Last night the wind gusts were as high as 30kts accompanied by light rain. This made for interrupted but still restful sleep, and we had energy in the morning. Tommy removed and rerouted some of the water tank pump plumbing, as we’ve noted that although it works fine, its normal sound has descended from a tenor to a baritone note. Tommy thought it might be air in the lines altering the sound. He then adjusted some connections on the water maker. Paula scaled and fileted our three pretty snapper on the swim platform which worked out better than she hoped. The work surface was just big enough, the fish weren’t so slippery that they might be lost overboard, and a few buckets of salt water erased all traces of scales and bits. And no sharks!

To celebrate, Paula went strolling with the camera and found a curly-tailed lizard that actually had a curly tail (not cut-off like the first fellow we photographed) and a cool sparrow with a brownish red-crest and a yellow cast to its belly.

A freighter, the Bimini Breeze tied up to the massive pilings off the channel behind us. Its torpedo-shaped orange lifeboat is positioned at the very top of the boat, nose down, and is deployed almost like a kid sliding down a sliding board.

We then went to the Bank of the Bahamas to make some change. It was packed, and the teller told us it is always busy. It is the only bank on Bimini. The teller performed all the functions that a US bank would have you go to an associate at a desk for, so in addition to making deposits, she perused, signed and copied documents, took applications for bank services, etc. The room was so small that the teller engaged in a special act of courtesy by speaking very low and close to the patron, to preserve his or her financial privacy.

Everyone waiting was patient and polite. There were chairs along the wall for folks who didn’t feel up to standing in line. When those seated recognized that the person who entered just before them was being served, they re-entered the line in front. This appeared to be normal practice and there were no protests from folks waiting further back. When we arrived, we noticed a man off in the corner by the door in a military-looking uniform. He was a Bahamian police officer. We asked if was waiting in line and he replied in the negative. Paula asked if he was guarding the bank. “Oh no, we only do that around Christmas”.  Not in line, not guarding the bank, hmm. He smiled a bit, “I’m waiting for someone to come in to the bank.” Wonder if that person will be glad to see the officer when he arrives to do his banking?

One aspect of all the marinas here on North Bimini is that they have fixed (not floating) docks. The tide range is 2.5 feet which normally wouldn’t be too bad with fixed docks. But here, the docks were constructed to primarily accommodate high sided sport fishing boats, not low-to-the-water sailboats. It’s quite the step down for us at low tide.

Paula bought more chicken leg quarters to make a cook-ahead meal for the night on the Bahama bank, which is to occur on the night we leave Bimini. The storekeeper confirmed that these were indeed Bimini chickens, which the islanders raise, but apparently do not grow fond of. She volunteered that they give the chickens a “special medicine” before they are butchered “to make sure they are pure.” We are not worried. They were delicious when we had them earlier in the week and tasted plenty “pure”.

Tonight we had the baked yellow-fin snapper with homemade tartar sauce and sautéed plantains. Paula’s parents contracted ciguatera poisoning when they cruised and advised us to be cautious when choosing/eating fish.  There are test kits, but they are expensive and not always accurate.  We consulted the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT), regarding ciguatera in the Bahamas. Since ciguatera toxin accumulates from a specific organism reef fish may ingest, the larger fish hold the greatest risk to those who eat them as they have ingested more toxin in their lifetimes. IAMAT recommends not eating snapper that are larger than 6 lbs. Smaller fish are considered safe. Since the biggest of our fish was just a little over 1 lb, I think we should be ok.

The wind just whipped up again, accompanied by a strong, brief shower. The forecast still shows strong wind for the next 36 hours. It’s looking more and more like a Monday morning departure.