Bimini

2/1/2017
We took a day trip to Bimini, Bahamas with Don and Robin Thomas, as well as his daughter and her boyfriend. FRS Ferry Service took us over in just under two hours.
Not much to do in Bimini but dive, fish and drink. There is a Holiday Inn on the island and several other old hotels. Hemingway used to spend time here. The place he hung out and had lots of pictures and memorabilia form his time on the island burnt down a few years ago.  Bimini was one of settings in Hemingway's book Islands in the Stream.

They had a ramp to make the ocean accessible.

 We rented a golf cart to roll around in.

This place sells conch salad and cold rum drinks.

A giant pile of conch shells. The shells were everywhere.

Lunch break!

My lunch. B.K.O knock out punch. Man did it ever! Great stuff on a hot day!

Coconut Brian. He mixed rum into the coconut water and make a smooth concoction. He also offered a wide variety of recreational drugs, or so he claimed.

 We had a rushed dinner and got back on the ferry at 5 for a six o'clock sailing. We were back in Miami at 8pm.

January and February collage

Patrick and I go to Shake-A-Leg every Friday to sail or fish. They received a replica of Ernest Hemingway's boat Pilar. I was built by Walter Schultz who owns Shannon Yachts in Rhode Island. A long story short, he built it to be a fishing boat in Key West, plans fell through and he ended up converting it into an accessible boat. He is allowing Shake to use it in their program.

My dream boat.

Walter Schultz. The man showed up with a cigar in his mouth and a tape measure on his hip. Really nice guy. He is now building handicap accessible sailboats and a powerboat.

 Our second excursion on the Pilar was to go fishing. We took Patrick's friend Dom. We were expecting to hook up with some good fish because all the guys were talking about the last trip where they caught some big fish and two small sharks.

The boys caught some small fish. Dom kept two and the boys cleaned them and cooked them over a fire.

 One of the times we went sailing, we saw a large group of Cigarette boats and other go fasters.

 Patrick and I went to see the Denzer Collection: Miami Auto Museum.  It is a two building collection of exotic cars, has a collection of James Bond vehicles, movie props and memorabilia, a collection of Batman movie vehicles (no Tumbler, the best Bat vehicle;-) and lots of Vespa and other scooters and many, many cars.    

K.I.T.T.

Mad Max's Ford

The Fort Lauderdale International Airport began life as a Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, a training facility for the US Navy and British pilots. They trained trained pilots to fly the Avenger, a fighter/bomber. Their most famous pilot was George H.W. Bush. The airfield was also home to infamous Flight 19, a flight of aviators who disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.
The last building of the old base was preserved as a Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum

The man in the green shirt is Buddy Galvin. He was a bomber/navigator during WW2 in the European theater. He donates his time to the museum. He also flew in the search effort for Flight 19.

Becky and I went out to lunch for Valentine's Day at Dune Deck Cafe in Lantana Beach. This is one of my favorite places to hang out. They have a small boardwalk onto of the dune and you have a clear view of the beach and ocean from the Dune Deck Bar. We dropped Patrick off at Dark Angel Forge so he could take a beginner blacksmithing class.  He enjoyed it and made a hook. It has a twist in it but his hand is covering the twist.