April 10 - We're off!

The Lighthouse at Key Biscayne- our last view of land

We finally made it, and have crossed over to Alice Town, North Bimini, in the Bahamas. We decided to go for it today, though tomorrow looks potentially better, because tomorrow can change! There were east winds forecast for all day, seas of 1-2 feet, and the same for the seas in the Gulf Stream. A strong North front is expected Sunday, which will last for at least 5 days, bringing storms and winds from the completely wrong direction. We had to head southeast for about 17 miles before we turned directly east and crossed into the Stream. Although Bimini is almost directly due east from the south end of Key Biscayne where we were, we had to go at least that far south to allow for the Gulf Stream current carrying us north again.
It wasn't a pleasant trip as with winds on the nose we had to motor all the way. The waves were definitely higher than forecast and there was also a noticeable north swell that all combined to make conditions very choppy and bumpy. Our poor boat got quite a thumping but it was certainly very doable. Our new depth finder fell off as soon as we started bouncing around, but we were able to hang on to it and will refit it when we get a chance. It's certainly better than nothing, and works pretty well. At least 10 tankers crossed our path on the American side of the water, four of which were a bit too close for comfort. We move so slowly that we don't feel confident we can get out of their way in time if we have to.
We were totally out in our estimate of how fast we would be able to go, and ended up only averaging about 4 miles an hour. Even though we were right on track we didn't think we would be able to reach Bimini before dark. It is a very narrow and shallow channel entry. So we plotted an alternate route that would take us north of Bimini and onto the shallow Bahama Banks, to anchor there. As it worked out we made Bimini in time, tying up at the dock at 7:15 p.m. just before sunset. Customs were still open so Chris cleared in, but had to wait for immigration the next day. Some very pleasant fellow sailors helped us with our lines and gave us their "lucky lures" which they assured us grouper would not refuse.
We are tied up at Weech's Dock. Friday night is a happening time at the dock bar and there is a live band with island style music. There are a lot of sports fishing boats in from Florida, to-ing and fro-ing into the night. A water taxi is behind us plying it's trade to South Bimini just a few hundred yards away. It comes and goes about every 10 minutes. Near their location is a very irate man who is complaining loudly about someone else, and has been for a couple of hours. The water in daylight is a clear turquoise, and we can see right to the bottom beneath our boat. There are black and yellow striped fish beneath us, a starfish, and lots of lovely irridescent minnow sized fishes. We are loving it!