We made it!

Wooohooo! We finally made it across the Gulf Stream. It has been a long wait to get across to the Bahamas and we are savoring our time in the clear sea green waters. We left Dinner Key Marina to anchor out in No Name Harbor, which took about 1.5 hours from the mooring field. Then we went to bed early and woke up at 4am Saturday morning to pick up our anchor and begin our passage across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Biscayne Bay was as flat as a mirror and we had a full moon to help light the way. Several other boats were anchored out in No Name Harbor, but we were the first to leave. The wind was very slight and we were motoring at 5.5 knots. We started moving around 4:30am and at first light I saw a whale come up to the surface for air! I only saw the blow hole and a bit of its back, but I knew it was a whale because of the way it surfaced and resubmerged into the water. It was nothing like a dolphin and I don't know what else would come to mind that breathes like a whale. Later, we see a large pod of dolphins, jellyfish, and several flying fish. I love to see animals in their natural habitat and in good health. I worry about all the pollution (land, air, and water) and their effects on the environment. I am concerned about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which to the last of my knowledge was still leaking oil into the water. A lot needs to be done to prevent any further damage to the environment and to prevent any future incidents, but I digress. When we got out of Biscayne Bay we could see thunderstorms in the distance along our port and stern, but we kept going because they were far away. Then we noticed sea fog up ahead to our starboard side, but luckily the sun was coming up at that time and the fog dissipated. We saw a few power boats pass us by along with some fishing boats and huge cargo ships, but we only had to move out of the way for one fast moving cargo ship. As for the rest we just had to deal with their wakes. The seas were 2-4 feet, but when it was 4 ft. waves the period was 8 sec. or more and so it wasn't bad at all. The winds were from the East, which was the direction we were traveling so we couldn't put out any sails to help power us or stabilize the boat. But the Gulf Stream did help us get up to 6.5 knots at one point in our passage and on average we were traveling 5 knots. It was a beautiful sunny day with puffy white clouds, but it was hot and the wind was great in keeping us comfortable. I had taken ginger root pills a few times a couples days before we left Miami to help prevent sea sickness. We ate a very early dinner and not too much food so we wouldn't get sick as easily. I kept my eyes on the horizon and stayed on the bow to keep from smelling the exhaust from the engine, which makes me sick as well. I only ate a banana and a handful of pretzels with water during the entire passage. Remember to keep hydrated when you are in the sun because you can get a heat stroke or get sea sick, if on the water. I wore a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunblock to prevent sun damage on my skin and eyes, but I still got tanned and a little pink even with my precautions. The sun is fierce here and we aren't even that close to the equator. We got to Alice Town, North Bimini at 4pm (EST) and tried to get a slip at Weech's but being a weekend they were all taken. So we just continued ahead and docked at the customs office, which was an old concrete seawall. Luckily there was a man sitting there and we asked him for some help with the dock lines, which he did a fine job. Then we got our passports and papers together and headed to the customs & immigration office. We had some papers to fill out so I went back to the boat to keep an eye on it since we didn't lock it up. JR got everything in order and our passports stamped for a 180 days. It cost us $150 to clear customs and for the fishing license. We didn't get to fish on our arrival to Bimini due to a squall that went through the islands, which made us nervous on top of the fact we weren't sure where the path of entry was to get into Alice Town. There were tons of power boats waiting around for the storm to pass and by the time we got to the islands the storm had moved. Amazingly, I didn't even need to be there to clear customs or immigration!? JR even said it didn't matter if I signed the papers. So it really is all about the money. We hopped back on the boat and just decided to anchor out near the shallows next to another sailboat across the marinas so we would be in a protected area. We couldn't believe how many power boats were coming in to Bimini. There was non-stop boat traffic going in and out of Alice Town, but mostly in due to the sun setting. There were tons of party people with their loud music playing and even some honking horns to get attention. It seemed like South Beach, Miami came over to Bimini for the long weekend. We set our anchor and I immediately chowed down on some barbecue chicken left over from our previous nights dinner. I was able to pacify my hunger while JR changed our quarantine flag to the Bahamas courtesy flag. After he ate the remaining chicken, we both jumped in the water. It felt so good because it was so hot, but I didn't like all the wakes from the big power boats. Then after taking a break I began to cook a tasty eggplant and rice dinner, which was the first time I have ever cooked eggplant. I have to say I couldn't stop getting compliments on how good the eggplant dish tasted. It was delicious and we washed it down with a celebratory bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. We sat in the cockpit to eat dinner because it was so hot in the cabin and there was no air flow due to the boat sitting with the wind at our beam. After we ate we watched the tide rip by and the water change colors to a beautiful sea green. We could now clearly see the bottom and we relished in the cooler temperatures and breeze as night set in. We decided to watch an episode of Tosh.O at the bow while the engine cooled, but after 10 minutes we felt some drops of rain. So we hurried to get everything in the cabin that couldn't get wet and by the time JR got in the cabin he was too exhausted to stay awake any longer. We were very happy to have finally made it to the Bahamas and across the Gulf Stream. Now we can really begin our vacation! :)