Bimini

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Big thunderstorm came through last night and washed off the boat.  Thanks Mother Nature.

Much has changed at Bimini since we were last here in 1996, yet much remains the same.  It's still pretty much a rough and rowdy fishing village.  There are new buildings in the small town, yet there are still many of the unfinished or partially torn down buildings that were here in 1996.  A new building sits next to a pile of rubble.

When we were here before there were maybe 15-20 boats total in the marinas.  Now there are several new marinas and maybe a hundred boats.  It's been discovered.  Lots of boats come over from Miami for the weekend - it's only about 50 miles.

The weather forecast continues to be good for traveling so we decide to press on for Nassau, about 140 miles away.  To get there, we must cross the Great Bahama Bank, a shallow bank of about 80 miles, and about 55 miles across the Northeast Providence Channel, a deep, open ocean channel that connects to the Atlantic.

Looking back at the Bimini harbor...

The water is beautiful over the white sand of the bank.

After a long day, about 7 hours of traveling, Nassau comes into view...

We contact the Nassau Harbor Control on channel 16 for permission to enter the harbor, give them our boat description, documentation number and destination.

The small lighthouse at the harbor entrance...

On the starboard side, a couple of cruise ships boosting the local ecomony...

The iconic Atlantis resort comes quickly to port...

We pull up to the fuel dock (300 gallons) and enter the Hurricane Hole Marina.  This may be an appropriate name as there is a tropical storm brewing aff the coast of Africa (Invest92). 

Later, as we prepare for bed, a rain shower washes the boat. Tomorrow we will rest and explore the island.