Post #57: Adult Day Camp in Bimini

Wednesday, January 27 to Wednesday, February 3, 2021 

Last Tuesday, January 26, all the folks at our marina (7 boats) went for our rapid antigen tests. We are all much relieved to learn that we are Covid free. In fact, there are no cases on this tiny island but mask-wearing is still mandatory and those (visitors and residents alike) who don’t follow the rules face a $250 fine. We also all answer an online health survey each day.  The rules are clear and reasonable.  And we follow them so we can stay in this beautiful slice of paradise.

Once we got back our results, it was time for celebration so we gathered for sundowners and conversation near the pool, a pastime that we have followed every night for the past week.  What a great group of people! Four of the boats are couples from New England (Acworth, NH; Sandown, NH; Narragansett, RI; and us). Two other couples hail from New Bern, NC and St. Petersburg, FL and the 7th boat is a family of four from Charleston, SC. We’ve played Tokyo!, Celebrity, and Left-Right-Center. During the day we’ve joined others to go grocery shopping,

Have Big Al fill up the propane tank,

walk to Charlie’s for homemade Bahamian bread,

take the dinghies to South Bimini to hike to the Fountain of Youth (it doesn’t seem to have worked—I still have the same wrinkles and arthritis),

and explore the mangroves.  It’s truly been like day camp for grown-ups!

Mangrove swamps contribute to an amazing ecosystem and are often referred to as nature’s nursery for algae, barnacles, oysters, shrimp, mud lobsters and crabs as well as many varieties of fish, birds, and even crocodiles. Their root systems are shallow and partly exposed to air, making it possible for them to “breathe” in an environment that is frequently flooded by tidal swings. Notice in the top photo that there are many yellow leaves scattered about the foliage. The mangrove trees need fresh water to survive so some of the salt that is absorbed by the plant is forced into “sacrificial leaves” which turn yellow and fall off. Then another leaf takes on the role until it, in turn, absorbs salt, turns yellow, and drops back into the swamp. Talk about “taking one for the team!”

Our trip into the mangroves was extraordinary in another, quite surprising, way. According to resident boatbuilder and award-winning fisherman, Ansil Saunders, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Bimini on several occasions to relax, fish, and write. During a visit in November 1964, he prepared his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and in March 1968 he returned to Bimini to write the last speech he delivered, the famous “I Have Been to the Mountaintop.” Ansil carved a memorial to Dr. King and built a wooden platform so that today’s visitors can rest a moment and contemplate the vista that inspired the great civil rights leader.

Of course, all this gallivanting around made us hungry.  Jeana and Jeff Foote (Jeff grew up in Concord, MA) took us to their favorite roadside conch stand, Big Mike’s, for Tropical Conch Salad. (Note: this video has not been speeded up—he really does chop that quickly!)

No animal epitomizes the Bahamas more than the Queen Conch (pronounced “konk”). These large sea snails are so embedded in island life that they appear on the national coat of arms and all coins and bills. Conch begin life as free-swimming larvae but at two months old, they sink to the ocean bottom and begin metamorphosis. As the animal grows, its shell grows along with it, making a progressively larger spiral. At about three years of age the conch has reached full size and the lip on the shell forms.

We have stayed on this special island about a week longer than we had expected as we waited for the passage of the frontal system that brought you so much snow in New England.  It brought strong winds (30-35 kts) and 12-14 foot waves to the Atlantic waters around us so we stayed put—happily.

But tomorrow the forecast is for calmer seas and lighter winds. We’ll miss Bimini and the visitors we had each day at the marina—Barry the Barracuda, Ray the Manta, Star, and Sharky but we plan to sail with the other folks we’ve met, forming our own rag-tag Armada as we cross the Great Bahamas Bank towards Nassau.  On to more adventures! (We’ll be off the grid for the next three days so I’ll post again when I’m able.)