The gallery now contains pictures and movies that co-incide with our story.

12 miles into international waters Mickey decided to take down the Ensign flag and put up the US flag. Asked why he had to do it while we were in the middle of nowhere he said the Ensign was illegal to fly outside US waters and it was protocol. OK – makes sense. Man overboard but boat flying correct colors. That’s what ten years in the Army does.

As we entered the channel into Bimini our jaws absolutely dropped. Everyone has heard how beautiful the water is, how it is an aqua color and so clear you can see down 10’s of feet. But until you see it for real you can’t appreciate its magnificence. Like seeing pictures of Van Goh’s paintings vs the original. The blues, the yellows absolutely pop and so it is with Bahama’s waters…incredible.

For the first time we dropped our burgees and put up the yellow quarantine flag. Once we were cleared in this was changed to the Bahamian flag. Flying the quarantine flag will be necessary each time we enter a new country.

The first culture shock came over the radio – these Bahamian’s talk funny. While going through customs there was a lot of “excuse me – would you repeat that – what did you say.” Clearing in was a cinch but did include going to customs who then sent us to immigration then back to the marina to show we were legit. Answered a few questions, paid our $300 and we were off. I have to admit that after living in the South for so many years I first thought Bahamians were rather brusque. They answer you with a yes or no. No explanation just accept ‘cause that’s the way it is. We found out not all the people are like that. Appears to be a Marina thing. Guess they don’t want any arguments; take it or leave it.

We had been up since 1:00 AM, fought some rough seas, made sure no tankers ran into us; actually we had to stay out of their way; big rules on the sea, and we were tired and hungry.. We ducked into Big John’s restaurant, sat on the waterfront until rains hit, and enjoyed a fish sandwich on the famous Bahamian bread. Went into another culture shock when we paid the bill but heh it’s the Bahamas!!!

Wednesday it poured. We were very happy to be in a slip as 40K winds rocked the boat. Good time to clean up the inside. After two weeks at anchor or on a ball she needed it.

Thursday the sun shone and we walked the whole island. This allowed us to get away from the tourist area, see the true Bimini, and meet very friendly people. The island is miles long with a new town every mile or so. Consequently we went through Alice Town, Bailey Town, Porgy Bay and Bimini Bay. Now that’s moving out. You could rent a go cart for $100 a day. We decided our two feet were cheaper.

The roads are narrow so when 2 golf cars meet it’s who can swerve the fastest and get back in the correct lane that wins. Pedestrians – they’re on their own. You might have a side walk but usually it’s walking in the road and learning to get out of the way fast. Gets to be even more fun when 2 cars are coming at one another. On our way back from exploring, a golf cart offered us a lift which we gratefully accepted. Lynne sat in the front seat and hung on for dear life except there are no handles to grasp, just the seat. Going around a corner? Get up some speed, honk the horn and whiz around. Oh no – pedestrian – quick veer off – yep we missed ‘um. Lynne, why are your knuckles so white?

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We noticed two WWII troop landing crafts tied to the docks. Couldn’t figure out why they would collect this type of memorabilia. Then it all came together as we spotted a tanker taking the craft up the channel. They were getting rid of garbage. Ingenious way to use discarded military equipment.

Met a unique gentleman, Mr. Ashley Saunders, who has spent years building a home using recycled materials. He has named this home Dolphin House. Every inch of the walls has something set in concrete that he picked up on the beach or from buildings being torn down. .He said there was so much to gather that he is putting a second floor on his home that has withstood 3 hurricanes. He wants future generations to be able to appreciate the past. Just an amazing house. Mr. Saunders was educated by the English when they ruled the island. Received a scholarship from Wisconsin University where he got his BA. Then he went to Harvard. Came back to Bimini to work as a history teacher. He’s written two books on Bahamian history so their culture wouldn’t be lost. Fascinating man. See gallery for more pictures of this unique dwelling.

We had our first taste of conch via a conch salad at Joe’s Conch Salad. . It was pretty good. Very similar to having ceviche fish. The people were fascinating. All speaking very fast to one another. We understood very little which was probably best.

A man on the beach, who said his name was Peanuts, was cleaning conch. Watching from the terrace we were spell bound by the process. Such talent!!!. He offered us a free shell which of course we accepted; a beautiful pink one. As he was explaining how to clean it we noticed he had lost a finger somewhere along the way. The knife he uses is incredibly sharp so I wouldn’t be surprised if it contributed to his loss. We didn’t want to be rude and ask. Should have though, he might have had a good story to tell.

Speaking of conch shells, all along the beaches on the west side, there are piles and piles of conch shells. These are just left and after many years the waves demolish them. At one point they actually were building an island out of the shells.

They have a beach called Spooky Beach because it is right off a cometary. We find cemeteries fascinating so of course we checked it out. There were a number of uprooted trees on the beach. You could tell it would be very creepy at night.

Walking back, school let out. The children were very courteous as we shared the road. They had absolutely no fear of cars or go carts. In fact they didn’t even move out of the way. We needed to learn from them. I couldn’t believe how quiet they were. No pushing or shoving. Just softly talking while strolling in groups. Every child wore a uniform that indicated what school they went to including the public school. The boys even wore ties and the girls white knee socks. So very English.

That night we finally celebrated making it to Bimini by opening a bottle of wine given to us by some very special friends. Thank you!!!! It was delicious.

Took a water taxi to South Bimini; the only way to get there since the islands aren’t connected. This island is the exact opposite of North. Almost felt like we were up in Wisconsin there were so many pine trees. The island has nature trails, dirt roads and few people. A nice change from North Bimini.

As we were walking to the Fountain of Youth, we flagged down a golf cart to ask if we were going in the right direction. Seemed like we had walked for miles trying to find this small well that was supposed to be on the side of the road. It is believed to have been visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513. Boy that guy sure got around. There’s a number of these fountains in FL too. Nope, we were not on the right road in fact he said we were lost. Asked us if we wanted a ride to the well and of course we said yes.

A young couple was at the site putting up origami hangings. They said the water was very good but the bucket was old with holes in it. Apparently the water doesn’t work on metal. So the young man produced a plastic bottle, climbed into the well and gave us a refreshing drink. He guaranteed we would be years younger within just a short time. Lynne asked for another gulp.

And so our stay in Bimini will end tonight with lobster dinner being brought to us at the Marina. We’ll be enjoying the company of two other boating couples who are waiting for a weather window to take them in the opposite direction from where we will be going.