I finally put on shorts when we reached Marathon on Monday, February 1. What a relief to be warm at last!
And what a scene before us! There were 500 boats in Boot Key Harbor, and as many masts extended into the sky. Dozens (hundreds?) of little dinghies darted around among the motherships in a chaotic but purposeful manner. We rode our own rubber dinghy to the municipal dock and got our first up-close look at the harbor's human population: bearded, tattooed, sunburned, poorly groomed, one-eyed, hunchbacked, short a finger or limb... It was disturbing to realize I fit in perfectly. I returned to La Peregrina and shaved for the first time in a month.
My cousin Cindy joined us in Marathon. We re-provisioned, had two dinners out, shipped home a box of winter clothes, and raised anchor mid-day on Wednesday, the 3rd. It was 116 nautical miles from Marathon to Bimini, and we were close-hauled the entire way. Apparent wind was 45 degrees to starboard, at 18 to 25 kts. Seas were as high as 8 feet. La Peregrina handled it quite well. Her crew, not so much. We were grateful to arrive in the protected waters of North Bimini yesterday afternoon, 26 hours after leaving Boot Key Harbor. Because another cold front, with strong northwest winds, was scheduled to arrive overnight, and because I was too weary for a stressful night at anchor, we tied up at Bimini Blue Water Marina, where we remain tonight.
And it has gotten cold again! I still have my wool sweater, but warm clothes are otherwise scarce. So we are fighting the cold with higher blood alcohol levels. So far so good.
So we have arrived in the Bahamas! From Bimini, we plan to head for the Exumas. The weather looks favorable for a crossing of the Great Bahamas Bank in a couple days. We'll miss the Super Bowl party, but we hope it is an excellent game and your team wins. (Go Denver!)
We miss you. Come join us.
No comments:
Post a Comment