Friday (2-15-19) Karen and I took a day off from our harried trip to south Florida to visit friends and relax in Bimini, Bahamas. Bimini has changed dramatically since the first visit aboard our sailboat in 1996. A casino, the Hilton Hotel and vacation housing have replaced the old Lyon Mansion on the North Island, but the relaxed feel of “Island Time” is still available in Alice Town.
The San Gwann, a high-speed, jet catamaran, whisked us the 50 miles from Miami to Bimini in two hours. Sailing No Tan Lines in the good old days would take from 9-15 hours depending on wind and waves.
The friendly crew plied us with free Mimosas when we boarded. The big cat’s ride was smooth in 4-6 foot swells and the cruise over and back was a pleasant part of the excursion.
The fast ferry can hold 400 passengers and rarely departs on time, but for “One-Day-Only” travelers like us the customs and immigration entry hassle is streamlined. We were ushered off the boat first and held up our gold wristbands for entry officials to see as we waltzed right by without further ado and boarded the tram that shuttles visitors to the resort’s beach, casino, hotel and marina.
Chris and Sid picked us up at the resort’s marina in their flats boat. We were free to explore the island on our own time with no worries about taxis or further shuttles.
We docked the boat in Alice Town with our lunch destination, Sharkies Bar and Grill, beckoning from across the beautiful bay. They feed lots of sharks from the small platform in front of that dive boat.
The narrow Queen’s Highway has become more congested with the resort development and walking can be precarious. Golf carts and boats are the preferred way to get around in Bimini.
Chris and Sid are wonderful hosts and patiently posed for tourist photos with us. Sharkies is the newest eatery in Alice Town.
The chef at Sharkies was a grilling maestro. We normally go for seafood in the islands but Chris recommended his ribs. They were sensational.
Hemingway loved to fish for tuna and marlin in Bimini. He worked on To Have and Have Not and Islands in the Stream here in 1936 and 1937.
We payed homage to “PAPA” at The Complete Angler Hotel where he often stayed and had a makeshift shrine. Sadly, it burned down in 2006.
Time flies when your having rum. We paused to enjoy cold rum punches from a local guy’s portable bar on the beach while gazing at the Atlantic Ocean.
The cruise from North Bimini, to South Bimini in Chris’s boat was glorious. We spent the remaining hours of our short stay visiting with Chris and Sid on their deck overlooking the bay. It was the highlight of our adventure.
Chris delivered us back to the ferry dock for our ride home at sunset. We had a great time catching up with Chris and Sid. Our time in Bimini was brief, beautiful and stress free. What would we do different? Spend more time with our dear friends from Texas.