May 26, 2009. Dinghy has been stolen which forces us to return too Bimini Basin (Cape Coral, Fl) to start the search again. Having a 5.5′ draft makes it pretty difficult to pull in for supplies and to enjoy the islands we plan to visit. Motoring. Departed Picnic Island (Sanibel, Fl) ~11am. Engine cranked right up. No problems. Steven pulled the anchor. Best pull yet. Took less than 5 minutes to haul in the anchor/mooring ball and get the boat turned around towards the ICW. Winds ~6-8kts. Making 5.3kts with the wind blowing over starboard. Throttled down to 5kts due to engine blowing black smoke. Guess 5.3 in this wind is too much for our jumpy 27hp diesel. Bumped 5.9kts after turning NE. On a side note: Thanks, Joyful Spirit, for hogging the ICW and cutting us off. Anchored at Bimini Basin ~12:45pm. You can make great time when the wind decides to be helpful. A warm welcome from Tony aboard Miss Cindy.
