Bimini to Fort Pierce

We left Bimini Sands Marina yesterday morning just before high tide at 8:30 am. When George was at the office checking out he was told the fuel barge was coming in but we should be able to get around it to exit the marina. The barge had not arrived by the time we pulled out of the slip but we saw it approaching as we went into the exit. We made it through the exit-the shallowest depth was 7’1”- and decided to turn toward North Bimini to get out of the way of the barge before going around the sandbar. The barge went around the sandbar then, instead of going into Bimini Sands, it also turned toward North Bimini. Fortunately, there was plenty of room for us to pass him. After getting around the sandbar we raised the sails and sailed around the northern tip of Bimini to anchor on the east side. The wind was from the east so, although we had no protection from the wind, a large sandbar provided nice protection from the waves. We found it to be a much better choice than the rolly anchorage we were in last week. It was also quite pretty, with a long pristine beach nearby. 

At about 1:30 in the afternoon we decided to raise the anchor and head toward Fort Pierce. We thought the Gulf Stream would provide a nice boost to our speed but we weren’t sure how much. The wind was fairly light when we started out and we weren’t getting any help with the current.  We were sailing downwind and the waves were large enough to push the boat around and make the sails collapse. We motor sailed all afternoon and eventually rolled the jib. Just before sunset George spotted a short, but bright, rainbow on the horizon. Not long after my watch started at 7 pm the wind picked up and turned the motor off and unfurled the jib. Our speed was between 8 and 10 knots. Now we were getting a lot of help from the Gulf Stream. The wind was still directly behind us so I had to gybe several times. That makes a great deal of racket in the cabin so George wasn’t able to sleep very well. The wind had shifted by the time George came on watch so he didn’t have to do quite as much gybing and I didn’t have to cope with quite as much noise. 

We entered the Fort Pierce inlet channel just after 6 am after traveling 130 nautical miles in 17 1/2 hours. 

Bimini East anchorage 

Rainbow

Currents from the Gulf Stream, over 2 knots most of the way.