Crossing to Bimini on November 6th

[darrenj]

Thanks for your report. How big would you estimate the waves were on your way over to Bimini?

[March]

We crossed to Bimini (and subsequently to the Exumas) in June. Launched from South Dade Marina, where we kept the trailer for six weeks. Excellent choice--well protected, well managed (the owner and his right hand man were extremely helpful) and strategically placed. The first leg: we motored past the Pumpkin Island and crossed through one of the canals to the edge of the GulfStream, where we anchored and waited for the dawn. It was way farther south than the Biscayne, but we had a south easterly wind which would make us drift North even more, in addition to the Gulf Stream. We launched at 3:30 in the morning; the wind was around 8-10 kts, way better than the entire week which we spent at Dade Marina watching the palm trees bend in a 30 KTS Northerly.

The crossing was uneventful, but long. We kept the ETEC at around 1800 and the fuel consumption was minimal. Coming from Dade Marina, and across the Gulf Stream, we made it on a tankful of fuel, with another one plus two 5 gallon cans to spare. No sails; we tried them for a while, but they didn't add much (maybe 1/2 of a knot?) and we kept waiting for the forecasted gusts that never came, thank God. We kept dreaming how nice it would be on our way back. (Fat chance. Upon returning, six weeks later, we crossed on a completely flat day, no wind at all for most of the crossing.) The hardest part was crossing the reef that stretches 15 miles east of the Florida Coast: sometimes it got so close to the surface that we were afraid we would nick the centerboard. Sure, we had maps and a GPS, but things look different at night and in three dimensions, with ubiquitous light buoys... We might have been overly paranoid, but it was our first crossing. Everything went fine.

Once we found ourselves into the GulfStream, things got easier. The Ocean was kind to us; lazy swells up to 4=5 feet that the boat negotiated easily. Nothing really worrisome, but it was LONG. At times, it felt we would never reach the other side. We motored along at 3-3.5 kts and reached Bimini around 4:30 in the afternoon. Anchored in the first available marina and did the customs there. (Wish we had done them on Berry Islands, at half the price, two days after--the Bahamas are milking the poor travellers for what they're worth, Gas was 5.75 and a case of beer was $84.00 at Staniel. We cringed and payed. The famous Bimini bread developed mould within 36 hours--I guess that's penicillin for you.

On the way back, everything went smoothly, maybe too much so, since we didn't realize how insidious the GulfStream was, even though we knew it in theory. Unbelievable. Steering south by ten degrees on a glass-smooth sea, and the speed promptly dropped by 2 kts. Too strong a temptation to disregard the drift and head straight into Miami at a better speed. But when we found ourselves straight across Miami, in an even stronger current and an evening south-easterly breeze, we had to motor south for three full hours to hit the passage into Biscayne bay. Then the engine quit (twice). (Turned out that the plastic connector to the cap had developed a crack and sucking in false air, but we didn't know it at the time). We crossed into Biscayne late in the afternoon. got caught into a spell of rain that made it impossible to gauge the proper depth, and ran aground on a sand bar at low tide, but we managed to extricate ourselves somehow. I wish we had steered much more towards the southwest, even though that would have meant a drop in speed, but it all seemed so reasonable--go straight into Miami that you can easily see 25 miles out, and then motor south until you get to Biscayne. Yeah, right. But when the engine quits and the rocky shore and piers loom closer than your comfort zone, the idea is no longer reasonable.

We made it though. Like the pilots say, a good landing is the one you can walk away from

[foursail]

Sounds like fun. I haven't been over there for about 22 years. It was pretty cheap to check in with customs and immigration. We left Key Largo and checked in at Cat Cay. I think it was 5 bucks a head. I heard they are charging by the boat. What was the cost for checking in with them?

[Fred Rio]

Sounds like fun. I haven't been over there for about 22 years. It was pretty cheap to check in with customs and immigration. We left Key Largo and checked in at Cat Cay. I think it was 5 bucks a head. I heard they are charging by the boat. What was the cost for checking in with them?

Now they charge $150 / boat ( up to 30') and $300 / boat (30' and up). It is good for 90 days and it includes a fishing license. Going through customs was amazing, we had to fill these forms from 1975 and then the officer (during TV commercials) would copy everything you had written in the form back into a ledger ... it took 40 minutes!!! But, hey, it's kind of cool to have a Bahanas stamp on your passport and know that you got there on your own little boat.

[Fred Rio]

Thanks for your report. How big would you estimate the waves were on your way over to Bimini?

I am not sure I could guess accurately, CH1 called for 8 to 12 ft. They didn't look quite so bad when they were coming at you, it was when they passed you that you realized that they were indeed quite big The big ones come in groups of about 5.