Anyone clear customs at West End in the Bahamas recently?

[bahamarich]

I second that, the Bimini Sands Marina is one of the nicest marinas in the Bahamas. Beautiful floating docks and an excellent staff, only 1.15 per foot for dockage. I have cleared in and stayed there for a few days for the last two seasons. I have spent eight winter seasons sailing in the Bahamas.

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Not to thread drift but we just left bimini Sands, it was beautiful clean, and power worked at both docks we were at and all 9 other boats friends of ours were at. Not sure if it improved that much. Since your visit but they have two pools, one is a new beautiful infiniti pool. And they have the best prices of any marina i have ever been to. The restaraunt at the point is great though pricey the restaraunt over the office is incredible and affordable. The beaches were nice clean only big opportunity i felt could be nicer bathrooms and showers.

I apologize, you are absolutely correct. I confused Bimini Sands with Bimini Beach Club and Marina on the south end. And it really has nothing to do with clearing at West End. Chuck

[FLLCatsailor]

We can all agree though that Bimini is a dump though right?

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by FLLCatsailor

We can all agree though that Bimini is a dump though right?

Compared to what? We can find trash or garbage anywhere we look, we loved it, was there sunk stuff here and there and dead fish heads etc floating, yes, but I guess it just depends on what your expectations are, We went to Berrys and the internet ad showed a nice swin up pool bar and just all kinds of glamour, we go there , I think the swamp thing or creature from black lagoon was spawning in the pool, and the restaraunt looked like a road kill cafe, but we still had a blast!

[FLLCatsailor]

Sarcasm is hard to pick up on cruisers forum sometimes... All joking aside... Bimini is a place I always skip over...

[bahamarich]

South Bimini is a nice little island and the Bimini Sands Marina is a great marina with friendly helpful staff and floating docks in great shape. The two pools are crystal clear and the ground beautifully kept. There is no current and the marina is somewhat protected from the wind. Customs is close by at the airport. It's all just 300 yards south of Bimini.

Seems like it's better to concentrate on the many great spots in the Bahamas. You can't judge the USA on Gary, Indiana. Rich

[tedprosser]

Looking for advise on crossing from Stuart , Fl to the West End of the Bahamas,
I have a 43 ft power boat that will cruise at 16 -19 knots. It will be my first time crossing the Gulf Stream. Leaving Stuart Fl heading to the West End an on to the Abacos

Is it best to go down from Stuart to Lake Worth inlet to cross to the West End or go from Stuart straight to the West End.

Thanks!

[FLLCatsailor]

Originally Posted by tedprosser

Looking for advise on crossing from Stuart , Fl to the West End of the Bahamas,
I have a 43 ft power boat that will cruise at 16 -19 knots. It will be my first time crossing the Gulf Stream. Leaving Stuart Fl heading to the West End an on to the Abacos

Is it best to go down from Stuart to Lake Worth inlet to cross to the West End or go from Stuart straight to the West End.

Thanks!

I would head down to lake worth, top up on fuel and cross straight to Green turtle cay if the plan is to cruise the Abacos.

[jkangas]

Do any of you guys clear at Walkers or Grand cay? We cleared there a few weeks ago. The lady that cleared us (Bonita) was so very nice and friendly. It was one of the most pleasant clearings I've ever done...

[macart]

We have cleared at West End on a number of occasions. $150 for boats up to 30'. $300 if over thirty feet in length. $20 for each person over 3.

You can clear there and immediately depart without having to get a slip. It is one of the more expensive marinas. We stayed there for 3 days last year. Best to pay with cash when you leave. We were charged for an extra day on my credit card and I never was able to clear that up.

Another option is to clear at Walker's Cay if you don't want to go all the way to Green Turtle or Treasure Cay. The customs office is next to the end of the runway. Everything else at Walker's was destroyed in the 2005 hurricanes. The marina is closed however you can pull in to clear with customs. Good fishing and diving with a settlement at Grand Cay just to the east. Nearby, Double Breasted Cay is one of the most beautiful spots in the Bahamas.

Good cruising,

Captain Don & the Pineapple Princess (Janey)

[roberttigar]

Cleared at West End just about a month ago. Very easy. No, you do not need to stay at marina, just pull up on the sea wall tie up and register. You can leave if you want, but marina is very nice and the restaurant is great. The dockage is approx $2/ft. Yes any vessel over 30' is $300.
Bob Tigar

[Nimble1]

We just returned from a 3 week trip to the Bahamas and the Abacos and checked in at Spanish Cay(on a friends 52' Ocean). We arrived after the Customs lady left for the day (5:00) so we docked for the evening. Even though the Customs office says they will open at 7:00, she actually does not get there until 8:00 as she comes over from the big island.
Normally only the captain is supposed to get off the boat but the dockhand told us its a private island and we could do what we wanted...LOL Actually, I think they wanted us to use their bar and store.
We left the islands from West End and spent one night there. The marina was very nice and the restaurant looked nice too. If you are planning on coming in on the weekend and staying there, I would definitely call for reservations as they get real crowded.