We crossed to Bimini! We departed No Name Harbour, at the “toe” of Key Biscayne, at 6:15 this morning, just as light was starting to show. There was a full house inside No Name, so we anchored outside with about 12 other boats. There was a mass exodus beginning at about 5:00 AM. Because crossing the Gulf Stream in a sailboat is like “an ant crossing a moving sidewalk”, one has to compensate for the northward movement of the current by heading slightly south. That results in a curved path, hence somewhat longer than the rhumb line. Of course, that makes the trip a bit longer time-wise too, so an early start is necessary in order to get to Bimini (or anywhere else in The Bahamas with limited navigational aids) so one can read the water in good light. We had a line out to catch fish, but no luck. The winds were forecast to be South, trending to the Southwest, at about 8-12 knots, dropping during the day. They started out as forecast, but we had a beam and then broad reach in a consistent 14-17 knot breeze, building to over 20 by the early afternoon as we approached Bimini. We were in the company of about 10 other sailboats and we crossed paths with several tankers and container ships, speaking to several to confirm they were aware of our presence. (AIS is a wonderful addition to cruising safety as it identifies other vessels (so equipped) for direct communication.)

We now are tied up at Blue Water Marina, where we have stayed before. Clearing into Customs and Immigration was smooth and we got our requested 100 day “pass”. The only problem was that the marina staff directed Van to go to Customs first (at one end of town) and Immigration second (at the other end of town) but did not give him any paperwork. Not a problem at Customs; they provided the forms and he dutifully filled them out. (No, no one had died while on board, the rats did not look ill, and he knew of no reason to suspect contagious diseases aboard. The forms remind us of the ones we had to fill out on our honeymoon sailing in the British Virgin Islands. Those clearly dated to the late 1700s and asked the same sorts of questions and about the number of cannon aboard, etc.) Van then walked to Immigration, but the office was locked. A lady at the “straw market” (where they sell mostly T-shirts) told him to go to the main office – back past Customs. So, he walked there. The officer asked him where his forms were and said he should have gotten them from the marina. So, Van walked back to the marina and asked for the Immigration forms. The woman said “they should have given you those in Immigration; that is silly!” She gave him the forms and he walked back. The officer said “where is your ship’s manifest? They should have given you that.” Van put his head on the papers on his desk. The officer said he would not make Van walk back, and handed him the missing form (which asked the same information as the others – name of vessel, master, crew, etc.). With loud whacks of an official stamp, we were cleared in! (We think this might be a game – let’s make the visitors work for their stay, waste some time, involve more people, etc.) No problems bringing in Thumbelina either, even though she had been seen by a veterinarian in Florida long before the 48 hour window stated in Bahamian regulations. (Like this year, it can take weeks to get a weather window to cross the Stream, so how can one plan on 48 hours notice? Last year, we met someone who took his dog to the vet three times before finally giving up and just coming over.)

Because Lauren had not been off the boat for several days (and no one but the Ship’s Master is allowed off until the vessel is cleared in), we decided to take a short walk. We stopped first at the end of the dock where some men were cleaning fish – fresh caught Wahoo. Lauren asked if they were selling any. “No, but we’ll give you some.” She thankfully retrieved it (dinner tonight) and took it back to Gratitude, returning with some homemade raspberry jam. They gave her another bag of Wahoo chunks. What was exciting about the cleaning was watching the bull sharks swimming around waiting for, and grabbing, chunks of fish cuttings, skin, etc. Those babies were huge – at least 10’ and one looked to be at least 15’ long. A native said that, unlike other sharks, bull sharks will “hit” a target repeatedly. The natives kill them as a warning and to scare off others. Several people watching had been swimming across the harbor and all of us were scared off by the size of these critters.

We may get weathered in here because another front is working its way through between now and Friday. That is okay, there are beaches to comb, bars to hop, and restaurants to frequent. It appears that the super-store (named “Mal-Mart”) is closed (as is the “Burger Queen”), so it is just the small shops that remain. We will have to make do. Already, we have met several cruisers from Brazil, Texas, Montreal, and other points around the world. More to follow.