Day 53: Critters

Bimini Sands/Cove Marina, South Bimini, Bahamas (docked)

March 8, 2022

This marina has new ownership and they’re in the process of changing names.  I’m not sure what its current name actually is.

There’s a pretty awesome feral cat presence here – they keep the vermin down, which is great.  I didn’t actually know how many cats were here until I went to the showers this morning.

These cats run if you walk towards them; if you stand still, they get closer.  I think my kitty call also brought them to me.

Marina showers are all very different.  Some are really large and private.  Others are kind of small or cold.  This marina has a nice restroom but…the shower stalls are across from the toilet stalls and have clear vinyl curtains.  There’s not a lot of privacy.  I will be showering on the boat, I think, from now on.  I may still go out to see the morning cat meeting, though.

The internet here is wonky, too.  John hoisted my hotspot up the mast which seemed to work well except for the three times it didn’t.  I have two morning days of Zoom then a break for five weeks.  Hopefully the next time I need intense internet we’ll be in a better place.

After work we headed to the infinity pool.  It’s on the western side of the island so a bunch of boaters go to watch the sun set.  We saw a pretty cool shark in the marina basin. 

The last time I was at the pool I was bitten by ants so tonight I decided to protect as much of myself as I could by getting in the water.  The sunset was gorgeous but the invasion of noseeums was pretty awful. They were out in multitudes.

Noseeum bites are nasty – they stay itchy for a few days and they usually come in clusters. They can get through screens or follow us into the boat. They do seem to cluster around lights

Some boat neighbors recommended using a vacuum to suck those buggers up.  It works!  There’s still a few hanging around but I know we took a bunch out.  I am wearing leggings and a long sleeve shirt to minimize bare skin.  I have also killed two on my phone as I have typed this.

Many boat neighbors are heading east tomorrow.  I wish we could join them but I will be working.  We’ll be living the March-in-the-Bahamas life of hunkering down in between weather windows.