Waiting for Another Weather Window

We are still in Bimini, waiting for some calmer winds.
The next leg of our journey is an eighty-mile trip. It involves leaving Bimini through the channel, rounding North Rock, traveling east across the Great Bahama Bank to the Northwest Channel, then southeast to the Berry Islands. We need to cover the beginning and end in daylight, as much of the navigation here involves visual calculation of depths rather than relying on charts alone. The charts are not always terribly accurate. With tides, currents and tropical storms, the sand can move around quite considerably, so we are often navigating by looking at the colour of the water to tell us how deep it is.

Since 80 miles is outside our range for one day, we have a couple of options:
1. We could leave here at first light, navigate the channel and get on the bank and then stop to anchor overnight near the Northwest channel, get up in the morning, navigate the channel with light and continue to the Berry's.
2. We could leave here mid-afternoon so we could navigate the channel here before dark, sail across the bank overnight, then navigate the Northwest Channel at first light, and arrive in the Berry's the next morning.

The question becomes, which is the lesser of two evils? Anchoring overnight with no protection from wind or the local boats that ply the waters without lights or keeping a watch; OR sailing overnight on the banks without the ability to see the depth, and trying to stay awake?

Much of our answer will be determined by what time frame we have with calm(er) winds, and what the other boats who are left here decide to do. Several boats that we crossed from Miami with have moved on, but we hear their passages were not terribly comfortable. Having the girls on board makes us happy to wait for friendlier seas.

Meanwhile, we have been enjoying the slower Bahamian pace of life. We have joined a bonfire on the beach, walked around North Bimini, sampled local fare (including great daily-baked Bimini bread, conch fritters and mango ice cream), chatted with knowledgeable fisherman and watched them feed the tarpon and sharks with their scraps. That's a 7' bull shark in the last picture.

This afternoon we took the water taxi to South Bimini and visited the shark lab there. We were given a tour by Lindsay, the assistant manager, who shared some great information about Lemon Sharks, and their habitats. Once we had toured the lab, we waded out to a small holding pen they have in the sand and saw a "little lemon" and even got to touch it. Very cool!