Entering North Bimini with 6.5 foot draft?

[YachtCalypso]

Just wondering is anyone could provide local knowledge regarding any difficulty entering the channel into North Bimini toward the marinas located there with a sailboat with a 6.5 foot draft? Looking to sail and check in there in April.

Thanks!

[CSY Man]

Should not be a problem with the new channel, but I would wait for high slack tide.

Shallow spot at at the entrance to the harbour to your starboard at the point of South Bimini.

[waterworldly]

We are currently in North Bimini, at Bimini Bay, and have been in and out for about 2 months now. It is a bit tricky, and we have gone out in our dinghy several times during our stay and found sailboats aground, and have helped get them off by pushing and pulling etc. and then leading them to deeper water with a handheld depth sounder. One had a draft of 9'!I would suggest that you take it at high tide (or at least a rising tide), and then DON'T CUT THE CORNER when making the turn to port. This is the biggest mistake. They have put in two markers further out to give you some direction. Head toward the entrance to Bimini Sands (the pink buildings) and make the turn fairly close to shore, in an almost right angle manner. There is one skinny spot, but you will be fine after you cross it. Keep the white (with red line) marker on your starboard side as you enter the narrow channel and you will be fine. The bottom is sand all the way in, so go slow. If you touch at a slow speed it is super easy to back off.

[pete33458]

Some of the marinas have very shallow spots on the approach from the channel too, if you're going into one, make sure you get good instructions about the approach... Otherwise the previous advice is spot on: just don't make your turn to port too early. And don't try to enter with a brisk onshore wind (westerly, which is pretty rare anyway). pete