January 30, 2016

We have been anchored outside the Hurricane Hole for 3 days and now is time to bring up anchor and go to Crandon Marina at Key Biscayne to top off fuel. Brandon is where we kept a 30 ft sailboat a Catalina named Cool Change for the few months we lived here and then had it hauled to Annapolis.

We left our anchorage about 1:30 and got back about 2:30 and went from 3 boats in the anchorage to about 30, forgot it was the weekend.

We plan to leave for the Bahamas about 6 am.

January 31, 2016

We did pull up anchor and head out but not until about 7. We chose to go out around No Name Harbor by all the stilt houses. If you use to watch CSI Miami the entrance shoot was of a boat going past a lot of houses off shore, these are the stilt houses. When we lived here people still lived in them but through the years and hurricanes some are only frames but some still have people out there.

It is hard for us to believe it has taken us 3 months to leave the states, with weather and boat issues, it has been crazy but we are on our way and you can imagine the smiles faces, YAH !!

At 9 am we are about 40 miles from Bimini ad we should arrive there about 3-4.

Wind has been out of the east at 3 knots so there is a little chop but not much, seas are about 2-3 ft.

Once we get to Bimini my cell phone will become a Bahamian phone until we return back to the states and the only communication we have to the states are our computers so keep the emails coming. With Bo's tracker and the people that follow him they can also send him an email or text and this is how his family will get ahold of us in an emergency.

We have another old phone that we also use as a Bahamian phone besides mine and we will put in a sim card and just add time to it when we have used it up.

We have been the only ones out here today except 4 freighters headed back to the south one was going to Houston.  No boats on AIS so a pretty low key day out here.

We started seeing Man-of-Wars out here when we got closer to the Gulf Stream. My first sighting of these was when we lived in Key Biscayne on the beaches. Look them up and read about them. They are beautiful bright, pink, blue and purple with long tentacles but they are very deadly.

We are so excited to be back to what we love, travel and adventure and meeting other cultures.

Bo started to make water with our water maker so now will not have to worry about being at marinas and here either you haul it or pay for it.

Our depth exceeds our instruments as does the water.

About 2 we see land and as we get closer you hear other boats on the radio calling marinas but the biggest thing is to look at the entrance and see the most beautiful turquoise water you have ever seen. We call to Brown Marina and they plus about 5 guys from the marina are here to help us with docking. The water is so clear you see the bottom and all the fish, amazing.

After we are settled Bo has to walk up to customs by himself and give them all our papers and passports to clear us in. We then change our yellow flag ( quarantine flag) to our Bahama flag we are now legal.

We sit outside and take in the beauty ready for tomorrow when our walking adventures begin. Bo has been contacted already by a Waterway gentleman from Nassau about doing some photography so that puts a smile on his face.

I will send pictures later but now will have to wait until we are at a place where we pay to do big network things but no worry you will get them.

The weather God's have been good to us again to guide us safely across the Atlantic.

Joyce