Day 47: My Bimini Birthday

Brown’s Marina, Bimini, Bahamas (docked)

March 2, 2022

I agreed to complete a remote visit for a school in Maryland.  It may seem like a weird way to spend a birthday but I enjoy the challenge. I also like the structure that a work day brings me.

Remote meetings require a lot of internet power which has been an issue at the marina.  My hotspot seems to go in and out – I can hear and see the meeting participants but they can’t always hear me.  John hoisted the hotspot connected to a battery bank up the mast to see if that would help with service.

It’s still not working as well as I hoped, so tomorrow we’ll try the sim card in an old, unlocked phone.

During lunch today John and I fed crumbs to the school of fish that hang out by the marina.  It’s the simple things ..

We celebrated my birthday with dinner at CJ’s.  Our boat neighbors were also there.  They’ve been sailing for much longer than we have and we appreciate hearing their stories.

Great views, great company, great shrimp and fries — I’m feeling quite lucky.  The chocolate chips we ate for dessert just added to the celebration.

We found that since we arrived on Sunday, things typically move very slowly on Bimini. There are very few people here normally, but today a cruise ship arrived and there were hundreds of people in town. For a few hours, Bimini was transformed into a bustling place. There were tourists in golf carts clogging the streets (we are visitors and not tourists, by the way).

Bimini is also a bit of a waypoint: sailboats from Miami stop here to go further into the Bahamas and beyond. There are also boats stopping here on their way to Miami. In either direction, folks are waiting for a weather window. Two sailboats who were at our marina plan to leave for Miami tomorrow – we’re going east, so after my meetings this week and next, we’ll prepare to head to the Berry Islands.