The sail-in was a bust this morning as we were sailing directly into the sun. So, basically, I waited till we set foot on land to start snapping away. The is our first visit to Bimini which is a big deal for me, I don’t get enough first-time visits anymore. Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about 30 miles due east of Miami and is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States. We got off the ship as soon as clearance was granted, and we saw our friend John St. John waving at us from his quarantine balcony room. Unfortunately, John tested positive for COVID yesterday…the St. John’s will be leaving the ship tomorrow and spend the remainder of his quarantine requirement in a hotel in Florida before flying home to California…we had been looking forward to celebrating John’s 80th Birthday with him on February 23, 2022. Ann, Cathy and I walked to the end of the pier and rented a golf cart for the day. On Bimini, there is pretty much just one main road since the island is so narrow…. No traffic jams here! The only challenge is driving on the opposite side of the road which we left in Cathy’s capable hands… We followed the main road going through Porgy Bay, Bailey Town to Alice Town the largest town on the North Island. We passed the remains of Hemingway’s home, the Bimini Museum and stopped at the craft market for some shopping and then we headed to Radio Beach…The flat beach is picturesque and relaxing and the most southerly land point on Bimini’s North Island. Returning to Alice Town, we stopped at the Dolphin House Museum, a three-story home made entirely out of recycled materials, including many items which washed up on the shore. The site is covered in a mosaic of shells, glass, coins, and other items found on the island. Retracing our route, we headed to the Resort World Bimini and Hilton Hotel Complexes and stopped at Beach 360, all the beaches on Bimini have beautiful white sand with unbeatable turquoise waters. We had a really great day just exploring the island and will likely do the same on our return visit to Bimini. On our walk back to the ship, we met Captain Timmers who was out for a walk on his very first visit to Bimini. We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the Retreat. Another wonderful day! Hard to believe our first cruise on the Rotterdam has come to almost end! Life is good….
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