May 30, 2019: On the Move
We spent the next morning saying goodbye to SV Alabama with some hot tea. Funny though because it was so hot, drinking that tea proved to be a bit difficult. We weighed anchor around 11 with the Berry Islands in sight. However, due to the wind direction, we would be heading toward Bimini and be halfway there before turning towards Berry. At that halfway point we said “we’re going to Bimini!” This was the point that I realized the advantage to being on a boat on our own time. We already had several plans we could follow, but some things such as the weather are not in our control.
We went towards Sir Isaac Island Lighthouse where it looked like we anchor, but as we got closer the rocks became more apparent. Although the island looked cool, it also looked kind of creepy with its lighthouse and small huts surrounding it. And so our course took us to North Bimini where we anchored and had a rolly night’s sleep.
May 31, 2019: North Bimini
We woke up in the morning and realized we were anchored in a very exposed area not that close to where we could access land. And so we moved the boat to the east side via a channel that went in to a more protected area. We anchored next to Fisherman’s Village where the sea planes land. We were the only boat there and could watch the seaplanes go in and out.
We took the dinghy to Big Game Marina where we tied up and walked north along the main road. From the water we saw two places to grab something to eat: Joe’s Conch Shack and Ebbie’s. After walking by Joe’s we decided it wasn’t the scene for us. Girls in barely anything and men in the typical fisherman’s uniform: flip flops, shorts, and long sleeve white shirts. We headed to Ebbie’s where we tried conch salad, grouper fritters, and two beers. Although we had a great experience and enjoyed the food, the price was a rip off. Without itemizing anything she told us is was $55 and pulled out a roll of money when we handed her cash. It’s a shame since it is definitely a place we would have gone to again. Good vibes on the water. Not good vibes on the wallet.
We spent the evening walking around Fisherman’s Village, Resort World and the Hilton Hotel. It’s so surreal to experience these areas and then walk back home to the solitude of the boat. Everyone rode around in golf carts. We had read on Navionics that there was a shower that we could discreetly use in Fisherman’s Village. When we went to go check it out all the lights were off and there was no hot water. Turns out the island was out of power and each section of the island was taking turns using the back up generator. It was not the Fisherman’s Village turn just yet.
June 1, 2019: Searching for Solitude
We spent the day on a dinghy adventure around the north and south island. We stopped at an abandoned marina that had a few boats, but definitely showed the wear and tear of a hurricane passing through. We then found a small spot to anchor the dinghy and do a short snorkel. We rode through an area with all the nice houses. When we got back we took “discreet showers” at Fisherman’s Village. Luckily it was their day with the generator because we were able to take nice warm showers. After feeling clean and having left Peggy at the boat we decided to go get a drink somewhere. We rode to the bar next to Brown’s Marina. We were told two coronas were $9 but actually they were $7 plus tax plus a 18% gratuity. Bimini was definitely the place to get ripped off or just not care about how much money you spent. Whether she was maliciously doing it or not, it was still sad to think that she had lied in order to get more of a tip. We walked down to the beach at the southern tip of the island in time for a pretty sunset. Unfortunately it was littered with beer bottles.
