Bimini to the Exumas

           

Our final days at Bimini were spent walking the beach, collecting sea glass and interesting shells.  We did go to the shark lab on South Bimini.  They have been studying shark behavior there for several years.  They capture sharks, weigh them and take DNA samples and tag them in order to trace their migrations. 

We waded out to the holding pens in shin deep water to see the infant lemon sharks they currently have in captivity.  Then we went back to the lab headquarters where we were introduced to a Bimini Python.

            After a final Bimini sunset, along with Barbara and George (s/v Providence), Tammy and Jerel (s/v Osprey) and a couple of other boats we struck out across the Great Bahama Bank toward the Northwest Channel.  Woohoo!  Not long after getting on the bank we hooked the first real fish of the season, a member of the tuna family!  Alas, he jumped off the hook as we pulled him aboard.  Boohoo!  Not to worry, though.  It wasn’t long before we hooked another and then another and then another—two really nice king mackerals and a nice jack.  “Too many fish,” said Kathleen, “bring the lines in.”  Well, she was right.  Even with refrigeration, we had no way to keep all that meat.  You’ve never had ceviche until you’ve had it with fish as fresh as this.  Then, we had a terrific almond encrusted pan fry with a sauce meunière.  Leftover, it made a great fish salad for sandwiches.  It doesn’t get any better.

            We got up and left our anchorage on the bank at 3 AM.  My greatest concern was the NW Channel light.  It hasn’t burned for years but I’ve heard its piling is still there and I didn’t want to run into it in the dark.  Well, actually, I don’t want to run into it in the daylight either.  At any rate, I was afraid I might not be able to see it in the dark.  We went through the channel without seeing any sign of a piling.  Crossing the Tongue of the Ocean was brutal.  The wind was very close and the seas were not what had been forecast.  In order to make any time and for a more comfortable ride, we had to sail several degrees off course then tack back toward our destination, West Bay on New Providence Island.  West Bay is a quiet anchorage on the West end of the island.  It was a terrific discovery.  In the first place, it allows you to by-pass Nassau.  Then you can sail past the South side of the island and completely avoid Yellow Bank which is liberally dotted with coral heads.

            We had a pleasant sail to Highbourne Cay where we ducked in to escape what was forecasted to be one of the worst blows of the season.  Highbourne is a privately owned island, frequented by sport fishers and mega yachts.  It is simply beautiful.  Even the stop signs are beautiful.The white sand beach on the East side stretches for 2 miles with hardly another person to be seen.  The views of the ocean are spectacular and the tropical vegetation is home to several varieties of birds, some of which seemed to be calling me.

            We met a French couple who have been in the Bahamas for 2 years, Paul and Cathline. They are travelling in a Sea Ray Sun Dancer, m/v Polkat.  The name of the boat is really a jeu de mots on their names, Paul-Cath and also another play on words; since the boat is a Dancer, it is appropriate that Polkat is similar to Polka.  Cath makes some of the most interesting candle holders from bits of coral she finds on the beach.

            It’s a small world.  The boat that docked next to ours, s/v R n R is Pearson 323 like Now or Never!  Unbelievably, her skipper/owner is also named Pete. He and his wife Cythia are from Saratoga Springs, NY.  This is their first trip to the Bahamas, their “retirement trip.”  They are traveling with a long time sailing buddy, Chuck who now lives in Puerto Rico (lucky guy!).

WELCOME TO BIMINI!

Our last day in Ft Lauderdale was spent marathon shopping.  First, there was Publix for meat and veggies and a few cans of staples.  Then, a requisite stop at Total Wine for some beer and a case of rum. Sure, rum is cheap in the Bahamas, but no cheaper than my usual swill and not quite as good.  We had to go across town to Whole Foods where we stocked up on cheese and olives, our usual supper fare.  The day wasn’t entirely wasted in stores; I managed to get a nice photo of a door for my collection.

           

           

            About the meat—this is a treat!  A couple of days before leaving Ft Lauderdale, I installed a refrigeration system on the boat.  Right now, it simply functions as a refrigerator.  I plan to turn it into a freezer/refrigerator as soon as I can lay my hands on the necessary materials.  Even using it as a refrigerator, we can keep ice for several days.  We still have a block of ice that we bought 5 or 6 days ago.  I hope the solar panels will keep the batteries charged.

            Crossing the Gulf Stream was quiet.  We took advantage of a northerly land breeze until about 10 AM.  Then, the wind shifted, as predicted, to the SE.  The seas were very calm and the motor trip was uneventful.  We pulled into Nixon’s Harbor about an hour after sunset and dropped the hook.  Turning off the motor presented us with a glorious silence that was amplified by the pitch dark, moonless night.  The gentle sway of the boat rocked us to sleep. 

Morning greeted us with the crystal clear turquoise waters of the Bahamas.  The water was so clear that you could nearly read a newspaper on the bottom 12 feet below!

             

They must have known we were coming because there was a party at Sherri’s on the beach.  Rum punches, live music, tropical breezes and a great view of the sunset over Atlantic Ocean.  Then, my birthday!  How many of us can boast that a Junkanoo Band was on hand for the celebration?  It simply doesn’t get any better.

FORT LA-DI-DA!

            The trip from Ft Pierce to Ft Lauderdale is usually an 18-20 hour trip.  The biggest problem encountered is the edge of the Gulf Stream, that north flowing river that lies off the East Coast.  When you are headed south, it slows you down.  To avoid it, you have to stay within a mile or so of the coast.  This year, for some reason, we ran into the current as close in as ½ mile.  Instead of taking 18-20 hours, the trip took 24.  Before leaving Ft Pierce, I caught the first fish of the season—a nice catfish.  OK, so there was little sport involved.  Number one, we had chummed the water frequently.  Then, a bread covered hook attracted scores of fish, I didn’t even have to wait for one to tug on the line, I could see when he took the hook.  It’s still a thrill to have a fish on the end of the line.

           
             Upon arrival at Las Olas Marina, we had a different current problem.  The tide was coming in and pushed the boat from behind.  Normally, the extra speed would be welcome.  In this case we were coming into a dock.  The current kept us from slowing down enough to avoid bumping into the dock.  There are only three things you need to know when boating.  The first one is, “Don’t hit anything hard!”  There is nothing soft about concrete docks!  Thank goodness our good friends Jim and Ellie (s/v FinniRish) were on hand to cushion our landing.

            Oh, the other 2 things you need to know?  “Keep the slimy side down!”  and “Stay on the damned boat!”

            My friend and occasional sailing companion Al let us use his condo and car when we got to Ft Lauderdale.  He arrived a few days later.  I took advantage of his presence and asked him to help me take the boat to Playboy Marine for a haul-out.  I wanted to re-pitch my propeller and I had an ancient seacock that I wanted to replace.  The old one was hopelessly corroded and frozen in the open position.  Both jobs required the boat to be out of the water.

            I felt really special at Playboy.  Officially, the yard was closed for renovation and they weren’t doing any haul-outs.  I smiled real nice at Wendy, the person who schedules haul-outs, and was able to get an impromptu haul-out within a couple of days.  Then, I was able to get Danny, the contractor who has done work for me before, to drop what he was doing.  He did the work while the boat was in the slings and it only took a couple of hours.  We were back at Las Olas in time for lunch.  Sweet!

            Then, more friends came to town.  Frank and Carol from Port Oliver Yacht Club came down to sail to the Bahamas with Al on his boat s/v Moon Taxi.  Al took us all out to lunch at el Tamarindo, one of my favorite restaurants.  While everything they serve is excellent and delicious, I nearly always order Mariscada—a seafood soup/stew; all kinds of seafood swimming in a fantastic tomato-herb based broth.

As if that weren’t enough, Al insisted on grilling steaks for us at the condo.  We stayed up far too late solving the world’s problems, telling stories and lies.

                    There is no shortage of palatial homes along the banks of the new river

                          And no shortage of fine food at the many restaurants of Ft La-di-da

                       And don’t think that wildlife doesn’t abound on the streets and waterways!

                     All in all, Fort Lauderdale is a reasonable response to a latitude problem!

GOODBYE, FROSTY!

   

Our excursion to the frozen northland has come to an end.  A five inch snowfall welcomed us to Columbus.  Another several inches were falling as we left.  We said goodbye to Frosty and battled slick roads and darkness, driving a whole 30 miles per hour for the first two hours.

  Faster than the 5 knots I expect when sailing, but a lot slower than the 70 or so MPH our tiny Chevy Spark could deliver.  1050 miles later, we had our celebratory arrival rum at 2 AM.  How wonderful to be back in South Florida.

    Since we still had the use of the car for several more days, we went shopping.  I had to introduce Kathleen to my favorite supermarket, Papa’s Meat Market.  I had discovered it years earlier, by accident.  Claudia and I were arriving by car in Ft Pierce.  Naturally, we were looking forward to the customary rum drink.  Alas!  We had no limes.  Papa’s was the only market that we passed as we came into town.  Such serendipity, what a terrific store.  Fresh vegetables, tropical fruit, specialty meats especially suited to Caribbean cuisine, tripe, chicken feet, cows’ feet, etc. If you are so inclined, you can even get a smoked goat’s head!

  None of the customers speak English; Haitian Creole is the predominant tongue with Spanish a close runner-up.  It was heaven for a foodie like me.  Although, I still don’t know what you do with a smoked goat’s head. I must admit, I have butchered dozens of goats but never thought of smoking the head!   Jamaicans apparently use it to make Goat Head Soup, a party dish served at weddings and other social occasions.  Apparently it goes well with alcohol!  Uhuh.

    We got back in time for the New Year’s Eve celebration—dinner at Harbor Cove and party at the pavilion where we counted the seconds off

as 2013 approached.  Fun and silliness

and perhaps a bit of confusion since at least one person seemed to be celebrating St Patty’s day.  Well, anything goes on New Year’s Eve, even green hats!

    So, anyway, with shopping done all that remained was to do a couple of boat projects, chief among them being the leaking water bladder under the V-berth.  I warned Kathleen to cover her ears since I knew that a significant amount of cussing would be necessary to extract the bladder.  The prognosis for repair?  Not possible.  Well, the prognosis was possible, but the repair not.  As a consolation, I was able to stop the leak on the sea water/ice box drain spigot.
    Finally, the moment we had awaited since before Xmas.  The BB King concert was terrific.  He still has a powerful voice and of course, his music on Lucille is incomparable

We sacrificed a good weather window for heading down to Ft Lauderdale.  I’m sure we’ll get another window but we may not have the opportunity to see BB King again.