Yes the kids were shocked that we could make it to the Bahamas in a day sail, but it was still a bumpy trip across from Florida.  Everyone was very hungry because crackers were the only food offered and requested all day.

The sandy beaches were a welcome sight. We’ve been dreaming about this moment for months.  Last May we stopped for a few hours just north of here so we could time our arrival into Fort Lauderdale.  Just as the sun was setting we anchored and could see 30 feet down to the sandy bottom.  It was incredible and had us thinking about returning for this season’s trip.

Because the dock master warned us about swimming off the boat, we hiked down a block and half a block to the west to the Beach.

Bimini is only about 50 miles east of Miami, FL and has three main islands, North, South and East Bimini.  We’re on North Bimini whose capital city is Alice Town.  This island is 7 miles long and 700 feet wide.  Walking down the road you quickly realize how close the beach is on either side.

In about 5 minutes we arrived at the beach on the west side of the island.  We had the whole place to ourselves.

Occasionally people would come and check out the waves, but for the most part we were the only ones splashing around on this beach.

Topaz, that crazy dog, took chasing her splashed to a whole new level.  I had to keep a tight hold on her rope because she was determined to track down and bite at every white cap from here to Miami.

Roy found perfect coconuts on the ground.  Last year this time he was climbing trees in Granada trying to hack coconuts down with his machete.  Picking them off the ground is a much easier method.

The first morning in the marina Roy and I got up early to check out the fishing.  If I weren’t just waking up, I could mistaken this sunrise for a sunset.

Roy found a favorite spot along the dock full of reef fish.  It was like fishing in an aquarium.

Throughout the day he must have caught dozens of Sargent Majors, squirrel fish, jacks, needle fish, angel fish, file fish.

Brown’s Marina is a pretty little marina with one dock and about 20 slips.  Except for two or three slips the rest are filled with people crossing from Florida.  We arrived in a nearly empty marina and the next day it was full.

At the top of the dock is a sandy area with lounges and beautiful patio furniture, BBQs, a BYOB tiki bar with a tv for football on the weekends and of course a bath house. Bougainvillea of many different colors cover the fence creating a wall of flowers separating the marina from the street.

Conchs are cemented into everything around here.  The posts of the marina gate display the pink of the inner shell.

Across the street is a wall with conchs cemented along the top.

One of our jobs here is to set up Bahamian communications. The BTC building is at the other end of town, so we got a nice tour.  According to the BTC coverage map we should have cellular service with data in most areas throughout the islands.  For $14 we bought a SIM card to fit into an unlocked iPhone 3 Eric bought before we left.  Due to a snafu with the phone that was later cleared up, we also bought one for the iPad.  Next for $40 (double what we paid in the U.S., but not outrageous) we add 2 GB of data usage and $20 for phone minutes.  This can be topped up when needed.  This summer we used our Sprint Phones as a hotspot and learned that 2 GB is more than enough for Eric’s work, emailing and googling, but NO streaming and limited up/down loading.  While here I also tested our Voxofon voice over IP account and managed to call my mother’s phone from my computer for 1.3 cents per minute.  So now we’re connected.

The best thing about taking care of business is we get to tour the town.  There are no supermarkets or fast food restaurants.  Eric picked up a gallon of fresh milk for $8, we can only hope that it was kept cold all the way to the store’s refrigerator.

Most buildings here are made of cement.  This one is missing a few things to make it comfortable, other than that the fireplace still stands.

Walking along the road during morning rush hour was dangerous.  Even though most people drive golf carts, there were a few full sized vehicles.  Two vans or trucks passing take up the entire width of the road.  On our walk we came across this very interesting little car.  I even spotted a Golden Retriever sticker in the window.

We stopped at the Bimini Big Game club to take a few pictures. A few of the famous visitors to this resort include Ernest Hemingway and Martin Luther King.

The Bahamas became a British Crown colony in 1718 when the British clamped down on piracy.  After the American Revolution many Loyalists along with their slaves settled here and over the years escaped slaves and black Seminoles Escaped to the islands from Florida.

We’re safely tucked In at Rose Key near Nassau and I have a quiet moment to finish up this post.

Back at the marina, the activity of the day is fishing fishing fishing.  I took care of some house work and Eric worked in the engine room, but the kids had fun.

Roy inspired several of the neighbors to fish off the dock. While Genny took pictures with the new camera testing out it’s many settings.

The ‘sports’ setting did a good job of Marie’s leap for joy as well as the earlier picture of Topaz biting at a wave.

Here is one of Roy’s elusive tarpon. Within 30 minutes of our arrival Roy was fishing and had hooked this guy.  This huge silver fish leaped out of the water, it’s scales illuminated in the sunlight made him look like fine jewelry hovering over the surface of the water. Roy was in heaven until the Tarpon’s sharp teeth bit through his line.  At least now Roy has a goal when his line is in the water.

Other fun fishing is never knowing what you are going to bring up.  It’s even more interesting when you can watch the fish take the bait.

On Roy’s lifetime fishing tally he has two Ramora, the last one he got at Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands.

In the afternoon several of the neighbors hovered at the end of the dock trying to catch the Bull Sharks we were cautioned to not swim with. They have underwater footage of these guys from a GoPro camera attached to a paddle.  Here’s a short video from our camera.

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Did I ever say I love my new camera?  Here’s a picture from the sand bar of Makai resting peacefully at the end of the dock.

Marie had been dying to swim since we arrived.  I promised her the sharks wouldn’t come over here. With her goggles on she can keep an eye out for them and went swimming.  I have to admit, I feel the same way.  Surfing or swimming in merky water is not for me, but scuba and snorkeling where I can see what might want to eat me is acceptable.

We met the kids on the boat next to us.  Their parents have cruised the world extensively but now have a business in Brazil that they have to tend to, so they keep their boat in different locations and join it for their 2 month summer vacation.  You know it’s summer in Brazil right now

Marie is my first underwater subject. The only complaint about the Olympus T2 is there is a common problem of condensation inside the camera.  I googled around and found plenty of complaints and no suggestions to resolve the problem.  Maybe I should just store it in a bag of rice or something.

The tide is coming back up and our island which was dry or only a few inches deep all the way to the trees is slowly disappearing.

I think Topaz agrees that sand bars are the best place to play.