"Swim, eat, drink, work, read, talk, read, fish, fish, swim, drink, sleep. That's Bimini"

Just then, from one of the boats tied up at Brown's dock, a rocket rose with as whoosh high into the sky and burst with a pop to light up the channel.    Ernest Hemingway, Islands in the Stream

From the Captain

On to Bimini

12/30/13 No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, FL to Bimini, Bahamas 54nm

The Cape Florida light bids us farewell

Yesterday, before we left Key Biscayne, we decided to take a walk around Bill Baggs State Park that surrounds the small harbor. The historic Cape Florida light house is there. We climbed the stairs to the top and looked out over the Atlantic where we will be tomorrow. There is a plaque which commemorates Cape Florida as a jumping off point for slaves and black Seminole indians escaping to the Bahamas. The lighthouse effectively shut that route down, but the descendants of these travelers will be our neighbors and hosts for the next two months.

There is a pavilion next to the harbor, and people are having a meeting there. This is a group of Canadian boat people who, beside us, comprise nearly everyone else anchored in the harbor. They are discussing leaving for the Bahamas tomorrow when the weather window opens up. Thus, we joined a flotilla of 8 boats heading east. When we got to Brown's Marina in Bimini, I called ahead and said, "This is the sailing vessel, Luna. We are part of the Royal Canadian Navy fleet of eight vessels."

The crossing was uneventful. The weather window opened so wide that the wind died, and we motored over fairly calm seas across the Gulf Stream. About halfway across, we raised our sails and motor sailed into a light northeast wind. The further east we sailed, the deeper blue the water became.

Luna, crossing the gulf stream

By agreement, the group stayed more or less together and checked in on the VHF radio every hour. Bruce on Amarone lives in Toronto, and is the elected leader. He calls each boat by name and waits for a response that all is well. The group also includes Jack and Katty from Quebec City in Millevasions, Gary and Crystelle on the only power boat, Time and Tides, Allen and Linda on Haven, Phil, Krista, and Lisa on Harmonium, and Bob and Monique on the sailing catamaran, Last Waltz. Mar a Lago and Luna made up the rest of the flotilla. 

During the crossing, people call in with all sorts of information. "Water temperature is up to 87.9 degrees. We must be in the gulf stream." "A boat ahead reports showers, but going south of Bimini." From a boat a couple miles in front of us, "The wind just veered suddenly to the east, right on our nose." "From Haven, who arrived in Bimini first, "We called the marina, and they can fit all of us in."

The Atlantic is blue as we near the Bahamas

We steered south of Bimini to compensate for the north-flowing current. Leaving in the dark at 6:00 am, we arrived in Bimini at 2:30. The leading boat had arranged with the marina to reserve 8 slips for us. They had the space because 12 of their boats had left that morning, taking advantage of the calm weather to head back to the US or east to Nassau.

The guidebooks we read describe worst case scenarios and so raise anxiety. We were relieved by the easy crossing. The next hurdle was to pass customs and immigration. The book directed us to make copies of all our important documents--the boat registration, passports. Prescription medications must be clearly labelled. There are stories of customs officials changing the entry fees and allowing only shortened stays. We are directed to fly a yellow quarantine flag from our spreader when we enter the harbor. After we are officially admitted to the country, this comes down and is replaced by a Bahamian flag, flown as a courtesy to the host country.

Only the master of the vessel is allowed to disembark. I take money for the cruising permit and the commander's passport and forms to the customs office down the King's Highway, the main street of the island. The commander disembarks and stands out on the dock visiting with crew members from the other boats.

King's Highway, the major road in Bimini

I will say that in keeping with other Caribbean islands we've visited, entering customs is an easy non-event. They want to know about your dinghy and outboard motor, if you're bringing weapons or bicycles or fishing gear. What kind of GPS you have. Like similar officials everywhere, the pleasant woman behind the window seems to relish stamping things with her large stamp. Luna's official length is 34 feet, 8 inches. For the cruising permit, we pay the lower amount for boats below 35 feet in length. She didn't care to keep our copied documents.

Then, it's off to the immigration office, back toward the marina next to the straw market. The immigration officer is likewise pleasant and non-threatening. As at the customs office, there is not a computer in evidence. No background checks and apparently no random terrorist watch lists. It is far easier and more cordial for us to get into the Bahamas than it will be to get back into our own country.

I get the feeling Blackbeard himself could enter the country without resistance.

Customs agent: "Yes, Mr. Beard," stamp, stamp, "What is your business here? I see, marine salvage. Yes. Yes. I hope you enjoy your stay" stamp, stamp. "And I see your crew member, Mr. Bin Laden from Pakistan. Such a long way from home" stamp. "Well I have approved you for a three-month stay. If you want to stay longer, just check in with another customs official wherever you land."

Blackbeard:  "Thank you. And a nice day to you, eh?"

Customs agent: "Oh, you must be with the nice group from the Royal Canadian Navy. Stamp stamp. Here are your passports and entry visa."

There is no boarding of the vessel, no checking our stuff. No one seems to care about the yellow flag. The water is absolutely clear, the air warm, the vibe totally relaxed and friendly. No wonder people like to come here.

Kalik, the local Bahamian brew

Later, we walk out with Brian and Jane to get dinner. A Bahamian man we pass on the street recommends CJ's deli, up on the Queen's Highway toward the beach. We make the short walk for fried Bahamian lobster, conch fritters, cracked conch (deep fried pieces of pounded conch meat) and a couple of bottles of Kalik, the local beer.

12/31/2013. Bimini, Bahamas.

Once again, we are at the mercy of an approaching cold front, and gale force winds are predicted for the Bahamas banks starting tomorrow night. Our plan is to sail to Nassau, but this involves an overnight anchorage out on the banks, so we are waiting for a weather window. This isn't a bad place to be.

Walking up on the Queen's Highway

The island is small. We can walk to the beach. We do some business--walking up to the Bahamas Telephone Company to purchase a Bahamas cellphone and $20 worth of prepaid minutes. We are reachable in case of emergency, and we can call cruising partners if they are out of radio range.

Two names keep popping up as we walk. Ernest Hemingway discovered Bimini in the 1930's, motoring here in Pilar, his fishing boat. The tourist and sport fishing boom he started helped pick up the local economy set back by the end of prohibition in the US. During prohibition, boats and planes brought American visitors to the island. Rum-running from Bimini to Florida was a major industry.

We visited the Bimini Big Game club, one of Hemingway's places. His favorite bar, the Compleat Angler, has burned down, only its skeleton remaining.

Martin Luther King also figured in Bimini's history. He was here at least twice, and wrote his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech here in 1964. A local barber who cut his hair is memorialized on a plaque at his old shop, now the Labour Department. Not generally considered a partier on par with Ernest Hemingway, Dr. King is also mentioned on a plaque at the Sand Bar, also known as The Saloon at the End of the World. And on another at the Bimini Big Game Club. I can find no recorded mention that his path crossed that of Hemingway.

People are friendly, smiling as we pass and wishing us a happy New Year. In recent history, the islands' peaceful Lucayan Indians were enslaved by the Spaniards and wiped out in the time of Colombus, who likely made his initial landfall in the new world somewhere near here. Possession of the Bahamian islands passed between Spain and England. Eventually, England traded Florida to Spain for the Bahamas. In my estimation, England got the better deal.

English loyalists and their slaves settled here after the American Revolution. The island's climate, lack of water, and poor soil did not support the plantation lifestyle, however. Slavery was outlawed in the British Commonwealth in the early 19th century. As far as Britannia ruled the waves, when British naval vessel intercepted a slave ship on her way from Africa, slaves were commonly freed in the Bahamas. Thus, most people we see here are of African descent. There is a sizable boating community tied at the docks and a large resort on the north end of the island that add white faces to the mix.

Alan and Crystelle arrange a potluck on the patio for New Years' Eve. Nearly 50 people show up from the neighboring boats. The commander brings a plate of brownies, and we grill a chicken breast for ourselves before sharing the various salads, bean dishes, and breads brought by others.

The Royal Canadian Navy: Jacques, Bruce, Brian

Gary, Crystelle, Monique, Bob, Brenda, Allen

We take a walk down the King's Highway with Jane and Brian. It's a party night in town, and golf carts zoom by in both directions. We see a fireworks display from the condo development on South Bimini.

Apparently most people eventually head to the End of the World Bar and Big John's bar a half a block north. These places provide bookends to Brown's Marina. The music is loud and goes until dawn. The commander and I wake up about 2 am and walk along the King's highway, looking for evidence of the New Year's celebratory parade, Junkanoo, which may or may not occur. It is dead quiet, and the streets are deserted north of the marina.

1/1/2014.  Happy New Year. Bimini, Bahamas.

Strong winds are forecast for the next several days, and it looks like we will be in Bimini for a while. The goal-directed part of me is impatient to push onward to Nassau and south to the Exumas. But Nassau is 24 hours away, requiring two favorable days or at least a 24-hour window for an overnight sail. We are staying put for now.

The crystal clear water of Bimini

We walked to the nearby beach and went swimming in the clear Atlantic. The day is sunny and warm. We sat in the shade on lounges reading. I had a plate of cracked conch and a Kalik (beer) for lunch at the restaurant next door. At some point it strikes me that nowhere on my person was there any sort of instrument that tells time. From that point, I know that being on this pleasant little island is quite acceptable in itself, and there is no need to travel elsewhere until the conditions warrant.

Feeding the bull sharks at the Big Game Club

We walked over to the Bimini Big Game Club.
At 4 pm, they throw fish carcasses into the water, thereby attracting the local population of large bull sharks. About a half dozen showed up. For $125, you can don a dive mask and air regulator and go down in a shark cage to get a front row seat. There were actually a few takers.
We brought our happy-hour drinks and snacks over to the marina patio, and eventually the crowd here joined us. Someone has heard that the Junkanoo parade will happen at 8 pm tonight. A second gin and tonic, some shared snacks, and it was time to walk down King's Highway to the center of Alice Town.

Dinner from the Island House

People are filtering into the street, lining the sides. Excitement is building. This must be part of the experience. The parade is on island time, and will not start, finally, for another hour. In the meantime, I am getting hungry. I walk down to the Island House Bar and Grille. It is more the former. It is very dark inside. There is a DJ, and loud rap music is blaring. I am the only white face. Someone makes room for me at the bar. I get the bartender's attention, give him my empty glass and ask for a rum/fruit juice combination. I also ask him if they serve food. I have to lean over and yell in his ear.

He signals to the back, and a man comes over. He says something. I can't hear him. I lean closer. He repeats it. And again. Finally, I realize he is saying, "Can I help you?" I ask him what he is serving. He takes me in the back, through the back room with the pool table, into the kitchen, where the cook is. She reviews the menu. I ask for a bowl of conch stew. The man says he will bring it out. I walk back out to the bar and collect my rum/pineapple juice/coconut drink. The music is loud and driving. I start moving to the rhythm.

I am feeling absorbed into this friendly culture. Boundaries dissolve. I could be a character of a novel in the chapter that begins or ends, "And somehow I found myself at dawn, shirtless and barefoot, wandering down a side street in Bimini…"

The man brings out the stew in a styrofoam container and a plastic bag. I pay the bartender and return to reality and the company of our friends on the street. The parade is in sight.

Junkanoo--the muscians march

Junkanoo originated in the time of slavery. It is dancing and papier mache  and cardboard headdresses and music and especially drums. You can hear it before you see it. It is a New Orleans second line with drums. Lots of drums. Energetic dancers. Syncopated, loud, driving, colorful, totally energizing. There is a tuba, a trombone, and a few trumpets. We cannot stand still as the parade passes, then fall in behind, street-dancing in the third line.



The parade takes a break before turning around and parading back. Jane and the commander happen across a woman with the tallest headdress. Her name is Daisy, the postmistress in town. They congratulate her. She explains that she organizes Junkanoo every year. Her father brought the celebration to the island in the early 1950's. She continues the tradition, her contribution to the community. What a wonderful job she is doing.

Back on Luna, we had a late dinner of the conch stew and left over rice. It's been a wonderful day

Down time in Bimini