It looks like three weeks after we left Stuart to go directly to Miami and then Bimini, we might finally be on our way tomorrow.  Today was an excellent day to motor across the Gulf Stream to Bimini and tomorrow should be the same.  The photo above is the channel next to our mooring ball at Dinner Key which goes out to Biscayne Bay.  Obviously, the sea is flat and there is basically no wind.  I’m sure some cruisers would prefer wind which would allow them to sail the 50 miles to Bimini.  Given the choice, for this particular trip where wind can whip up the waves in the Gulf Stream, I’ll take calm. 

Of course, we could have left today.  The package we were waiting for with the carburetor for the outboard motor arrived early on Monday, although we expected it to arrive today.  Because we were waiting for that package, we figured we’d get one more mail forwarding done from St. Brendan’s, our mailing service.  It was sent last Friday and usually takes one day to get here.  Today is Wednesday and it finally arrived at 4:30 this afternoon.  When the UPS truck hadn’t come by 4:00, we left the mooring field, went to a nearby fuel dock to get diesel and gas, called the mooring field office to find out that it had arrived, and walked back several blocks to get it.  We left the fuel dock and motored across Biscayne Bay to No Name Harbor.  This is a small anchorage, and we saw a lot of masts inside the harbor as we approached.  For some reason, they were all grouped together at the entrance, so we had plenty of room at the other end by the restaurant.  There are 13 of us in here, and there is still room for a few more boats.  However, it is dark now, so no one will be coming in. 

Tomorrow we’ll get up at 5 am, bring Daisy a few feet in the dinghy to the shore, walk her and hopefully be on our way before 6 am.  The weather should be great for motoring.  We got an email from some folks we met in the mooring field who left from here this morning and arrived in Bimini at 1 pm.  Not sure when they left, but I doubt that they left in the dark.  So, with similar conditions tomorrow, we should be docked in Bimini Sands by earlier afternoon.  Customs and Immigration are located at the marina, so check-in should be easy. 

To say that this has been a long wait is an understatement. In retrospect, as annoying as all of these repairs were, if they had happened in the Bahamas we would have had to get someplace with an airfield to have parts mailed to us.  Obviously, the cost of mailing would be huge and the delays longer than they were here.   Then again, we’d be in the Bahamas.  As the saying goes, “Cruising is making boat repairs in exotic places.”

We are now able to look forward to five full months in the Bahamas.  I hope the photo on the next blog shows clear aqua water under Seas the Day.