On the Road With the Roses: After Another Rocky Night on "the Bank"...

May 30th, 2016

We're awoken by thunder as a storm passes overhead. We spent the night in the cockpit, not that we got any sleep anyway with the wave action tossing us about all night. We escape with just a boat bath but there's more squalls in every direction. Our nerves are rattled.

There's a meteorologist, Chris Parker, that has made his career specializing in trying to forecast the weather for Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. All the cruisers listen to his daily forecast or, in our case, get it via email, but we haven't had a signal since Providence Island. He's not perfect, that's impossible, but he's better than most and about the only option out here anyway. We don't have an SSB radio to receive his 7am broadcast but our neighbor boat, First Look, does so we check in with them, via VHF, at 7:30 and... no surprise, anything could happen today. Except actually sailing because there's no wind. Same old same old...

With the Yanmar diesel started we haul anchor and turn east towards Bimini. Just a short 8 hours away.

Most of the day is sunny and uneventful. There's always a thunderhead, or two, or five, on the horizon but they keep their distance. We take turns at the helm, hand steering, since the auto pilot is zapped. It's tedious and the cockpit is hot without any sailing wind. We go to the bow occasionally to get some breeze and watch the bottom go by, Wings' shadow flying beneath us. You can actually pick out starfish on the sea floor it's so clear. The bank is calm and glassy today, a giant, lazy, swimming pool. So unlike last night.

First Look turns southeast to head over to Cat Cay Yacht Club for fuel. They plan to anchor for the night after that. We thank them for their company and part ways. We've had enough of anchoring for awhile and continue on to Bimini Sands Marina where we can get a slip for the night or two. Full circle. Bimini Sands is where we checked in to the Bahamas two months earlier. Seems fitting, I suppose. We almost make it but a brief storm catches us for another boat bath. Not bad...

Bimini Sands is sort of similar to Hatchet Bay. A salt pond opened up to form a protected marina but much smaller. Also, like Hatchet Bay, it seems to be between heydays but that aside it's comforting to finally be secured to a dock. Floating docks, which are nice because they move up and down with the tide so your boat is always at the same height against the dock. The place also has fuel, a pool, some food, showers, etc. It's surrounded by condos so there's no breeze. It's stifling hot and nearly deserted except for plenty of no-see-ums. Not familiar with no-see-ums? They're a tiny biting insect that appears at dusk, small enough to fit thru window screens, and impervious to bug spray (even the deet stuff). Bimini Sands is swarming with them and they eat us for dinner every night. We're covered in a rash of bites by the time we leave.

Again, as in Hatchet Bay we spend the time figuring out a plan, checking weather forecasts, and finalizing our choice of boatyard. Cracker Boy Boatworks in Riviera Beach. We'll enter at the Lake Worth Inlet by West Palm Beach. It's further than we wanted to go but they can haul us almost immediately and with the help of the Gulfstream we should make decent time, weather permitting of course. Crossing the Gulfstream calls for a specific wind direction or none at all. Now we wait...