About the Biminis
Bimini is 47 miles east of
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, so close that you can
see the glow of the cities at night. This island
is by far the closest in the Bahamas to the
United States. It is a short journey by plane or
boat from Florida making it very accessible for
both U.S. and Canadian travelers. Many take
seaplanes or private yachts to this sleepy
island.
Bimini has remained
relatively unchanged over the years and is a very
quiet and peaceful place to live or stay. Its
population is a bit over 1,600 and Biminites are
friendly and welcome you to join them for
conversation. Two islands comprise Bimini, North
Bimini and South Bimini. More densely populated
is North Bimini, where within the town of
Alicetown all shops, restaurants, hotels, marinas
and attractions are within walking distance; no
transportation is required to get around. Most
visitors stay in North Bimini rather than the
sparsely populated South Bimini. A ferryboat
runs between the islands for
a two dollar fee. South Bimini has the airport
and the American owned Bimini Sands Resort with
its docks, fuel stations, convenience store and
restaurant.
Bimini has a checkered past
from being the home of pirates in the early days
to rum-runners in the 1920s during prohibition
and drug- runners in the eighties and
nineties. It has also been the hideout of a
former president (Richard Nixon) and the hangout
of a presidential hopeful (Gary Hart). It is
believed that the Fountain of Youth is located in
the ocean passage between North and South
Bimini. There is also the healing hole which
draws many to dip in the waters hoping for health
and cures. The Lost City of Atlantis is believed
to be in the shallow waters off of Bimini where
divers can observe the symmetrical slabs known as
Bimini Stones. Many believe that the Bimini
Stones may have been a road leading into
Atlantis.
Bimini is most famous for big
game fishing in its surrounding waters. There
are many fishing tournaments from spring through
fall drawing sportsfishermen from around the
world. A wide variety of fish are sought
including tuna, grouper, snapper, wahoo and
marlin.
Once Ernest Hemingway had discovered Bimini it
quickly became his favorite retreat. He was
drawn to the big game fishing and local bars and
hang outs. He wrote two of his novels mainly
while in Bimini. You can view his home on the
north island but his favorite bar burned to the
ground in January, 2006 taking all of the
Hemingway memorabilia with it. There is talk of
constructing a replica of the bar and
museum. .
Hemingway netted the island's first big catch
of tuna, a 381-pounder in the 1930s. The 350
million dollar project called the Bimini Bay
Resort & Casino and golf course is being
built on the north side of the north island. The
Hotel and Casino has been contracted to be run by
Conrad Hotels, a division of Hilton Hotels.
Diving, snorkeling, beaching, kayaking and
nature activities are very popular in addition to
big game fishing. Bonefishing is also very good
and many good guides are available.
About the
house
Exhausted Income was built by Ken Rorabaugh
and his father-in-law, Paul Chestnut in
1991. After using the house themselves while
frequently visiting and working in Bimini they
each built their own homes on the island and used
Exhausted Income as a rental unit.
My brother-in-law Fred Macklin and I bought
the house in May of 2005. Since then we have
secured and resurfaced the dock, tiled most of
the flooring and painted the interior of the
house. I think you return renters will be
pleasantly surprised with the improvements to the
place. I met several of the longstanding renters
as I was working on the house. It seems that the
house holds a lot of fond memories of good
fishing and great times for these
"regulars".
The house is a two bedroom unit with three
couches in the family room which make it possible
to sleep seven. It has a full kitchen and bath
and a great porch to relax and unwind after a
long day of fishing or diving. We are located in
the Port Royale development on the southwestern
tip of South Bimini on the canal which of course
leads directly to the ocean. The use of our 100
foot dock is included while staying with us and
is also available for rent if you prefer to stay
on your boat. Electrical hookup and well water
washdown is available on the dock.
We rent the house and the dock at a very
reasonable rate because we hope to have our
guests return many times in the future. We also
appreciate guests who treat our property as if it
were their own. Give us a call, you'll be glad
you did. My office in Northern Kentucky is now
handling the rental bookings. When you call our
toll free number and they answer "Bertke Brothers", ask to speak to Heather. The office is
open Monday thru Friday 9-5 Eastern time. Thank
You
Dave Bertke
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