We made it, but oh, boy, it was rough. The wind stayed a little higher than we had hoped (high teens), more on the nose than we'd like, at about 60 deg to our heading. The waves were a little higher than anticipated (3-5 ft), and the wave period (time between waves) was very short (4 seconds), making them uncomfortable. Way too early, at 2 A.M., we pulled up anchor, to arrive near Bimini's high tide at 8:30 A.M. The much younger folks in the boat anchored next to us were still up, partying. We rocked and rolled for 8 hours. Luke and I got queasy and Smoke slept, as flat as possible to her cushion. Not a dangerous situation at all; just not a pleasant sail. We again learned the significance of the Gulf stream's current -- on average about 3 kts, peak more like 3.5 kts to the north. That's a lot when the boat is doing about 7 kts and we're trying to go east - about a 30 degree crab angle.
But, we are here!
The afternoon was spent clearing both Customs and Immigration, straightening up after 2 consecutive night sails, long naps, and wondrous showers. Stores will be closed tomorrow so we'll do some beach walking and wander the street of town. Well, not all stores will be closed. The Bahamian custom is that grocery stores are open from 9-11, then closed for the rest of the day. Seems funny. Anyway, sightseeing and pictures start tomorrow. We are just glad to be here! (so is Smokey --- the water is clear enough to watch fish and the nosey pelicans are willing to sit sooo close....)
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