Bimini to Mackie Shoals.

Bimini, to us, is the gateway to the Bahamas. But to get there you have to let go. It was hard to leave, and we did manage to eke out an extra day in our nice private marina, but we begrudgingly threw off the dock lines and all three boats headed toward Mackie Shoals. The Shoals are about half way between Bimini and the Berry Islands in about 10 feet of water. This is the place to drop anchor, grab a good night's sleep and continue on in the morning. At least in theory. We pulled out of the marina at slack tide and headed into the anticipated chop. The north waves breaking against the entry wall were impressive. We knew this chop awaited us, but would only last a couple hours until we rounded North Rock and angled off toward Mackie Shoals. In theory. Mike was worried about Brenda's arm getting bounced, but with a pillow in her lap, she was fine. She even took her turn at the wheel with no problem. As we rounded North Rock we had a good, rambunctious 45 mile motor sail pinching into the northeast wind. With all sails out and our motors powered back we made our way to the Shoals. As we continued on, the waves settled into a more gentle back and forth, up and down motion (think Door County, Joni). You can't imagine the beautiful clear blue waters with the bright white splash off of our bow. And we were only in 12-15 feet of water for miles and miles. We saw a couple of boats, but mostly it was just the three of us. Our GPS led us right to Mackie Shoals, which is basically a lump of sand, and set our anchors. Conch blowing, Amazing Grace, dinner and sleep. In theory. The waves were supposed to settle down, but that never happened. Mike "slept" in the cockpit to avoid the sounds of the water drains bubbling and the chain pulling. Brenda cuddled into the corner settee to try and keep from falling on the floor. The waves never did let up. At 7:30 am we were on the vhf with Island Tyme and Amata Marie. "Let's get out of here!" And we were off to Chubb Cay.

 

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