Biscayne Bay to Exuma Land and Sea Park

Perhaps this entry should start with something profound like, "Call me Ishmael..."   My apologies for it’s length but  we have been awhile without internet connection capable of downloading pictures.  Thus this entry has been ongoing as we crossed the Gulf Stream and journeyed to  Bahama Exuma Land and Sea Park.  

Repeating myself…our plans are written in sand at low tide.  We were to have crossed the Gulf Stream to Bimini on Friday, 5/10.    Awoke at 3am to overcast skies and a storm off to our West.  There was a lot of lightening in the distance and the weather tracking looked as if the squall was moving away from us.  Our gut instincts said otherwise due the changing wind direction and cooler wind  temperature.  Didn't really matter since our Gulf Stream crossing was postponed due to the port engine overheating.   We thought it might be a simple air lock so the lines were checked and burped but the problem persisted.   We navigated north to Angel’s Cut planning to leave for Bimini Saturday morning.  I won't repeat myself about plans changing, but a few things happened along the way…the seas kicked up and we were seeing “marching elephants”, a jib sheet  roller block weld broke and the port engine continued to overheat.   On a good note, no one was hurt and we saw large (approximately 5’ ) sea turtles mating in the ocean. 

 Plans continued to change and we headed further north to Biscayne Bay’s No Name Harbor.  This Harbor provides good protection from the winds and because we were arriving early evening on Friday we beat the usual weekend crowd,  selecting a prime anchorage spot.   Simon loved the idea of terra ferma and a bike ride.   

 

  Steve worked on the engine issue and we biked to the local hardware store for supplies  to rig a temporary jib car roller.  With most of the issues resolved and the weather window still looking favorable we decided to head East to Bimini on Mother’s Day.

It’s been said that the Gulf Stream is God’s way of telling you that your boat isn’t as big as you think it is. Attempting to cross that 40-nm stretch of water under the wrong conditions is treacherous and foolish.  We have a minimum of three weather resources  utilized to compare projected forecasts.  Usually they are all similar; however, once in a while we will identify conflicting projections.   Since we are not on a time schedule  we prefer to wait for a favorable window  making for a  pleasant sail.  We were blessed with just that on Sunday and we made the 50NM trip in six hours, averaging 8kts  with small seas (2-3’) on close haul.   The Gulf Stream required change in our heading to close haul from beam reach due to drift created by the approximate 3kt current.     

After arriving in the Bahamas and clearing customs, Cappie hoisted the Bahama courtesy flag.  

Once settled in at Bimini Sands Marina we set off to explore.  

   Bimini means “two islands” in the native Lucayan Indian language.   These islands have a  history of swashbuckling pirates and were completely de-populated between 1492 and 1520 due to Spanish raiders removing the aboriginal people (Lucayan Indians) and carrying them to other West Indian islands to work as slaves in Spanish gold and silver mines.   Some famous residents include Sir Francis Drake,  Capt  Henry Morgan and Blackbeard.   In more recent times, Colorado Senator Gary Hart’s presidential bid was derailed when pictures surfaced of him  in Bimini on a yacht named Monkey Business.  This sleepy little set of island’s is hoping to pick up revenue with a soon to be opened Bimini Bay Resort & Casino.  This Resort's primary investor is artist Guy Harvey, most noted for his Marlin prints.  It is interesting that so many of the locals are learning Spanish in an effort to better serve the increasing number of  Miami  tourist.   I can hear it now, "Hola Mon".

   

Bimini is known as the “Big Game Fishing Capital of The World”.  The town is currently a buzz with cleaning, painting and landscaping activity in preparation for an upcoming Fishing event scheduled Memorial Day weekend.   The slips around us are starting to fill with various size fishing boats and some seriously expensive looking rods on board.  

  This tiny little set of islands has a beautiful Nature Trail we explored .   Simon our tour guide and was quick to flush out any lizards and geckos.  

The nature trail leads to the ruins of what was once Australian professional swimmer, Percy Cavill’s home. 

                                         The home has a “perfect window” to the ocean.    

The Nature Trail is home to the Bimini Boa, numerous racing lizards, gecko, termites and beautiful plant life.  Conch shells abound on the beaches here and we have enjoyed evenings of beautiful sunsets on private beaches.

After leaving South Bimini our passage took us across the Great Bahama Bank  to Chub Cay for a quiet night of anchoring. 

For a second long day of transit we journeyed along the NE Providence Channel to Nassau.  We dropped the hook outside of the Nassau Harbor on the NW side of Athol Island.  There was only one other boat anchored at this anchorage with a sunset view.

Left Nassau heading SE to Highbourne Cay Sunday 5/19.  Unfortunately the winds were mostly on our nose so sailing required long tacks.   Fortunately we have averaged 5-6 kts while on close haul in 10-15 kt winds.  We anchored on the western shores of Highbourne Cay and were surrounded by several boats of various sizes.  The  anchorage is  large enough that it doesn’t feel crowded.  

One large vessel had a flume off the top deck (approximately 30+ ft) with various other water toys (2 jet skis, 2 paddle boards, 2 kayaks, floating dock, etc).   

Took the tender into Highbourne for Monday Brunch, to visit the local grocery and take a look around.  There are no cars or buses on the island only golf carts and bicycles.  The beaches are beautiful and the trails interesting with a sense of humor thrown in. 

Later in the day Steve rode the tide in as he snorkeled Octopus Garden  while tethered to the dink. 

 Once we returned to the boat we were all in the water enjoying a refreshing dip, Simon too.  The mega yacht had a big beach side Tiki Party our last night at Highbourne and entertained us with fireworks.

Sailed to Wardrick Wells Exuma Land and Sea Park Tuesday,5/21.  A storm threatened so it was nice to be on a mooring ball in protected anchorage.  

There was no lightening and the soft gentle rain allowed Steve the opportunity to wash our salt lick of a boat.  The sky is to clear later this afternoon and we will take to exploring the island’s trails.