When we pulled up our anchor at 7 am on Friday at No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, Florida, 10 boats in the anchorage had already left for the Bahamas! We were proud to see that we weren't the last boat in the anchorage to leave. The crossing went as well as we could ask for - Roger had certainly done his homework and made sure it would be a comfortable crossing of the Gulf Stream. We motor sailed the whole day with both sails up, going as fast as 10 knots once we were in the throes of the Gulf Stream. Casey slept the whole time in the cockpit and when he woke up 7 hours later, he was in the Bahamas!

We cleared into North Bimini, the Gateway to the Bahamas, one of the most western Bahamian islands, about 50 miles from Miami. This was our first time in Bimini. Approximately 2000 people live on this island and South Bimini. North Bimini is the island where Ernest Hemingway did a lot of fishing and writing of his novels. We are staying at Blue Water Marina with 12 other boats.

The first thing you notice is the clarity of the water and the different hues of blue..... Absolutely beautiful and it is warm, but windy. No swimming though as there were numerous sightings of Bull Sharks which are rather unfriendly. The Bimini natives are very friendly and happy. We attended an Anglican Church service on Sunday where we were introduced to the congregation in the middle of the service and welcomed by everyone.

We had a great Superbowl evening at the Bimini Big Game Marina. Great game and the Bahamians were just as excited about the game as the Americans!

We are thinking of pulling away from the docks this afternoon and sailing through the night to West Bay, New Providence Island. It is about 120 miles and should take us approximately 17-20 hours. Our guess is that 7 other boats will be joining us as well. It is always comforting to have other cruisers join you when you sail through the night. We will be back in a few days!