Woke up to a gorgeous sunrise over the light house we were anchored by. They must not have paid the electric bill because it never came on last night. 🤷🏼♂️ I was up every couple hours to check on the anchor since it was a very rocky shore , so we would have noticed.
I used the induction cooktop to make breakfast again. Then it was time to make water. I recommissioned the system and filled the forward tank.
That done, we sailed 8 1/2 hours from Great Isaac to Freeport. We’ll stay here at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club while I replace the GPS and wait out the next back to back cold fronts.
There is a new GPS waiting for me in Ft Lauderdale. I fly there tomorrow morning returning Tuesday.
Departed Bimini for Freeport about 11:00am this morning, waiting for a bit of tide to come in before we left. We stopped at Great Isaac island which is about a third of the way to Freeport.
Great Isaac light house
Originally we planned to go to West End next, but since the GPS went out, we’re going to stop in Freeport since they have direct flights to Ft Lauderdale where I can get a replacement at West Marine. So Monday I’ll be back in the states for a quick trip. I do miss Amazon prime shipping!
We were motor sailing today as the wind was light and persistently on our nose. I did a bit of fishing, so for dinner we grilled jerk pork chops! 😆 All fishing and no catching. 🤷🏼♂️ Regardless, we had a delightful dinner watching the sunset at anchor.
Tomorrow morning we’ll fire up the water maker for the first time. The water is so clear here it’s like a swimming pool. I can see the anchor chain lying in the sand 17’ below. should be about as pure as water as you can get. 🤞
After sleeping for 10+ hours to make up for yesterday’s early departure, we made coffee and checked in with the weather service. Travel looks ok through Tuesday. I made a skillet scramble for breakfast, then took the instrument panel apart to diagnose the issue with the GPS chart plotter. Wiring and fuses all tested ok. It looks like the unit is just dead.
We had more laundry to do due to the fire extinguisher accidental discharge, so we hiked to the laundromat, put the clothes in and in Bahamian style, had a beer while we waited. I was hoping to multiple-task and research GPS dealers but no WIFI and TMobile had lousy internet.
Fueled the boat up, we had used 10 gallons since the fill up in Marathon a week ago. I used the spare fuel to rotate that out, then carried the 5 gallon jugs to the gas station and back, then tied them back down on deck.
Chores done, we set out to explore the island, which is kinda the point of coming here. We found this place called The Dolphin House. This sweet, eccentric old man, Sir Ashley Saunders, built it himself, by hand, more or less from things he found on the island. Conch shells, sea shells, salvaged materials from other buildings, and trash such as liquor bottles. He’s been working on it for over 30 years. The place is amazing. Yes, he was knighted, hence the Sir.
Sir Ashley SaundersLighthouse atop The Dolphin House
The beach, on the west side of the island is maybe a hundred yards from the marina on the east side. Bimini is not wide. Neither are the streets in Alice Town. Lots of scooters and golf carts buzzing by while you walk down them, since there are no sidewalks. Look both ways, and especially right since they drive on wrong side of the road here. Pay no mind to the rum drink in the drivers hand.
We devoured a mahi and rib combo plate at the Big Game Club. Probably the best mahi I’ve had.
Finally did a bit of research for the GPS replacement. A friend found one in the states and could have it shipped to the next island a week from today. The other option is to dock the boat, fly to either Nassau or Miami and bring one back. Neither option is cheap. leaning towards sailing to Freeport to catch a plane somewhere so we’re not waiting a week. Will decide in the morning if I can track one down in Nassau.
