Home  Bimini to Spanish Cay 11/23/2007

Our first port of call in the Bahamas was Bimini.  This is where we completed customs and immigration.  Clearing was easier than anticipated.

The trip across the gulf stream can be troublesome, but we had an easy sail much like most of the trip so far.  The only problem is that we figured out that we had a diesel tank leak and really needed to fix a leak we had in the deck hull joint.  The leak in the deck hull joint would soak the v-birth cushions when we took sea water over the bow.

At this point we started really getting used to being island hoppers.  We hopped from Bimini to West End to Mangrove Cay (pronounced Key) to Great Sale Cay to Yankee Cay and finally to Spanish Cay.  We would stay a night or two at each location and try to get lobster and conch for dinner each night.

 
 
The yellow flag is the quarantine (Q) flag which you have to raise before arriving at port.  Once you have cleared customs and immigration you replace it with the courtesy flag which is the national flag of the country you are visiting.
 
 
 

Bimini is a small fishing town with a population of 1800 people which is renowned as Ernest Hemingways Island in the Stream.

 
 
 

A one street town, it conveniently had 3 liquor stores.  This is where we fell in love with Goombay Smash, a fruity drink with rum.  Goombay is a type of music and is to the Bahamas as Reggae is to Jamaica.

 
 

At Great Sale we went to explore a blue hole shown on the charts.  It was only about 35 feet deep, but had some neat aquatic life.  These spade fish were very curious and like to swim close to us.

 
 

This is an unlucky Gray Snapper.  After being shot at the blue hole, all of his buddies stayed a bit farther away from us!  They are considered smart fish and excellent eating.

 
 

The spiny lobster.  Very good eating, and easy to shoot!  Hunting lobster is a great combination of hunting, fishing, sightseeing, and swimming.

 
 
Cleaning and cooking lobster is also very easy.  This was our first in the Bahamas.  We boiled it for 10 minutes.  Of course you eat the tail, but you can also eat the legs and the nobby base part of the antennae just like you would king crab legs.
 
 

EATING THE LOBSTER IS EASY TOO!!  :)

 
 

Yankee Cay, was like a small picturesque Gilligans Island.

 
 

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