dump – literally, there is trash everywhere you look. Something interesting: everyone, young and old, was intrigued with Molly. Every dog we saw looked alike with various shades of brown and black and BIG maybe 30-50 lbs. Molly looked like a snack but I found by taking her everywhere was a great way to meet people. Everyone was very friendly and polite. The children called me “mame”- definitely polite, but made me feel old.
I can’t believe we’ve spent 8 days of our precious time in one spot – and at a dock! Yuck! This 24/7 thing is OK but you really have to be careful.You become so accustomed to being
and doing everything together you tend to forget that each of you still need individual space as well – and that it’s OK to need that. The longer the power-cord is plugged in, the more difficult it is to leave.We stayed in Bimini 8 nights waiting for a good forecast so we could continue on our adventure. Some of the boats were heading state side, others going much the same way we were but we were all ‘stuck’ in paradise.The men would meet in the morning and have in-depth debates about weather fax vs the NOAA forecasts - everyone giving advice all at once. Wayne and I went fishing in the dinghy. We ran along south Bimini beach to Round Rocks. I caught mostly Queen Triggers, beautiful, but what a pain in the ass to get off the hook.I talked Wayne into going out to where the watercolor changed so I could try for some grouper.We couldn’t anchor that deep and the wind and tide was taking us further out.That's when we had trouble starting the motor! Of course it's my fault.
“A hell of a day at sea, sir!”
When we returned to the marina, we were told that the group was having another gathering – in an hour! I had to hurry, clean the equipment, put everything away, clean and cook the fish. Wayne took the cooked fish to the pool while I still had to shower and dress. I got there just in time to get a little left- overs. He said, “where have you been?” MEN!
Wayne said everyone loved my fish and it was first to be eaten. He loves to go to these things, I can take it or leave it. I mean, how many times can you listen to the same stuff over and over again: boats, problems with boats, how to fix the problems with the boat, who you’ve met, the name of their boat, where did you meet them, what you had for dinner and where you ate. No one ever seems to do anything. I’ve met several groups of live-aboard couples and, so far, I’ve not heard one story about diving, snorkeling, fishing or the like. Most of the women are consumed by their computer in various ways. I’m impressed with their knowledge, I really am. And the men can tell you incredible details about every nook and cranny of their boat, about products and equipment to use or not to use and are very opinionated about everything. I just don’t think I could do that day in and day out. We were getting way too caught up with talk of the perfect weather for crossing. After all, we’re out here in a sturdy, blue water boat exposed to all types of weather conditions so what’s a little rough water going to do to us? Silly me, I thought everyone was out for the adventure. After all, what’s the worse that can happen?? We decided to leave for Gun Cay.Thursday, 5/3 still windy & cool. Got the boat ready for travel. I went to say good-bye to Fred and his cats. We exchanged phone numbers and promised to stay in touch. He was almost finished redoing an old lure he found that he was giving to me when he screwed up on the final wrap. Damn, I could have used it. He said he’d fix it & deliver it to me. I invited him to stay at the cottage anytime he wanted. He’s been very good to me and I enjoyed his company because we speak the same language - fishing & cooking.
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Saying good-bye to Fred & his babies
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We left Bimini at 2:20 on a low tide. It was a pleasant cruise down. I trolled with an artificial lure and Ballyhoo. Brought in a very nice 24” Mackerel on the Ballyhoo. We arrived and anchored on the West Side of Honeymoon Harbor at 4:30 – fresh fish for dinner YUM.
…no way was she going to let that pig come near her dingy – or me! It was comical, really. But I was afraid if she got loose, she might actually try to attack the pig and she could get hurt.
We skinny dipped and played on the beach. This is soooo great and I’m getting very spoiled having all this time and privacy. We were still rocking and rolling so Wayne set the starboard flopper but couldn’t let it down all the way as we were only in 6’ of water. Wayne was in a bad mood. Dinnertime was yet another story and another ‘discussion’, or as he calls it, a “tiff”. It boiled down to the fact that I would appreciate some assistance, partnership if you will, without having to always ask for it. “it’s dinner time…help me out here…anticipate what’s needed; like setting the table; pour the wine; feed Molly…”(I guess this is part of learning about each other) We had a restless night’s sleep. Tuesday, 5/29 - BELL ISLAND – ROCKY DUNDAS CAYS Beautiful! Headed South.
distinctive; the buildings look very sturdy and hurricane proof. The toilet broke when Wayne flushed it...“Damn, the aft head is trashed – A #@% design and plastic parts on a twelve hundred dollar toilet! It’s not even a year old!” He was not a happy camper. He managed to jury-rig the thing so we could still flush it…thank God. He snorkeled an area called “the Sea Aquarium” near O’Brien Cay in the afternoon while I stayed ‘home’ and tried to keep current with this log. (stupid decision on my part) Wednesday, 5/30 - Took the dingy to the Rocky Dundas caves – Pete and Geneva met us there. Really incredible. These pictures were taken with the waterproof camera. After exploring the caves we packed up and headed into Exuma Sound towards Staniel Cay. 
We had to have a workday.(Who the hell made that rule up?) Took the aft cabin porthole windows off; I scraped the paint off the best I could then sanded the entire window. Wayne worked on the teak handrail and eyebrow on the outside of the aft cabin and put on a coat of Cetol. Unfortunately, he performed this task in the nude and got wretched sunburn on his nice little ass. We decided to leave on the 23rd but just as we were about to pull anchor, WOODJA sailed into the anchorage. We decided to stay another day. Just as Pete and Geneva dinghyed over to see us, the sailboat that was in the lagoon pulled anchor and left. Pete hightailed it back to WOODJA and moved into the coveted spot. (the one we wanted when we arrived) We spent the afternoon with them on their “private” beach. We all had dinner on BLUE MAX and Wayne and I learned how to play dominoes to the “jail house rules”.Thursday, 5/24 - Wind 15 - S-SW. Pulled anchor at 10:30 and left for Norman’s Cay
Arrived at 2:30 pm. Nice run with 2’ chop. Cloudy but bright. Normans won notoriety as the base of the infamous Colombian drug runner, Carlos Leder during the days of Bahamian drug trading. Visible signs of those days remain everywhere. We anchored in the cut near the old resort which had been “purchased” by Leder along with most of the South end of the
Good luck was with us, however. A huge yacht was coming through the cut and hailed us on the VHF. He pretty much saved our butts as we apparently were too far West and heading for a reef. We stopped and watched him come through. He kept fairly close to the shoreline as he rounded the point and stayed close for a short distance than headed West It was a rather uneventful crossing, seas about 2-3’ on our port bow then, later in the day, increased to maybe 4’ and became a bit confused. Unfortunately, the Banks are too shallow for the flopper stoppers and it was cold so we traveled the majority of the 12 hours inside at the lower station. Wayne put the blue
Mamma Rhoda Rock, which lies about a mile from the anchorage. Wayne was very disappointed, as the coral heads were not as brilliant and alive as he remembered the last time he was here in 1994. I thought it was very interesting and with lots of fish. We returned later with fishing poles and got several yellow tail and a large grunt for dinner. We decided to finally go ashore and explore the marina. While Wayne got gas for the dinghy, Molly and I walked the docks where everyone was getting lures and bait ready. Their boats and equipment sparkled.You would not believe the incredible boats and oh-so-much testosterone! Lots of activity.The photo is Wayne and Molly under the bow of a ‘mother ship; for two, 40’ sport fishing launches!
road takes your through Bailey Town where most of the locals live and the majority of the churches have been built. I counted six beauty parlors (??), two hardware stores (they were closed or we surely would have spent hours browsing), several cemeteries and tiny shops selling a variety of goods including groceries. On close inspection the grave sites revealed many recent deaths of young people in their 30’s and 40’s.We wandered all over the island and was a pleasure to meet so many wonderful people. I heard children as we passed the open door of the Catholic Church. The minute they saw Molly, they came running out to see her, disturbing their lesson.
I apologized but was welcomed inside for a tour. What a beautiful structure. The original church was built in 1946 and this structure was completed in 1989. The property also contained a school and an old monastery where one nun remains.The new church is all wood – shipped in from Canada.I asked the woman why so many young people have died in the last 10 years. She said, “there were many alcoholics on the island and many with cancer”.The middle road ended just before the new ‘construction’ site. The lower road, called The King’s Highway, seemed to run the entire length of the island on the bay side. There was a multitude of fast boats out on the hard, many in various states of disrepair. Hum…wonder where they got the money to buy these? Wayne tells me that Bimini used to be the stepping off point for drug running to South Florida. We came across a small clinic with a doctor in a rather new and well-kept building as well as the police headquarters and Immigration office just a little North of the marinas. Chalk Airline terminal and Customs are at the other end of the island. There is also a small airport on South Bimini - Bahamas Air has two flights daily. Once you land, you have to take a land and water taxi to get to North Bimini, Alice Town, where all the action is. 
The beaches were gorgeous, especially at the North end of the island. Such a shame that the rest of the island looks like a 
trash dump – literally, there is trash everywhere you look. Something interesting: everyone, young and old, was intrigued with Molly. Every dog we saw looked alike with various shades of brown and black and BIG maybe 30-50 lbs. Molly looked like a snack but I found by taking her everywhere was a great way to meet people. Everyone was very friendly and polite. The children called me “mame”- definitely polite, but made me feel old.
I can’t believe we’ve spent 8 days of our precious time in one spot – and at a dock! Yuck! This 24/7 thing is OK but you really have to be careful.You become so accustomed to being
and doing everything together you tend to forget that each of you still need individual space as well – and that it’s OK to need that. The longer the power-cord is plugged in, the more difficult it is to leave.We stayed in Bimini 8 nights waiting for a good forecast so we could continue on our adventure. Some of the boats were heading state side, others going much the same way we were but we were all ‘stuck’ in paradise.The men would meet in the morning and have in-depth debates about weather fax vs the NOAA forecasts - everyone giving advice all at once. Wayne and I went fishing in the dinghy. We ran along south Bimini beach to Round Rocks. I caught mostly Queen Triggers, beautiful, but what a pain in the ass to get off the hook.I talked Wayne into going out to where the watercolor changed so I could try for some grouper.We couldn’t anchor that deep and the wind and tide was taking us further out.That's when we had trouble starting the motor! Of course it's my fault.
