Friday, 10 Jan, was an odd day in Bimini. The streets were quiet. Jeff walked to the Bahamas Telephone Company (BATELCO) office at 1000. They were suppose to be open at 0930 but they were closed without a sign in the door. Oh well we can try later.

The only real traffic on the streets were trucks loaded until the tires and fenders met. They were packed with pallets covered in plastic. We saw one pull up to one of the three small markets and start to off load food, paper products, even a broom & mop.

Soon a gang of 5 or 6 big guys appeared and helped with the off loading. Reminiscent of a "All Hands Working Party" on a submarine it was quick & efficient.

Someone at the marina said it was a holiday but we asked our Conch Mon who knew nothing about it. Then it hit us, the Mail Boat had arrived. Most places closed while people replenished their supply of essentials. It took on almost a block party feel, what a great way to grocery shop!

Saturday we had a great sail in a strong SSE wind with just the jib. When we rounded North Rock at the northern tip of the island we had the wind straight on the nose. So we dropped the jib and motored along for awhile waiting for the shift.

By 1517 we had the main and jib up and were close reached at 5 knots in 12' of crystal clear water. We were sailing over the Great Bahamas Banks.

The wind increased and didn't clock any further to the west. Both were opposite of the forecast. Someone once said," the only weather you control is the weather you start your trip with".

Our speed continued to drop as we pointed further into the wind as far as we could. Finally as sun set and the wind continued to pick up we dropped the jib, reefed the main and motor-sailed into and increasing swell.

The gibbous moon cast a bright spotlight on the sea. It was a beautiful sight, until it set at 0300. With only three hours until sunrise how dark could it get, right?

At this point we were entering the Tongue of the Ocean and it was VERY DARK! Assisted by AIS and sometimes shining our extra bright LED flashlight on the sails, we avoided the increased shipping traffic that we now saw. The larger ships don't travel the shallow banks.

Wendy was trying to sleep as we motor sailed into the darkness. Then came a loud crash! What was that? Did we hit something?

The monitor self steering rudder was loose and at an odd angle. Looking while bouncing around in the dark was quite a feat but we were able to retrieve the rudder which had been tied on. We would hand steer until daylight.

After some needed rest and coffee we found that a piece of the steering gear that connects to the rudder was gone. The rudder was still attached to the mechanism but that little connecting grommet is now in about 3000' of water. We are digging into our spares in hopes of finding a replacement.

We requested permission to enter Nassau Harbor from Harbor Control. We were told to stay clear of the channel entrance and wait for two cruise ships to leave. Once they did we entered with a very strong incoming current.

Being a Sunday afternoon and with 7 cruise ships in, the harbor was busy. Water taxis and rented pleasure boats mixed with commercial island shipping in a small harbor without a minimum wake zone. We did our best to stay out of the way.

At 1520 we moored at the Nassau Yacht Haven. We were a bit tired and started working to formulate a "To-Do" list.

After a good nights sleep, even with fireworks at 2200, from the Atlantis Resort. Today, we bought diesel at $5.06/gal and gas at $5.05/gal. Water is included with the slip so we gave CALYPSO a much needed bath. We explored the Fresh Market grocery store buying very little but enjoying looking.

More Later,
US