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Bimini island And Cat CAYs.

Having left Ft Lauderdale it’s only a short crossing to the Bahamas. The west most point is Bimini Island which is only 55 or so nautical miles away. It is an easy day trip but we had to stop a couple of times due to some successful fishing so arrived at sunset.

Bimini ISLANDS bahamas

Unfortunately there was a very shallow entrance to the harbour which became even more of a problem with an extra red channel marker ! This marker was in a different place compared to where the chart had it so confused us greatly for some time. We later found out that it had moved from further up the island and hadn’t been repositioned – great help !

Because of this we spent a further hour trying to get into the harbour, it was so shallow in places we touched the bottom a couple of times. As it was dusk we really didn’t want to spend the night run aground so took our time.

Finally, wef made our way in but it was dark by then. We called a couple of the marinas, both by VHF radio and mobile telephone but nobody was answering. We continued to call and drive past a few but no one seemed to be around. As we were running out of patience we went back to one of the first marinas that had a free mooring on the outside and pulled up. A guy then appeared and said we could stay which was a relief.

Bimini ISLANDS bahamas

We were on the south of the North Island (if that makes sense !). It was very run down, partly due to a lot of it not being repaired since the last hurricane, and partly due to the fact that a huge Hilton resort had been built on the north of the island. I believe we were also slightly early in the season so the place hadn’t opened up yet.

The coastline was very rugged in places as has been proved by this broken up ship –

Bimini ISLANDS bahamas
Bimini ISLANDS bahamas

There were a few abandoned buildings on this side of the islands, no doubt battered by the weather over the years.

Bimini ISLANDS
Bimini ISLANDS bahamas

We could see this deserted island from our boat, you could probably have walked to it at low tide.

Bimini ISLANDS bahamas

The local church and graveyard –

Bimini ISLANDS bahamas

There was a small ferry that would take you to the south island. There was a private resort that had been built but at the time hardly any were occupied. The resort also had it’s own sheltered marina but unfortunately not big enough to get our catamaran through the entrance ! The only problem with the place was it suffered from sand flies or nosemes (or whatever they were), they ate me alive ! They seriously fed on my legs and arms so much I couldn’t wait to get back to the north island where they didn’t seem to exist. If you gave me one of those condos for free I wouldn’t go and visit – they were that annoying to me !

Waiting for the ferry at the south island –

Bimini island bahamas

After a few days (we stayed a bit longer than anticipated due to some stormy weather) we headed out and went further south.

Not too sure I would head back to the Biminis if I were honest, not really enough there to see and not a great gateway to the Bahamas.

Leaving the marina-

Bimini island  bahamas

Saying goodbye to north Bimini –

A short hop south was the islands of Gun Cay and Cat Cay. The north island of Cat Cay is privately owned but it allows transiting vessels to stop overnight and use its facilities. This island is apparently home to the rich and famous but the staff weren’t letting on who lived or stayed there !

Approaching the entrance to Cat Cay –

Cat cay bahamas

The entrance between Gun Quay and Cat Quay can be treacherous if the conditions aren’t favourable.

Cat cay bahamas

As we arrived one of the guys that welcomed us told us that there were lots of sharks gathering because the fisherman were gutting fish. We went over to see some big nurse sharks and a bull shark. Apparently this is a daily event.

We spent the night in Cat Quay and used the bar and restaurant facilities but they didn’t seem too friendly there. Maybe it’s because we weren’t residents and ordered the cheapest thing off the menu ?! I dunno.

The next day the weather was good and we headed off for our next destination – Cuba !

East Coast USA

As the weather had become chilly and with no real heating on my narrowboat, the cruising season had come to an end. I should have gone back to work over the winter to earn some much needed cash. With this in mind I returned to my mothers house and thought about what I could do over the winter months.

I was about to contact a previous employer when I glanced upon an advert on Crewseekers. Crewseekers is a website where boat owners advertise crew vacancies on their boats. They are travelling somewhere and need assistance to sail their boat, sometimes a short trip, sometimes a long trip. I saw an advert which sounded familiar, a trip on a new HH55 catamaran.

The new HH series of catamarans are a bit special. Made entirely of carbon fibre they are incredibly light and strong, and therefore fast ! You normally have a luxury boat which is packed of heavy appliances and utilities and is a cruiser, or a fast boat which has most of the luxury items missing !

The HH catamarans are both luxurious and fast. They use the latest design techniques with C shaped daggerboards, T shaped rudders, lightweight carbon fibre hulls,etc,etc.

HH55 Edgewater

The advert was from a guy who advertised for a position before when the boat was being built in China. Unfortunately the boat got delayed and other things transpired against us so we never met up. He had already had a season on his boat and sailed around parts of the Caribbean. He had moved his boat up the east coast of the States to avoid the hurricane season. To comply with your insurance companies terms and conditions your boat needs to be out of the designated hurricane area. Because of this most boats head up to the inland waters ways of the east coast.

HH55 Edgewater

The boat had been moored in a marina in Edgewater, Maryland, just south of Annapolis. It had recently appeared in the Annapolis boat show. I flew into Washington and met the owner and another crew member in the airport. We travelled to the boat and got settled in, there was still a few jobs to be done and there was a guy onboard completing the last few winter jobs.

View from our mooring –

I witnessed some great sunsets from the marina –

After a few days we set sail and left the safety of Edgewater, our next planned stop was to be Savannah Georgia – some 650 nautical miles away.

Edgewater

There were some grand houses on the way out of the river. I’m sure some very influential people from Washington live around here !

After3/4 says at sea we approached Savannah Georgia. The trip had been trouble free and even coming around the Cape Hatteras headland was uneventful. The Cape Hatteras headland is known for its treacherous waters and being a bit unpredictable. In fact its known as the ‘Graveyard Of The Atlantic’ and over 600 ships have been wrecked here. Imagine our surprise when we approached and just carried on sailing with no noticeable difference in sea or wind conditions. Phew – what a relief !

The city of Savannah laid over to the left of the river –

It took us some time trying to find a place in a marina that could take us. Most places seemed to cater for smaller river type boats than large sailing yachts. We finally managed to find a place at a golf resort on the Savannah river. The river is actually the boundary between South Carolina and Georgia. To be honest it might have been better to find a place on the Wilmington river slightly further south as there seemed to be more marinas there.

This is The Westin Savannah Harbour Golf Resort and Spa. Apparently quite well known in golfing circles a lot of players practice and stay there on the lead up to tournaments at Augusta. As we were moored outside we had access to all the facilities, the mens changing area had saunas, spa, showers, free soaps and shower gel, everything ! And when you were all, finished you made a call to a driver who would come and pick you up and drive you back to the hotel complex.

Westin Savannah harbour golf resort

To get from the golf complex to the center of Savannah we had to catch a river ferry to get us to the other side. These left regularly and operated up to about midnight.

Water fountains in the centre of Savannah-

The is the well known Marshall House hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Savannah. Originally built in 1851 by Mary Marshall it served as a hospital for soldiers toward the end of the civil war and during two yellow fever epidemics. It has been a hotel on and off up until 1957 and then reopened after renovation since 1999.

Marshall house hotel

Apparently this church appears in the opening scenes of Forrest Gump. Not sure how true this is as I haven’t re-watched the film recently !

Typical type of house in and around the streets of central Savannah –

Proud to have the flag flying over their porch –

Just when you think you’ve found the perfect house someone creates a subway car par in front of it……

Some of the tree lined avenues are AMAZING ! They are apparently oak trees I was told but completely different to UK oak trees.

The old Chatham County Courthouse in the centre of Savannah, built in 1889 and used until the 1970s when a new courthouse was built.

Chatham county courthouse

I enjoyed our few days in Savannah, fortunately it coincided with a college football match, a marathon event and live outdoor music at the weekend ! Savannah is one of only 3 places in the States that has an ‘Open Container Policy’. This means you are allowed to drink and carry a beer around with you ! The other two places are New Orleans and Beale Street in Memphis. The weather was great, met some new friends, enjoyed Savannahs outdoor lifestyle but had to move on.

We left Savannah and headed further south to Ft Lauderdale with a quick stop in Cape Canaveral.

Cape Canaveral seemed to be a place where the cruise ships stopped to change passengers and re-stock their supplies. There were many in port and in the evening one of the biggest ships left. This was the ‘Anthem of the Seas’ leaving at night-

Anthem of the Seas
Anthem of the seas

We spent a couple of nights in Cape Canaveral and witnessed some spectacular lightning storms. Always a worry when you are on a sailing boat with a big mast and lightning is striking above you !!

We sailed south towards Ft Lauderdale and as it was so soon after that years boat show we had great difficulty in reserving a space. We persisted with many phone calls and finally found someone who could give us a berth for a few days.

Approaching the entrance to Ft Lauderdale-

Waiting for the main bridge to open –

Ft Lauderdale

From memory the bridge opens on the hour every hour during the day.

Ft Lauderdale

I went for a walk over the bridge and as I was coming back alarm bells were ringing and flashing lights started.

The traffic is stopped and the bridge opens for the larger ships, quite impressive when you are close up !

View from the bridge –

After a few days spent in Ft Lauderdale getting some repairs carried out it was time to leave the USA. We re-provisioned the boat, filled up with fuel and completed custom and immigration clearance.

Bye bye Florida and USA, next stop the Bimini Islands, Florida.

This trip started at the end of October 2019 – I’m a bit late updating my blog !! The next update will include the Biminj Islands, Cuba and Grand Cayman.