December 30
I am often pleasantly surprised how our reality turns out to be so much better than expected.
When we left Miami, we were alone and we planned on spending a couple of days on Bimini Island then move on to Nassau on Christmas Day. We ended up spending 8 days with 4 sailboats from Quebec: Sabado, Luana, Marie-Jeanne, Friend Ship. What a blast we had with them. It all started on the 24th (we were planning on leaving on the 25th) with Manon and Serge on Sabado - a catamaran but we won't hold it against them LOL! - on their dinghie visiting each boat in our anchorage with big container of mints and inviting us to a Christmas Eve Happy Hour that afternoon.
After that first encounter with everyone, and because of weather, we decided to stay a few more days. We had a few more happy hours together, spent a few meals with Annie and Serge from the sailboat Marie-Jeanne, played board games, went to the beach, etc.
Now, 8 days later, these 5 sailboats - Komeekha included - who didn't know each other when they arrived at Bimini (except for Sabado and Friend Ship) are all leaving tomorrow morning for Nassau. Only Komeekha will do this 24-hour jump non-stop; the other 4 boats will anchor halfway along the way for the night. We hope to see them again. In the meantime, we'll keep in touch.
One phenomenum I find interesting is the movement of many sailing/motoring vessels on a specific day because of a favorable weather window. For example, we know there are sailboats still in Miami that have not been able to cross to the Bahamas yet due to strong winds from the North which would make a crossing of the Gulf Stream from the South very uncomfortable. Tomorrow, the weather is perfect to travel Eastbound. Therefore, these sailboats from Miami will arrive at Bimini or other Bahamian destinations nearby. And we at Bimini will travel Eastbound to the Berry Islands and Nassau. So when the winds are favorable for a day or two, all these sailing/motoring vessels are shifting to another destination. From a bird's eye view, it would be interesting to see.
For Komeekha, the plan is to stay in Nassau until Jan. 3rd to allow us time to reprovision, do laundry and celebrate the New Year. Reprovisioning on Bimini Island is not possible. Their grocery stores are in fact little convenient stores. All food items are very expensive and few are fresh. For example, we bought a load of bread, 2 O'Henry bars and a small fruit cake for US$ 17. From Nassau, if the wind forecast remains as we saw it today, we may be able to sail another 30 hours to Rum Cay. Relax for a day, then continue on to Crooked Islands. Relax for some time, then continue on to Great Inagua Island where we will check out from the Bahamas with Customs. Again, that's the plan and, as you well know, it may change. I'll keep you posted.
