Day 81 - Nothing But Water - The Berry Islands to The Bimini Islands

We were up early and left Great Harbor at 8:40am.  It was a warm, clear and calm day.  A different cruise ship was anchored at Little Stirrup Cay but we were not close enough to see its name. We continued west across the Grand Bahama Banks for 73.5 miles.  The next siting of land would be the Bimini Islands.  Until then it was deep blue water and lots of it!  It got as deep as 70 feet and was rougher than the shallow water near the Berry Islands.  We saw an occasional pleasure craft or freighter, otherwise nothing else for over 3 hours.

The water became shallower and more aqua in color as we drew close to the Bimini Islands.  A lighted marker stood offshore on the north end.  We approached our marina, Bimini Big Game Club from the eastern side of North Bimini.  Just outside the entrance, we saw the Bimini World Resorts Super Fast Ferry and waiting tender boats.  The ferry takes people back and forth from Miami daily.  The water here is simply amazing!  There are layers of colors from the deepest blues to chartreuse greens.  Although we took a lot of pictures, the colors cannot really be captured in photographs.

The channel into the harbor is shallow and we followed a sport fishing boat in, arriving at Bimini Big Game Club at 12:40pm.  The marina sits on the edge of Alice Town, where Earnest Hemingway and other prominent Americans have come to fish beginning in the 1930’s.  Today it is still a popular fishing spot and only a few hours from South Florida ports.

After getting settled in our slip, we walked into town.  The first stop was the Taste of Heaven Bakery, known for its sweet treats.  We bought a couple chocolate chip cookies that were outstanding.  From there we walked to the Dolphin House, a unique concrete structure conceived and created by Ashley Saunders. The concrete is decorated with all types of materials from shells, glass, tiles, cans, coins, American license plates, and everything imaginable.  Only the gift shop was open and Mr. Saunders was not around so we said we would return the next day for a tour.

We walked along the beach, wading in that beautiful water and taking in the perfect day.  Strolling along King’s Highway, the main road, we saw the Bimini Museum and went in.  Like other islands in the Bahamas, Bimini’s modern history began with salvaging goods from shipwrecks.  During prohibition, Bimini captured the rum-running trade.  By 1935, Earnest Hemingway, among others, discovered that the Bimini Islands were adjacent to one of the world’s best ocean fishing grounds.  The museum has many pictures and memorabilia of Hemingway and others like him who came to fish and fostered development of marinas and the tourist industry.

We were drawn to the sound of music playing and crossed the street to Big John’s where the 3 man group Father and Son were playing reggae music.  It was time for a cool drink and we stayed to listen to the band. As we walked back to the boat, we went into the shops but didn’t see much beyond the standard t-shirt fare.

The fishermen were back in the marina by this time, cleaning their catch.  They tied the carcasses to a line and tossed it over the dock railing, teasing the bull sharks that swam below.  The sharks were aggressive in their quest for the fish and it was quite a show.

 

We had planned to cross the Gulf Stream back to the US the next day, Saturday, but the wind and waves were building up and it did not look to be a comfortable ride.  We agreed to make the final decision in the morning.

Later, we went up to the marina restaurant for dinner and met a family from Eau Claire, WI that came over to Bimini from West Palm Beach.  They cruised Lake Superior with their first boat and after a year brought it down to Florida.  By the third year, they bought a bigger boat, a 50 (or so) foot Viking sport fishing boat named Slipkid, and left it in Florida year round.  We ate lobster and watched some basketball before calling it a day. Another day in paradise!