(Bob Gets) 120 Days

     The alarm was set for 3:45 AM, but we didn't need an alarm to get us up this morning, the start of our Bahamas adventure.  I was up at 3:20 AM and Sharon was right behind me.  After we had secured everything for the crossing, the anchor was up and stowed, and we were underway at 4 AM sharp.  We had a good start going out the inlet, Government Cut at South Beach and the shipping channel, until the very end of the channel, a freighter jumped us doing 9 knots.  Luckily, our new toy, a AIS (automated identification system) receiver warned us of the approaching freighter.  On the down side, we had to maneuver to the NW of the freighter which threw us off course for our rhumb line to Bimini.  As we maneuvered to get back on course we discovered we were in the gulf stream, and our attempts to get back on course gave us a SOG (speed over ground) of 2.5 knots.  Execute plan B.  By sunrise we were back on course for Bimini.   It was a beautiful day to be on the open sea where we chugged along at 6.0 knots.  Land was sighted at 10:30 AM and by 12:15 PM the hook (anchor) was set.  Our next chore was to clear customs and immigration.  Last year, immigration gave us 30 days and we spent the last 2 weeks of that 30 days trying to get an extension, which we did, one day prior to our visa expiration .  This year,  Bob "charmed" the young lady at immigration, who was going to give us only 30 days again, but Bob won her over and she gave us 120 days.