Gun Cay to Hollywood, Florida, Part 12
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The man ran over to our boat and said that his console was loose and he needed some tools. In the mean time, he ran into our boat. Here we are, out in the middle of the damn ocean and we get hit by a small boat. Next, his story changed, he was sick and needed a tow to Bimini. We said we were headed for Miami, said goodbye and cruised on.
We know that he had a radio on board, but that he wasn't very nautical. As we left, he headed for a sail boat on the horizon. Strange stuff, but we suspect the boat was stolen from Florida, he was running from the authorities or both. In any event, we hated to leave a man at sea in a
small boat, but feared for our own well being. There are lots of stories about such things, many with bad endings.
Concluding a Bahamas trip is sad for a lot of reasons. You get so very attached to the ultra clear waters that, when suddenly they aren't there anymore, it's hard to believe there was a reason good enough to leave them. Back in Florida, we will have to say goodbye to the Heide's, who have become family and trusted companions. We will also have to face a very different world of crash-em cars, signs prohibiting everything, tax preparation, etc., etc., etc. Gosh, the trip isn't over yet and I'm already getting depressed.
The good news is that in the fall, when we pick up the adventures, it will be bright and fresh again with new wonders to seek out.
Moving from the Bahamas as a cruiser is fairly easy. When arriving in a country outside of the US, you must check in at immigration and customs for clearance, to pay the various fees, to take down the quarantine flag and raise the country's courtesy flag. But upon leaving the Bahamas, you don't have to check out if it is more convenient to mail in the departure form from the next destination. (and you don't even have to do that.)
The morning of the March 20th the weather was perfect for a Gulf Stream crossing and we said goodbye to the Bahamas. In about 10 hours we were back in the US at the dock at Hollywood, Florida, one of our most favorite marinas.
For cruisers, checking into the US is easy. One only has to call an 800 number, give the nice man your cruisers number (costs $25 a year) and he says have a nice day. That's really nice. I'll bet drug runners think its nice too.