Bimini, Baby

We made it.  After over a year's break from cruising and living aboard, we are back at it again.  Can you believe it?  What's funny is the fact that it felt like only yesterday we made our first Bahamas crossing.  Scott and I fell right back into step as if no time had passed at all, everything felt so natural and normal.  Turns out, cruising is like riding a bike.  You get on the boat, assume your roles and you go.  Simple as that.

We weighed anchor at 4am and miraculously Isla slept through the entire ruckus, despite her bed being in the vee berth right below the windlass and right near where the chain falls into the locker which makes quite a noise.  By 5am we were making our way out to sea with nothing but the stars and a sliver of a crescent moon to light our way.  We unfurled our sails and we were off.  Few things are more exciting than the sound of your boat underway; the rush of the water against the hull, the feel of the wind on your face, waves crashing over the bow...

The wind conditions were as expected, but the seas were a little lumpier than we had thought and I was concerned about Isla sleeping up in the vee-berth, the bounciest part of the boat.  I went down to peek on her and there she was, butt up in the air, sleeping soundly and totally oblivious to the fact that her 'room' was at a 45 degree angle and going up and down ten feet every few seconds.  I'm telling you, this child is a natural sailor.  I don't know if it has anything to do with that one fateful passage from Grenada to Trinidad, but she is not phased by any of it.  By 7am she was awake and the three of us enjoyed a beautiful sunrise at sea as we pointed our bow east, towards the islands.

We arrived in Bimini just after 1pm, docked at the Bimini Big Game Club Marina, cleared in to customs, and celebrated with some cold Kaliks and home-made guacamole.  Despite being anxious to keep moving south, we're probably going to be here for a few days as we wait for weather to pass through.  We plan to be on the move towards the Exumas in the next week, but in the meantime we're going to enjoy lovely Bimini.  We'll keep you posted.

Good morning, sunshine

Daddy, showing Isla the sunrise 

Breakfast time

Happy girl 

We discovered she's cutting another tooth - her seventh! 

This child has balance and sea legs I tell you! 

Chilling with daddy

Playing on the low side.  We keep her in a West Marine infant tether clipped onto the steering pedestal in the cockpit 

She loves to walk around the cockpit - she's not walking unassisted yet, but is VERY close!

The Bumbo chair is great underway.

Lowering our Quarantine flag and getting ready to raise our old Bahamian flag!