The Dark Side Of The Moon 2014

We finally left Nassau today with light winds motor sailing down wind with a NE side swell. Ten hours later we entered the Northwest channel. We were watching the clouds percolate from the Berries and Andross being blown across the Bahama Bank toward Bimini.  The sun was fading but to the north we watched the clouds drop funnels aimed at the water below.  Funnel after funnel they stretched down but never making it past half way.  There must have been a dozen or more attemps but the air would warm before making it to the electric blue waters. 

Borrowed photo

During our funnel show we turned the motor off and settled the sails for a long night. After dinner Ayrton crashed for the evening and I relaxed in the cockpit with the tiller pilot keeping us on course. Sometime after 2am I looked up at the moon and could see an eclipse just on the edge of the moon.  After it was about one quarter shadowed I woke Ayrton to see it.  At 3:04 I woke him once again. He returned top sides without an issue an saw his first total eclipse of the moon.  The eclipse lasted for almost an hour and a half. As I sat there starring at the surface of the moon randomly obscured by clouds so thin they made it twinkle the view was like watching coals smolder in the fire.  I kept watching wanting to see the first light as the sun once again struck the surface of the moon. But I must have dozed off a few minutes.  The next time I looked up about a cresant was glowing brightly. 

NASA explanation

When Ayrton awoke in the morning he was excited to see Bimini up close. As we turned at the north end of Bimini we met the deep water impact of a southern breeze.  Casually motor sailing once again tacking back and fourth to stay close to the island an keep out of the big waves just a mile off shore but not so close that we were in the breaking waves near shore. We left the main up entering the channel to help keep Gemini Dreams stable in the tide vs following seas battle. Once past Lands End bar the rolling seas lost their fight and we only had to motor against the tide. 

Vinyl explanation

Ayrton was at the tiller as I lowered the mainsail and tied it down. The dinghy was on the bow making anchoring almost impossible so as we approached the Bimini Big Game Club docks I untied the dinghy anch flipped it over on the deck.  This is no small feat with even the little Walker Bay as it takes up all the room on the bow.  As I lifted the dinghy up and over the life line I expected it to settle a couple feet above the water. What happened in reality was the dinghy hit the water. I yelled for Ayrton to slow down as the dinghy started taking on water from the bow wake of Gemini Dreams. Then the dinghy nose dove into the blue water in front of BBGC.  Fu$& that hurt!  WTF!  OMG! ...