We left Miami at 0635 and arrived in Bimini at 1400.  It took us 7 1/2 hours from the anchorage at No Name Harbor to The Bimini Sands Marina in South Bimini.  The forecast was for very little wind and when we started out there was less than 1 kt.  As soon as we entered the ocean, the wind picked up and it was on our nose at 15 kts for most of the time.  We were able to put our sails up and got some boost from that, although we were very close to the wind.  We started motoring at 8 kts with no wind, then went down to 6 kts for awhile, but when we got a little better angle on the wind, we were up to 8 kts again.  We probably averaged a little over 7 kts.  We traveled 50 miles.

As a comparison, when Seas the Day was a hybrid, we left No Name Harbor at 0400 and arrived in Bimini at 1700. That is 13 hours to go 50 miles, averaging a little over 4 kts. What a difference two 40 hp Yanmar diesel engines make.  Also different this time, we actually passed several sailboats.  Last time, we left hours before everyone else, all the other boats passed us during the day and we were the last to arrive in Bimini.

As we approached Bimini and the ocean depths receded, the water turned to the beautiful turquoise color of the Bahamas.  The photos on this page don’t show the true colors. The one at the left is part of Bimini Sands Resort from the ocean. 

Above, we were a mile or so from Bimini and Mark raised our quarantine flag, which we have to fly until we officially check in.  I could not leave the boat until Mark got back with our paperwork. When he got back from the Customs and Immigration with only three months instead of six months.  You still pay the $300, but you have to check in after three months at one of the other offices in the Bahamas.   In other words, as the time comes up, you have to be sure you are near one of those offices which are obviously only on the larger islands.  We took down the yellow flag and raised the Bimini flag.

There are several nice amenities at this marina, and hopefully they are better than the “on site Customs and Immigration official” who wasn’t here today.  If we stay for several days, we might go on a half day kayak excursion offered at the marina.  There is also a pool here, free wifi which we can get on the boat, a restaurant, and a shuttle bus to other parts of South Bimini.  Since this is also a resort, there are other activities offered.  Nearby is a nature trail, well marked with Bahamian features.  Also, the Bimini Biological Field Station Shark Lab is in South Bimini.  We went on a tour of it two years ago and it was very interesting.

The weather will be OK to travel to Nassau or perhaps Chub Cay tomorrow, but we are so relieved to be here that we are going to stay for a few days and enjoy Bimini before moving on. This might mean missing a weather window, but we are in no hurry.  We are on “Bahamas time.”