One last night in the Bahamas

Here we are, poised in Bimini with tomorrow's forecast looking decent for the very long fight across the Gulf Stream. Chris Parker (the cruisers' weather wonk) says there will be 10-15 kts of east south easterlies all night tomorrow night and very light seas. Sea state is a huge deal with crossing the Gulf because any wind from any direction involving north will turn the Stream into the E-ticket ride from hell. In the case of a strong cold front, the northerlies can generate seas so savage they can overwhelm Coast Guard cutters So we wanted calm seas and that's what he promised, and in the end what we seem to be getting.

 The Bimini flats under clear skies

And we wait for tomorrow, to do last minute chores (refueling, laundry, hair trim, clean the cockpit, ..) and one last beach walk. There is something amazing about the water here just 50 miles from Florida. Florida water is green and grass-bottomed, and looks like the Atlantic. Bahamas water is like gin-bottle glass over deep white sand. It will be hard to leave and hard to not be somewhat disappointed by Florida.

Not that we didn't have our issues with the Bahamas. It is absolutely a third-world country. The people are lovely when they haven't been burnt by first-world tourists and not so lovely when they have. Food is astonishingly expensive for locals and travelers alike. Sheltered harbors are rare and we certainly wished at times there was better protection.  

It was our first season cruising and there was a lot of painful learning. About cruising and seamanship and about ourselves - next time: less food and more spare parts! The wonderful places and people we have met. The open question of “what or where do we go next?”

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