Goodman Bay ...

In Goodman Bay we found lots of progress on the latest hotel / resort complex in Cable Beach.  Rumor is it will rival Atlantis once it is complete.  From the water it definitely is something to see.

The Admiral

The Banks ....

We headed across the banks at night.  It is an 80+ mile run where your option is to drop the hook in the middle of nowhere for the night or just plow on through.  We've tried the dropping the hook and never liked it much so this time we opted to leave in the evening and just keep on going. 

It was a good run.  The winds were light but enough to keep us moving at 4-5 knots.  When the wind dropped we motored until it picked up again.  By mid-morning the wind had filled in and we were
cruising 7-7.5 knots into the Tongue of the Ocean.  Given the great weather we decided to continue on.  The Captain snagged the first fish of the season - a nice 41 inch Mahi.  I have a new rod and reel this season bur no fish as yet - so I am jealous of his catch.  I think I will take our friend Ken's advice and start spitting on the lure for luck 

The Admiral

Paradise Found ...

 

 

 

 

The cruising community is small - I figure 3, no more than 4, degrees of separation.  So information is fairly widely known amongst all the cruisers.  Things like the best places to anchor, what is new where, etc.

 

So when we headed north in the Bimini channel to find Bimini Bay we were surprised nobody had ever mentioned it before.  Perhaps it is a cruiser secret.  We dropped the hook off the resort and the dockmaster immediately hailed us on the radio and welcomed us to the area.  We dined at the casino - probably the best meal we've ever had in the Bahamas.  Then stopped at the pool for a dip.

 

This place is awesone!  We will be back.

 

The Admiral

 

 

 



 

 



 

Bumming about Bimini ....

 

 

Well we're here.  We're in Bimini, Bahamas.  I'd love to tell you it was a spectacular crossing, but it wasn't.  Instead it was quite sloppy.  The SSE winds quickly turned back SE.  The wind gusts up to 18 knots quickly became 18 knots sustained with gusts to 28.  The 2 foot chop was much more than that.  It was rather ugly, but hey 48 miles of ugly isn't so bad when the end result is the Bahamas.

 

We've tied up at Bimini Big Game Club and for the first time ever don't feel like we need to run from Bimini to get across the 80+ miles of the Bahama Bank.  Instead we've spent the night and even bummed about town a bit.  The views are definitely from soup to nuts.

 

Once leaving here, we are planning to go further north in the Bimini channel to check out territory we've never seen. 

 

Stay tuned for more.

 

The Admiral

Key Biscayne ...

 

 

Our next stop was Key Biscayne and the Yacht Club where we met up with friends Steven, Kristen and their boys Edwin and Daniel.

 

The guys worked on boat projects together.  I couldn't help but notice that the projects included a lot of socializing with other boaters on the docks.  Before I knew it, Steven and Dave were onboard a 65 foot Rybovich headed out to sea. 

 

Meanwhile, I was busy doing laundry.  While I would tend to agree with those of you thinking that something didn't seem quite equitable in that, I could not complain as the laundry came with a great view of the docks, the bay and downtown Miami in the background.

 

Once the guys returned from their ride I couldn't help but notice that they strutted a bit more than usual, stuck their chests out a bit more and seemed to grunt more - you know like Tim the Tool Man.  There only comment, "That 3600 horsepower is something!"

 

The Admiral

 



Miami Boat Show ...

 

 

Continuing our Miami adventure, we popped into the powerboat and sailboat venues for the Miami Boat show.  The powerboats were largely trailerable and open boats, whereas the sailboats have gotten big.  The show included over 30 catamarans and they were huge.  The 63 foot Prout we'd been docked next to in St.Augustine was there but it was dwarfed by a 75 foot Privlege which was dwarfed by a 78 foot Gunboat.  Oh my!

 

In the evening we stayed for the Cruisers Outpost party and enjoyed music by the Eric Stone Band, pizza and beer before returning to the Breezer.

 

The Admiral

The Miami River ....

 

 

 

 

We took a dinghy ride up the Miami River.  We were surprised to find how quickly the downtown skyscrapers fell away to a community of shrimp boats which fell away to small businesses and residences.  Along the way, we came across an iguana sunning himself on the fender of a bridge.

 

Back at the Breezer, we felt pretty small once we realized that behind the building was a Celebrity cruise ship.  Its smokestack noted with the X.

 

The Admiral