Saturday 11 January 2020
You know, sometimes I want to kick myself. I mean here I am complaining about being weather bound in the Bimini Islands, sitting in the cockpit sipping on a wee dram of rum and feeling upset that we can't get moving. I mean that I can sympathize with me at having to spend money at a marina but really, there are lots more expensive places in the Bahamas and this one is actually very nice. We are lucky to be in here as just before the wind storm began we saw several other boats come in looking to stop here but Bimini Blue Water was full so they had to go to either a much fancier place (more expensive) or a more tumble down place (also more expensive) or anchor off. There are a couple of anchorages outside the harbour that are very rolly and yesterday morning when we went for a walk around the south point of North Bimini I counted seven yachts at anchor out there. There is also a small anchorage just off the government dock in the centre of town that is big enough for two boats and that's what's in there. Two boats. We also heard that there is a cruise liner port under development further up the Chanel to the north beyond the resort and that there are several boats that went up there to anchor for this blow.

Like I said, I “ain't got nottin” to complain about.

When we head back the plan is to go into Stuart and see if we can pick up a mooring there again and stay for a couple of weeks. Then we will begin to poke along the ICW north. We won't be in a rush and we can stop at some places that we had always thought might be interesting but were always in too much of a rush to take the time to drop the anchor. Perhaps now we can. We will also stop off at New Smyrna Beach to visit some friends from home, the Taylors, who have become quite the Florida experts. Certainly a lot more knowledgeable than we are about the state.

Last night was the full moon and we had plans to join some friends of ours back in Shelburne who gather on the beach each full moon and howl at the moon with a howl of our own, but the skies were overcast and we couldn't see the lunar orb. Ah well.

We almost decided to head out today. When we went to the west side of the island the ocean looked idyllic but I had to remind myself that everything that I could see was in the lee of Bimini. So, I had another talk with Dr Google and sure enough. Once you cleared the headland about five miles north of here, the seas become something like 2-3 meters! No. I don't think so. The forecasts are for Monday everything being more settled so we have decided to aim for that.

Another rant coming on. Brace yourself.

The Royal Bank of Canada used to have a presence here in Alice Town. It was the only bank and when RBC minimized their presence in the Bahamas this was one of the branches that closed up and was replaced by the Bank of Bahamas (BOB). This is the most incredibly poorly run bank I have ever seen, and I have see ones in the hearts of was ruined cities which provide more customer support to clients than this one does. The wait in line is interminable; the ATM outside is in operation but the screen is so black you can't possibly read it; if you come inside to get money advanced against your credit card or God Forbid get them to facilitate something with the ATM you are sent on a 3 mile hike to the resort at the other end of the island to the ATM there. The local residents are certainly no better off in fact they are worse off as they are likely to be denied access to the ATM at the resort. Only for visitors, you see. We were told that people will fly to Freeport or Nassau to do their banking. We have also been told to sit on the wall outside the bank and listen to what the bank's customers are saying as they come out. The feeling is generally very negative. If another bank was to set up in Alice Town and run itself like a normal bank they would put BOB out of business in a couple of weeks.

End of rant.

Today we took the short ferry ride across to South Bimini and it's like you stepped into a different world. There are a lot fewer people living here and that equates to way less garbage in the streets, also a lot fewer people, and businesses in the community. We visited Bimini Sands Marina which looks great and has a very low weekly rate for a dock but a much higher power rate. Still to stay there a week would be a lot cheaper than here at Bimini Blue Water.

We then went to the Shark Lab which was really quite fun. The guide Hannah talked to us about their projects and introduced us to two young nurse sharks that they have in a cage. Very informative and fun to listen to. You should check out their website to see what projects they are working on.