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.
Anchor up at 4:00am, we headed out of the reef in the dark through Turtle Harbor as it’s a deep, wide cut which provides plenty of room. From the anchorage spot, it was 63nm. There wasn’t much wind so we had to motor sail to make it across before the weather window closed at 2:00pm. We averaged 7.5kts with a boost from the Gulf Stream and made it to Bimini at 12:45, docked at 1:45. The seas were mild enough for a short window to cross. We weren’t sure when we would get another window so we decided to take it rather than wait for a sailable window.
Watching the sunrise over the Atlantic, priceless!!!
Just to make it a little extra challenging, the GPS decided to freeze up and go blank about 12 miles from the entrance to North Bimini. I had to use my iPad as a backup to navigate the entrance and harbor. The unit is barely two years old. Garmin said they would replace it but can’t get it to me in the Bahamas for 6-8 weeks. Thanks for nothing Garmin.
We cleared customs and immigration without issue thankfully. I’ve dreamed of this trip for decades and was excited to swap the quarantine flag for the courtesy flag.
