BYE, BYE MIAMI...HELLO BAHAMAS!

Ok, end of the story first, for those of you who haven't seen Diane's Facebook postings...WE'VE MADE IT TO THE BAHAMAS! Now, here's the rest...

Our small Christmas tree!

  After sitting either at the marina (really expensive) or on a mooring ball (far less so) at Dinner Key Marina in Miami for something over 2 weeks, the crew of Magic was really ready to leave! Don't get me wrong, Miami is a pretty interesting place and the Coconut Grove area has more restaurants, shops and things to do per square foot than just about any place I've visited! Of course, we were lucky to be with some of our best friends on Peaceful Easy Feeling, Veritas, and Tehani (along with Steadfast and Sanity II who basically live in the area and were more than gracious opening up their homes and feeding our motley team). Still, Diane and I were itching to get the heck out of Dodge and head east. So, after final preparations (don't even ask how many trips to West Marine!) on 23 and 24 December, Magic was basically ready to head east and a tenuous "weather window" looked to open the day after Christmas...Boxing Day!
  A quick note on weather windows is appropriate here. This time of year, frontal systems march through Florida on a fairly regular basis. About every 4-7 days a 2-4 day "window" open on the back side of the frontal passage where the winds work their way to south of east and allow boats to cross the swift north running Gulf Stream in relative comfort. Try to cross with the wind out of the north and unless you are on a big cruise ship or an aircraft carrier, you are in for a pretty wild, very uncomfortable ride. This is why boats congregate in several places in S. Florida waiting for a window and the VHF radio is alive with weather conversations with everyone asking basically the same question; "when will the window open?"
  In our case, we decided that December 26th would be about the best we could expect and planned our crossing for that day, accompanied by Bob & Marilyn Oats on Peaceful Easy Feeling (PEF). After a few last minute preparations on Christmas morning, Magic dropped her mooring ball in Dinner Key for the last time and shaped course for an overnight anchorage named "No Name Harbor" on Key Biscayne. Have no idea why there isn't a name for the place...I guess they ran out. BTW, for all you old(er) folks this island was prominent in the Nixon presidency since this was where they had their "summer White House" where Tricky Dick and his cronies (BeBe Rabozo) hung out and played golf. After a run up the Biscayne channel to check out "Stiltsville" (a number of fish camps that line the main channel, now owned by the governments), we snuck into No Name. This place is pretty small and part of a large park...and REALLY POPULAR! We got there early enough to claim a good anchoring spot, but as the afternoon continued, it seemed like every boat in the Miami area squeezed into the harbor and either anchored (it's always fun to watch small powerboats moor as they throw out their tiny anchor like you throw a horseshoe!) or tied up to the bulkhead. Party On! I'd figured that on Christmas Day, most people would be home watching a basketball game and eating too much...I would be wrong! Although we didn't go ashore (there wasn't room!), we did meet several fellow cruisers headed for the Bahamas the same day as us and got a chance to ask crossing questions, talk about the better anchorages in the islands, and (mostly for Diane) to get good information on fishing! For Christmas dinner I once again got use of the galley and made a very nice rib roast with all the trimmings. We toasted our adventure with a tasty red wine and turned in early...

Magic buries her bow in 6' Gulf Stream seas. A wet, wild ride!

  Boxing Day (Dec 26th is big deal for the Brits) came early and Diane and I were up and ready to depart well before dawn. Joining PEF just east of the main channel, we actually sailed for the first time in almost 2 months! Even though dawn was just breaking, it was a wonderful sight to see our sails actually doing the job they were intended and moving us at a brisk pace toward Bimini. Of course, the National Weather Service (NWS) was, once again, wrong in their forecast and both winds and seas were somewhat higher than we'd seen on their website.  As we entered the "west wall" of the Gulf Stream, we saw seas in excess of 6 feet and literally buried our bow in green water any number of times. Still, we were sailing and Magic was moving as fast as I'd ever seen her...well over 7 knots (that really is fast for a sailboat for you power boaters and non boaters out there!). The only problem was that both Diane and I began to feel a bit queasy and although neither of us contributed breakfast to King Neptune that day, neither of us really felt great until we were tied up at the marina in Bimini a bit over 7 hours later. Even though we didn't feel all that well, both of us marveled at the beauty of the water in the Gulf Stream. As the depths below us dropped dramatically to over 3000 feet, the turquoise blue sea turned the deepest shade of dark blue you can imagine and the temperature of the water climbed from the low 70's to mid-80's in just a few hundred feet! Absolutely amazing, even for someone like me who has seen it many times before.
  Luckily for us, the seas calmed dramatically for most of the rest of the crossing and just after noon we spotted the radio towers of Bimini rise over the horizon. I don't care how many times you make landfall, every one is an unique experience and both of us had a feeling of accomplishment. The ocean wasn't quite ready to give up on us entirely however, and as we approached the somewhat tricky channel leading into the harbor, large swells rose from behind, causing us to surf and roll, making for an interesting, intense few minutes!

I think this guy missed the channel!

  After negotiating the tricky channel, we worked our way along the waterfront toward the marina we'd chosen. Interestingly, as we passed each marina along the way, a dock hand would wave at us, beckoning us to moor at his facility! Talk about marketing! Just 7 hours, 10 minutes after we departed No Name Harbor we tied up at the "Bimini Bluewater Resort and Marina." Well, it is a marina, but the resort part...not so much. The pool has been out of commission since late last spring and the restaurant which had received such great reviews was boarded up! Still, at just $1.00/foot, the price is right. Of course, if you need water, they charge .60/gallon!! Thank God I installed a water maker last summer!
  For the past few days we've been exploring this "Island in the (Gulf) Stream, a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway and 60's civil rights leader Adam Clayton Powell. Even Martin Luther King strode the street (not a misspelling, there is basically only one!) of Alice Town here. Closer to my heart as a pilot, Pappy Chalk started the first seaplane route from Bimini to Miami in 1919. Although Chalk's Flying Service went out of business about 10 years ago, we've seen a number of seaplanes land and takeoff just off our marina. The big business of this island is fishing...big game fishing and the number of large sport fishing boats we've seen come and go is staggering. And it isn't even high season! We've met a few and most are very nice (one even shared some of his catch with us!), even to us "rag baggers."

Seaplane takes off from Bimini Harbor

  Enough history, you can get that in a Google search! Magic and Veritas will leave tomorrow (1 Jan) to cross a large, relatively shallow area called the Bahama Bank and after a night anchored basically in the middle of nowhere, will call at "Chub Cay" in the Berry Islands. We'll stay there 1 or 2 nights and then move on to Nassau where we will do some reprovisioning, relax for a day or so, and then head for the Exumas.

Crews of Magic & Veritas

  One final note; PLEASE DO NOT CALL OUR CELL NUMBERS AND LEAVE A MESSAGE! Turns out that even if we don't answer or listen to the message, we pay $2.50/minute! That's at least one Kalik beer lost for each  phone call you make here! Thanks!
  I'll check in again when we get to either Nassau or the Exumas, and Diane will be doing her Facebook thing whenever we have wifi.

  Till next time....