After clearing customs on the morning of June 22, we spent a few hours sleeping off the overnight passage.
By midday we were back on our feet. We departed the Big Game Club Compound and explored the streets of Bimini. We found some conch salad for lunch and walked along the bluffs overlooking Gulf Stream on the western shore of the island.
By midday on the 23rd, customs was cleared, water tanks were full, postcards were sent, blog was updated, groceries were purchased, Anne and I were showered, and we were ready to depart the Big Game Club.
Using the outgoing tide we exited the Bimini Harbor and motored north along the western shore. We were both eager to explore the crystal clear waters that allowed us to see the bottom at depths up to 45 feet. Motoring north from less than 30 minutes delivered us at La Chance Rocks. We anchored in a rolling sea. C'est la Vie appeared to hover 10 feet over the sandy bottom. The reef, a few feet off our stern, rose from the sand a living organism wearing a rocky crown that extended above the waters and announced its presence.
Anne and I spent nearly two hours exploring La Chance Rocks. The coral structures including an amazing cave that extended for over ten feet through the largest reef and played host to an amazing array of fish. We observed a giant Nassau Grouper backed into hole we never thought could contain the large creature. We heard rainbow colored Parrot Fish crunching away on the live coral. We floated, mesmerized by the schools of tiny, brightly colored reef fish that moved unison like Marching Bands on a parade ground. We exited the water exhausted.
Due to the rolling seas and the proximity to the reef we moved on another nautical mile to the north along Bimini's western shore. We found an anchorage with less roll that will set us up nicely for tomorrows crossing to Grand Bahama Island.