Bimini to the Berry Islands

We left Bimini around 11:00 a.m. to begin our Great Bahama Bank Crossing. We saw a large powerboat just as we were leaving, then didn't see another boat until we were almost to Great Harbor Key. In fact, the only other living creature we saw was a moth that flew by while we were eating dinner. Crossing the Bank is much like crossing Lake Huron in that you see nothing but sea and sky for extended periods. However there is the added benefit of being able to drop anchor when you want because you are crossing water that averages about sixteen feet deep. Around dinner time we anchored in clear turquoise water and Laurie whipped up a delicious lobster scampi pasta that we ate in the cockpit.






This was our view to the west.




The moon rising was our view to the east.

After sleeping for several hours, Dan pulled anchor and we kept moving across the Bank. We anchored off Great Harbor Cay and dinghyed into Bullocks Harbor. It is a small, poor community with little to offer from our perspective, although we were able to access the Internet at the local grocery store. The next morning, we headed north around the island, passing two large cruise boats and the cruise lines' little Tiki villages on the northern shore. We then sailed down the east side of the island chain in the ocean.

We were excited when we got a hit on the lure we had been trolling off our stern and Dan caught his first fish in the Bahamas. After comparing it to pictures in our sport fishing book, we were pretty sure it was a cero. So Dan filleted it and we grilled it for dinner later that day.

We have been looking for a private anchorage and we followed a winding channel through some shallow water to a secluded cove along the western shore of Hoffman's Cay. We spent days here without seeing another person or boat.




This is a view of our private beach.




We found shells along the beach, including perfect starfish and sand dollars.





We are adjusting to not being connected with the outside world here. We no longer have a functioning iPhone and are too far away from a Batelco tower to have phone coverage. Strong winds have been blowing for days. When the conditions are favorable, we will move to another harbor where we may be able to connect to the Internet or phone home. In the meantime, we are enjoying our secluded harbor home.





We never tire of these beautiful sunsets.

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Location:Berry Islands