A magical night on the Bahama Bank!
Leaving Bimini one must transit the Bahama Bank to get to almost any other Bahama Island. Once again, the deciding factor on the day to move is weather.
We saw this weather window to leave Bimini when we were back in the Keys. The weather continued to track in our favor for cruising, so after two days in Bimini we set off of for Great Harbor Cay. We chose this location not only to visit the island but to ride out some high winds that were expected about 4 days out. It is about an 85 NM trip and since Three Sons cruises at about 7 knots, this route would take 12 hours. We have no desire to travel at night, so an overnight stay on the Bank was planned. We continued to travel with our buddy boat, Willie Dawes, who was also planning to anchor on the Bank.
We headed north from Bimini around North Rock and into the Bahama Bay. The winds were under 5 knots and about 1 foot seas with a cloudless sky and bright sun. What a spectacular day! The waters of the Bahama Bank are very shallow, no more than 80 feet; we traveled in 12- 22 feet of water most of the day. Basically, it’s a huge sandbar in the ocean. So after traveling for six hours, we anchored in 16 feet of water at the Mackie Shoal which is in the middle of the bank– the middle of nowhere. I mean nowhere. Nothing in sight all around us, no land, no markers, no lights, no cell service. Our buddy boat, Willie Dawes, was about an 1/2 mile behind us and we could see their anchor light. I have heard folks describe anchoring on the Bank as magical or miserable. We certainly had a magical evening. It was quite the experience.
Segment Stats
- Bimini, Bahamas to the Mackie Shoal in the Bahama Bank
- Thursday, January 18, 2024
- Cruising Time: 6 hours 32 minutes
- 42.2 Nautical Miles
- Anchored on the Mackie Shoal/Bahama Bank
- Bahama Bank to Great Harbor Cay Marina
- Friday, January 19, 2024
- 49.3 Nautical Miles
- Cruising Time: 6 hours 8 minutes
- Docked at Great Harbour Cay Marina.