Blog 8 Bimini Days Continue

Blog 8

Bimini Days Continue

“Sheep on the Ocean”

Quoting Peter of Now Or Never

Tristan caught the high speed ferry/gambling ship to Miami last Friday after having been forced to delay a couple of days due to windy conditions. His departure left Susan and I ‘alone at last’. What began as a two week holiday took him from Ft Pierce to Ft Lauderdale and on to Bimini – where for several weeks he explored every beach, inlet and mangrove swamp of both the north and south islands. He even partied with the locals!

Since his departure Susan and I have been filling our days with dinghy exploration and visiting aboard other boats for games like ‘the dice game’ and drinks. The windy conditions have kept us close to the dock. Storm-stayed guests from the 2 day excursions out of Miami have been coming to our end of the island – probably to get away from the winds.

During ‘sundowners’, a few evenings ago, the captain of a small gamefishing charter boat offered to hold a gamefishing clinic the next morning – as the weather was expected to keep him in harbour. A few of us expressed enthusiasm and by the time the class had convened at 10 a.m. – George of Dancing With Fish III was looking at 5 students (and their fishing tackle) with a number of lookers-on. As a result of his tutelage, we are all hoping to bag a Wahoo or a MahiMahi sometime soon. I was the only person with a spinning rod – the same medium/heavy grade rod and reel that has delivered a few striped bass at the falls back in SJ and a few couple of sized trout at Ennadai Lake.

When George took a look at my rig he suggested going to 30 lb test with at least 30 feet of 80 pound line at the outer end and this to be connected to a 1/8” stainless steel cable leader a few feet long. I was upgraded to a large ball-bearing swivel. Luckily I had one in my tackle box, even though I had never used it.  George says it is probably the right size for a big Blue-fin Tuna. George indicated that the Bomber 17A magnum long A lure was probably going to work pretty well for Wahoo – although he rarely used anything other than a plain cedar plug OR a medium/large ‘dolphin’ plug – with a baited hook in trail.

We learned how to swage a short length of aircraft cable to hang from the fish-hook for the baithook which trails close behind the hook. I will have to hold off on the swaged cable until I return to the States and get the tools and materials together. We got hands-on training in setting the appropriate drag for a medium wahoo  (approximately 12 pounds) and also got a review of the Spider knot, the Bristol knot and the Bimini knot for connecting monofilament to other mono line and to the swivels.

A few of our number (all cruising sailors) have actually caught MahiMahi and Wahoo but have mainly been unsuccessful in getting them aboard. A notable exception is Claude  (of Pantheon ) who, with his yellow Labrador Retriever named Rosie, has a pretty good setup for getting the fish alongside. The dog plays an essential role in warning of a strike so that Claude, a single-hander, can make necessary autopilot adjustments before playing the fish into submission. However Claude told us that he has lost some fish at the landing phase.

George's solution is a good sharp gaff – safely wielded. We received strong warnings about the warm-blooded fish such as Yellowfin Tuna and Dolphins.  Apparently they have abundant reserves of fight which often rekindles AFTER landing aboard. George told us that a 30 pound Dolphin once nearly succeeded in pulling him (by the gaff) off the platform at the back of his boat. This would have been a particularly bad time to get pulled overboard as he was alone on board and both engines were in forward gear. As for his Yellowfin Tuna example...it almost beat the cockpit to pieces before it foundered.

This last scenario is one which cruisers often discuss, since on many of the cruising sailboats one party is the actual mariner and the other – if left alone to execute a rescue – would be hard-pressed to take such actions as the situation called for to perform a rescue. Most cruisers are very reliant on their jacklines and safety harnesses to keep everyone aboard.

Way back when I was learning to sail, Marty Rhinehart and Chris Branch had us performing approaches and pickups of a ‘target’ – I think it was an old  kapok life jacket. Everyone got to do it before we moved on to racing in the little Cadet class sloops. As a result of the ‘rescue’ scenario that we have been discussing, I plan to make that exercise part of our agenda after we get ‘off the dock’. Sailor Sue has started to develop some boat handling skill with the inflatable and the outboard so that she has a base to work from when we start to practice the manoeuver while under sail.

We spent a longish day trouble-shooting Stettler’s 8kW generator set yesterday. Brian spent several thousands of dollars having it overhauled in Fort Pierce last month – including having the starter ‘rebuilt’ and with NEW brushes. Our conclusion after dismantling the starter and replacing the 12 volt breaker protecting the starter was that the starter received only a fresh coat of paint – and that the breaker was damaged by the mechanic who was doing the overhaul.

Today (Saturday) Victor and I were attempting to free a seized bearing in his Lewmar anchor windlass – when another, more urgent issue came up. Two fellow sailors were caught in their berths at the Bimini Big Game docks. One had been blown sideways across the dock end whilst trying to go to a less active (read windblown) tie-up. What would have been handled quite efficiently by four people with one acknowledged leader was instead handled by four people and at least four observers, all shouting helpful and conflicting advice.  We got her done....but it was not ‘elegant’.

The other boat was simply trying to swing around – rather than to reverse from their dock. A little coordination and there they were –gone. They motored up the east channel to one of the secure anchorages near the Resort World Complex.

Another boat, a Viking Sport Fisher Model, was not so fortunate. The boat was under the care and control of the Customs service, having been impounded as a result of ‘offences’. It was more like ‘careless control’ actually. The boat was tied in dock with it’s stern into the wind and waves. She was ‘pooped’ repeatedly and sank in her tie-up.

We feel pretty secure here at Bimini Blue Water Marina and Stettler likewise at Seacrest Marina. The boats at Brown’s, which is the very first marina a boat will encounter upon entering the channel to North Bimini, seem to be knocked around by tide and winds, especially a south wind.  The same problem is normal at Bimini Big Game Marina and also in North winds too. All of the marinas in North Bimini are  protected during the west winds. The rub is that entry to the channel is a most serious adventure in a west wind. One boat reportedly ‘made it’ into the channel only after rolling on her beam-ends in the surf. There is no room for sloppy navigation and boat handling when entering this channel! WE are still wondering how they managed to claw free of the shore under their own power – while being pounded in the surf.

The ‘new’ marina at Resort World, three miles to our north, has great protection in most winds – but they have a two scale price structure which is meant to maximize their take on weekends – when the mega-yachts flock in from Miami and Ft Lauderdale. They are competitive enough on weekdays, when they would otherwise be completely empty – aside from a few ‘owned’ condo berths.

And while we wait for better weather – we plan and plan. I am beginning to envy those 40 plus footers who feel no need to hang back in 25 knot (or higher) winds. The ‘racer’ in me says: “25 knots is fine”. The 63 year old voice in my ear says: “25 knots is fine –but only for so long”. And guess what the very same voice also projects the end of the leg, when I am trying to anchor or tie-up in 25 knots of snotty wind? It says something in my ear like: “...bag that!”

So we plan. After a while we have planned all possible alternatives based on possible wind forecasts and a very flexible list of destinations. At that point we start looking at planning for destinations we will likely not be visiting this year.

My appreciation for modern boats such as the Beneteau and Juneau is growing. I am reasonably certain that Hunter and Bavaria would also fit the bill – although I have not yet had the pleasure of sailing recent models of these. Today’s visit (rescue operation) to the ‘cruising yacht of the year’ from a few decades ago has me abraded on forehead, foot and hand – mainly the result of cluttered design of the standing rigging. Please do not misunderstand me, because I am sure the rigging is sturdy and fit for the service imposed by cruising sailors. There should be a reasonable limit to how much the rigging should take away from working space – and that craft definitely crossed the line. There was nowhere to turn where one would not bounce off a wire, step into a chainplate or trip on running rigging. Naturally this constriction is magnified after such normal accoutrements as a barbeque, life ring with throw-line, wind-turbine or radar mast are in place around the cockpit.  Thank God he didn’t have solar panels!

And from the ‘wildlife’ department: Name that Bug! Brenda from Tango captured this in Staniel Cay.

Some Bahamian Bug

One new arrival here recently is a Pacific Seacraft 35 which has just arrived from Maine.  Merlin is being sailed by a couple of young guys who have taken a year off before they commence degree work at a new college/university in Limestone ME.

And then the weather got better...and we saw Claude and his yellow lab. Rosie depart for Port Canaveral on Pantheon, Chris and Sherry depart for Miami on Tango and Mark and Irene jump off for the Exumas in their un-named Hunter 25. That was only this morning.  Tomorrow morning we wave goodbye to Peter and Kathlene on Now Or Never – who will probably be in the Exumas before us, and George who will be leaving on Dances With Fish III for San Salvador island seeking the world record Wahoo.

Basically that leaves Stettler, Whisper and Panacea – all three boats committed to a one month stay before our departures to the Exumas - and Luke and Andrew on Merlin, also due to sail to the Exumas.

 Claude, maybe you should have hung-in here just a little longer. Luke and Andrew finally cracked Area 59, Claude’s big objective while he was here. To accomplish this feat, they kept going back to the shark lab on South Bimini. It was not long before they had the whole place mapped out. It turns out that there are 24 young researchers working at the shark lab. They provide their labour for free – according to what the guys were told. They live – four to a room – in a small bunkhouse – and “YES” Claude- 19 of them are female.

Blog 7 Wedding Day

Blog 7

Good Times In Bimini

Panacea in the blue water under the full moon

Pictures tell the tale...It’s Better In The Bahamas! So much to do, so much to see, and so many friends from last year. We are still in Bimini and waiting on a weather window that will give us time, at the very least, to make an 80 mile transit to Frazer’s Hog Cay, in the Berry Islands. We are at least 5 days away from that moment and are filling our days by fine-tuning the boat systems....and by getting married. Susan and Derek now share the same surname after a very pleasant civil ceremony performed by the local Justice of the Peace and Chief Administrative Officer for Bimini, Mr. Oscar Munroe. 

Tristan (Panacea) and Kathleen(Now or Never) were our official witnesses in a ceremony at Mr. Munroe’s office. Also in attendance were Peter (Now or Never), as well as Perry and Irene (Tekla Bramble). Peter crafted a non-metallic ring for Susan which is now her official wedding ring. Several of the ladies in our flotilla really kicked things into gear, fashioning a lei from Bougainvillea,  creating a floral corsage and a similar boutonniere, as well as a floral centrepiece for the table of the feast which followed the ‘marine’ wedding after the civil ceremony.

The ‘marine’ wedding was the creation of Larry (AFterwards), an ordained minister himself.  I recognized parts of the ceremony as deriving from the famous shipboard ritual practiced in the age of sail on voyagers crossing the equator for the first time. Larry has donated the transcript of this marriage ceremony – which I hereby archive on the blog (appendix 1).  Larry delivered this while holding a gaff in across his chest as his scepter.  After the ceremony Larry became the bartender for a leisurely afternoon party at poolside, while Perry and Irene drummed a wedding waltz.  Susan  and I danced the wedding dance.

Eventually the sun set on a milestone day like no other and the full moon shone down on us in our little boat 

A day later and the winds are rising. It is too windy today for Tristan to go exploring in the tender and by mid-morning the sky boils and we receive a heavy downpour. By early afternoon we have dug into our list of projects and finally plumbed and wired the watermaker. We made a gallon and held taste-tests which passed with flying colours. We will need another 300 watts of Solar collector before we can make water and run the refrigeration system at the same time... only a minor detail as the wiring and solar controllers are already installed and the hardtop is prepared to receive the extra panels. In the meantime we will run it whenever we have the engine on.

Tristan did the refueling today and gave us a definitive fuel consumption rate for the new engine. We consume three quarters of a U.S. gallon per hour at 2500 rpm and 6 knots. We have yet to adjust the propeller pitch, and will probably not do it in this harbour due to the presence of so many sharks. The sharks are awaiting offal from the numerous fish cleaning tables at the marinas along this shore. I was fishing with bits of chicken for bait a couple of days ago, and it did not take long for the sharks to arrive. Another angler lost his tackle to one of the Bull Sharks.

freighter trying to dock in a wind storm

A change in plan has resulted from a phone call which Tristan received last night. We must deliver him to the airport at Nassau next Wednesday so that he can connect with his return flight to Ft McMurray. It seems that there is still work to be done- notwithstanding the recent drop in oil prices. The Windfinder.com forecast has been changing daily but at the moment it looks like we have good weather for motoring across the Great Bahama Bank on Monday  and with fair winds to drive us south to New Providence Island on Tuesday. The winds have been a little too strong for our comfort lately and with only very short windows of opportunity to move. The five boats which left us a few days ago have all arrived in New Providence after heading into strong winds which made engine power necessary. A number of sailboats have just arrived in Bimini from Florida under the same weather conditions. The winds actually prevented some boats from entering harbour due to surf conditions at the channel entrance. 

Our attentions will be on the forecasts. If the anticipated weather window changes for the worse, Tristan is only a 2 hour ferry-ride from Ft Lauderdale and a taxi ride to that city’s airport.  The trick will be in not getting storm-stayed between Bimini and Nassau. He would have a much more expensive and difficult time making it to an international airport from intermediate shelters such as Chub Cay or Nichols Town. All of our attentions will be on seeing Tristan off for the coming week, after which we will sail for the Exumas at the earliest opportunity.

Appendix 1

TO ALL SAILORS WHEREVER YE MAY BE and to all mermaids, Sea Serpents, Whales, Dolphins, Skates, Eels, Lobsters, Crabs, and other Living Things of the Sea, GREETINGS:

Today, ye be gathered upon the shore of our sovereign, King Neptune’s realm that ye may join your lives together and journey the 4 winds and 7 seas for all of your days, shipmates on the grand voyage of life!

Be it with extreme reverence for the offence of oath breaking that ye promise, swear and affirm the following, with the penalty of marooning upon a forgotten shore your eternal punishment for such a vile disgrace:

Do you Derek, being a worthy Gentleman shellback doth take this young mermaid to be your partner, your first mate, and your wife upon the great voyage of marriage? Do you promise to love her through stormy seas, and when your sails hang slack and becalmed, through life’s bearnacles and shipwrecks, reefs and typhoons?

(and to walk the plank if you don’t?)(“I do”)

Do you, Susan, being a worthy Lady shellback doth take this young eel to be your partner, your first mate, and your husband upon the great voyage of marriage? Do you promise to love him through stormy seas, and when your sails hang slack and becalmed, through life’s barnacles and shipwrecks, reefs and typhoons?

(and to walk the plank if you don’t?) (“I do”)

Harken to my words, and repeat unto each other the following:

I, Derek , take you, Susan , to be my wife, through low tide and high, through calm and gale, through bilge and barnacle, to love you more than treasure, to protect you from shark and pirate, to give you me gold, me heart, me honor, me friendship and me constant love, ‘til the big red sun sets o’er the yardarm, and the ship’s bell rings it’s final toll. This I swear by the key to Davey Jones’ Locker.

I, Susan , take you, Derek , to be my husband, through low tide and high, through calm and gale, through bilge and barnacle, to love you more than treasure, to protect you from shark and pirate, to give you me gold, me heart, me honour, me friendship and me constant love, ‘til the big red sun sets o’er my yardarm and ship’s bell rings it’s final toll. This I swear by the key to Davey Jones’ Locker.

‘Tis a long-standing tradition to exchange the gift of a ring, a sword, or a marlin spike upon this occasion, and I would ask if such a gift be present here today? If so would the groom present his mermaid the gift of a ring with the following words:

“Upon your finger may this ring linger, a token of my love blessed by ‘eaven above.”

And then will the bride present to her sailor the ring she bears?

“Upon yon finger may this ring linger, a token of my love blessed by ‘eaven above.”

KNOW YE: that o this 4^th day of February 2015, there appeared at the shores of Our Royal Domain – Derek and Susan, who have cast off from the single life and embarked upon the voyage of matrimony.

BE IT REMEMBERED AND BE IT KNOWN: By all ye Sailors, Mariners and Land Lubbers, who may be honoured by King Neptune’s presence, that Susan and Derek, having been found worthy to be numbered as a couple OF OUR TRUSTY SHELLBACKS, have been gathered to our fold and duly married by the SOLEMN MSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT ORDER OF THE DEEP.

BE IT FURTHER UNDERSTOOD: That by the Call of the Conch and nautilus, and by virtue of the power invested in me by Neptunus Rex, Ruler of the Seven Seas, King of the Secret Currents, Lord of the Boundless Waves, Master of the Tides, High Constable of the Coral Caverns and Uttermost Recesses of the Deep, that I hereby Proclaim and Affirm the Aforementioned couple to be shipmates for life And for Time Without Ending, and command them to henceforth and forevermore show due honour and respect to King Neptune whenever they may enter his Realm.

DISOBEY THIS ORDER UNDER PENALTY OF OUR ROYAL DISPLEASURE.

By Order of Neptunus Rex, Ruler of the Raging Main, it is my honour to present Susan and Derek as shipmates for life!

FEBRUARY the 4^th, 2015

blog6 Away, away with Fife and Drum

our fleet in ICW

Blog 6

Away, Away – with fife and drum...

Ft. Pierce to Jensen’s Beach, Jensen’s to Peck Lake,

 Peck to Lake Worth, Lake Worth to Boca Raton,

Boca to Lake Sylvia(Ft. Lauderdale),

Ft Lauderdale to Alicetown(Bimini)

With sails bent on, fuel and water tanks full, the larder stocked we rushed to meet a departure time which would coincide with that of Whisper and Now or Never. We sailed at high water, the engine singing a steady note and were collectively sighing with relief as we motored out of the channel and into the Intracoastal Waterway (note the spelling Bob! & thnx J). We have finally kicked land goodbye – at last!

The stresses have all dropped away. Panacea is readier than she has ever been (for us). Tristan must return to work in approximately 16 days – which will probably be time enough for us to get a weather window to the islands.  Even if not the islands, we will still experience something new to all three of us. Whisper has been travelling the Intracoastal Waterway, AKA the ICW, for quite a number of years and has indicated a willingness to share their knowledge of anchorages and timing (for tides and bridges) with us all of the way to Miami.

As I write this we are finishing breakfast while swinging at anchor near Jensen’s Beach. We plan to travel south to Peck’s Cove today and dinghy ashore to bask in the sun on a sandy beach. We received word from Now or Never that they were in No Name Harbour at Key Biscayne after a 22 hour passage from Ft Pierce made ‘outside’ of the barrier islands which line this coast of Florida and which make the ICW possible. Hopefully they will get an early weather window to cross to Bimini. We will be days behind them – even with good weather.

Peck Lake

one sandy beach is the same as another

Tristan finally gets to the beach

One sandy beach is pretty much the same as the next and this one has proved to be just as pleasant and relaxing. Both our and Whisper’s tender are having outboard motor problems so we slipped into the standard definition of cruising: “boat repair in exotic places”, even though the ‘exotic’ tag is a bit of a stretch since we are no more than a mile away from a Burger King and a Sam’s Club. 

Our wonderful windlass failed to ‘get it up’ this morning. After raising the anchor by hand and then studying the matter at some length, Tristan and I have arrived at the conclusion that the motor must be dismantled and the rust scale inside removed. On a more cheery note: our new main engine is working beautifully, even although the propeller pitch is too fine. We have 8 hours on the new engine and the only issue to arise so far is that we need to boost ventilation in the engine space (to reduce heat buildup). I am taking a break from the beach to have a look at this issue. As usual we brought plenty of parts and tools.

profile of Panacea in Lake Peck

Tristan spent part of the day tuning the Honda outboard and was cheerfully zooming up and down the ICW and investigating side creeks and cuts for several miles to the south of our anchorage.

Another day breaks sunny and we are up and motoring at precisely 8:50 as per the plan, and so as to catch full benefit of tides as we cross the mouth of Jupiter Inlet while coinciding with timed openings of three bridges. Victor is really showing us the ropes! The main lesson of the day is that even 5 minutes wasted can matter to the tune of hours by the end of the day. There were several occasions when we had to run at 3000 rpm, our red line engine speed, in order to keep to the schedule.  We will be tuning the prop – which can have its pitch adjusted by a diver using an Allen key. If we don’t blow too much money in marina dockage fees, I plan to buy (how many will this outfit make it ...five?) diving outfit – so that minor underwater issues such as this or snagged crab pot trawls will be an easy fix.

Engine cooling fans are keeping the engine room temperature at a satisfactory level today.  We haven’t lifted a wrench for the first day in several months. Wow! This is really different!

We have heard from cruising friends that Lagniappe and Tehani  are holed-up at Dinner Key in Biscayne Bay waiting for a weather window to Bimini. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all cross together. We are still several days from Biscayne Bay and we still have some shopping to do before we get away, so it seems unlikely that we will meet the others until we are in the Exumas.

Doting Grandparents

property for sale

sexy boat?

At the very last bridge before we parked for the afternoon there was a funny radio incident, almost a like a comedy skit. There were four sailboats and several motor yachts jammed close to the Parker Bridge of North Palm Beach. At the front of the queue was a 3 story motor yacht – which for the purposes of this story will be known as SS Leviathan – whose captain was apparently napping when the bridge opened to allow us to proceed. One ‘New Yorker’ zigzagged around the behemoth and proceeded (that’s New Yorkers for you) – but still Leviathan slumbered.

I hailed – asking:  “Leviathan, are you anchoring there?”

The Bridge operator joined in and advised that the “the bridge is as high as it can go – it doesn’t open any further”.

Victor then piped in that “perhaps the fellow needs a tow from a few of us.”

The radio chatter may have aroused the captain because, in lethargy and radio-silence Leviathan came awake slowly and led the parade through the open bascule-type drawbridge while the road traffic above waited... and waited.

In one sense the radio silence was very apt. Another of our number was a two story sport-fisherman whose captain kept apologising to bridge operators for asking them to open-up.  He used more than his share of radio air-time. Apparently he has some technical issues concerning his radio antenae and his fishing rods and he felt compelled to explain, again and again... at every bridge, apologizing at length for inconveniencing the bridge operators. I took this to be just way too much blabbing. Days later as we transited the ICW I saw a sign warning of serious fines to boaters who fail to lower their aerials and outriggers – instead requesting an opening of the bridge which would otherwise not need to happen.

So, on reconsideration, I guess the fellow was legit and not just another radio ‘songbird’.

The usual form is simply to thank them for doing their job and to wish them well – and to then to ‘shut the heck up’. Even this is bad form if you find your boat in the middle of a schwarm. Most bridge operators do not want to be burdened with extra chatter. One even went so far as to lecture another boat  that he did not have time for radio while he was operating his bridge.

Lake Worth North

marina at Lake Worth

We booked into the North Palm Beach Marina due to the forecast of high winds for the overnight period, getting the bonus of shower, laundry and trash facilities.  After getting safely tied-up we had a brief ‘happy hour’ aboard Tekla Bramble before venturing forth in search of ice cream. We went ‘shopping’ with fellow cruisers Perry and Irene in one of those toney shopping centers. It is reassuring to know that people somewhere can still afford alligator chairs and $60.00 per pound  crab claws. This seems like a different planet from the one which we come from. No one had any idea where we could find a hardware store – or apparently what a hardware store actually is. Heck, they don’t even seem to have gas stations, although there are plenty of cars. Lots of Ferrarri’s, a classic Packard, and naturally just hundreds of BMW and Mercedes Benz, Jaguars and Bentleys.

If I ever get wealthy enough to buy another car, and IF I want to run with this crowd, then I will get one of the new KIA sporty models and add custom wheels and Bentley badges. The car will be pretty much identical to the latest Bentley in my humble opinion. I’ll probably get away with this since I am unlikely to get ‘ratted-out’ by parking valets at the country club. I don’t get within MILES of country clubs.

Two days later and we are still in North Palm – on the hook in 35 knot winds. We motored ashore yesterday but have not left the boat today, just in case she drags anchor. We were running the engine this morning to charge batteries when, conveniently, our anchor dragged. Any other time would have been more problematical, but as it happened the engine was running and warmed-up, so we used our recently rebuilt windlass to raise the anchor and to drive to a more sheltered part of the anchorage.  When first we raised the anchor, I was ready to proceed southward to Boca Raton. We anchored only to remove the outboard from our tender.  As we performed this small task, the sky boiled black and within a short time the rain was pelting down, wind rising to a roar at the same time.  So here we sit for another day.

Trtistan has spent much of the day installing some of the extra parts carried aboard to keep us from getting bored on days like this. And so today we have LED ceiling lights in separate strings, both white and red, installed in the cockpit and the main cabin, the bathroom and the forward cabin. I spent my time studying bridge names and opening regimes to Miami and made contingency travel plans which could put us in Lucaya instead of Bimini – and saving us the need to drive so far to the south for a jumping off point to cross the gulfstream. It won’t be happening until we bump our motoring speed back up. We are just too slow with the prop as fine-pitched as it is at the moment.

Lake Boca Raton

Whisper skims by freighter in Lake Worth Inlet

The houses and the boats just keep getting ritzier as we journey south on the waterway.  The bridges are only a mile and a half apart in this area and there is a LOT of radio chatter requesting bridge openings. We have been travelling alongside a Trawler yacht which is being delivered to her new owners and which has yet to get her new name. Boat traffic is monitored on the ICW and boats are required to identify themselves to the bridge operators. The delivery captain of the trawler yacht has explained to several bridge operators that this boat  has no name yet. He was in an increasingly bitter conversation with one near Boca Raton on this subject when their conversation got cut in with a conversation at a nearby bridge. The captain of a commercial towboat which was pushing a pile driver was fighting the current and the bridge operator was imploring him to please hurry. At that moment their conversation was blanketed by the acrimonious conversation between the trawler and the Boca Bridge – at a moment when the bridge operator was demanding the vessel name. The trawler captain was unable to reply as the towboat driver responded immediately saying that his vessel had no name other than pile driver. The Boca bridge operator was understandably confused and demanded that the respondent to repeat the name.

Lake Boca Raton

The airwaves went silent for a brief moment before the towboat captain, probably wondering about the bridge operators sudden change in demeanor, came back loud and clear: “that is PILE DRIVER, repeat PILE DRIVER, spelled P-I-L-E D-R-I-V-E-R”. This completely shut off both bridge operators, who seemed to simply drop the matters with their two boats and to move on.  The next radio traffic was between a couple of your typical jugheads discussing their restaurant arrangements on the open bridge channel instead of in private. Both bridges opened without any further dialogue.

Lake Sylvia

Tekla waiting for their opening

Marilyn taking the lead

At last, Ft. Lauderdale and we are bustling about doing laundry, showering, dining and shopping. After 2 nights at anchor in Lake Sylvia we depart in company with Tekla Bramble in the shortest weather window we have ever tried. Whisper remains at anchor with outboard motor problems to resolve. .

Waiting the opening for 17th street Bridge at 5:30 am

Departing on the crest of high water, we time it so that we have only a brief wait at the 17th st bridge at 5:30am

Bimini

Navigating the marks entering Bimini

First site of Bimini

After some chop in the western wall of the gulfstream we tied-up at our favorite Bimini Marina at 3:30 pm. We had motored the whole way with a 5 knot breeze over our stern. It feels just like coming home.

J.R. took our lines with a familiar: ”Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about”.

At the dock we had a ‘class re-union’ which included Tekla Bramble, Now or Never, Lagniappe, Tehani, AFterwards  and Panacea, all compatriots from this marina last winter. The pool at the marina is still empty – but that won’t stop us from having a seafood barbeque together, and probably a rum-tasting later on. The weather windows look poor for the coming few days and we on Panacea want to stay here for at least a week. Tristan has rented a golf cart and we are taking our tourism and beach-going very seriously. I think we range further afield this year – with our larger dinghy and more reliable outboard. There are wrecks, coves, islands and fishing.