Suggestions on Luperon & George Town?

[Kim Petersen]

Hi guys:

I'll be sailing north from Tortola to George Town shortly in our Nordhavn 40 and would appreciate some guidance:

1) The plan is to sail directly from Road Town to Luperon due to a time crunch with my two crew. We plan to overnight in Luperon, arriving around 10:00 am and departing the following day at 15:00 pm. Looking for an easy-in/easy-out marina that's safe and clean and where we can check-in with customs & immigration, grab a decent meal ashore, and maybe have a modest resupply (water, etc.). Any suggestions?

2) From Luperon we will sail N to South Caicos for an overnight anchorage, and then head out at daybreak across the bank for Provo where we will anchor and stay for 36-hours. Suggestions for activities, etc. in Provo?

3) From Provo we head to Mayaguana (thoughts and recommendations?) to check-in for the Bahamas, spend about 18 hours resting up, and then heading to George Town for a crew change and a 2 1/2 day layover. Having never been to George Town I have several questions: a) Best anchorage supporting a draft of 1.5m (5 feet) that also provides easy access to town? b) Must-do/see activities in George Town? Restaurants? Bars? Beaches? c) From George Town we have six-days to make our way to Ft. Lauderdale. We're looking at several options, including Staniel Cay, Warderick Wells, Norman Cay, Chub Cay or Whale Cay, and ending in Bimini before the sail NW to home. Pretty compressed, unfortunately, but work commitments dictate. Thoughts or suggestions?

4) When departing George Town north, is it recommended to take an early cut W to get out of Exuma Sound and make N via the Bank? If so, which cut N of George Town is best?

Lot's of questions there, but I would greatly appreciate hearing from those with experience in the Exumas. Many thanks in advance!

Kim

[skipmac]

One suggestion, you have put out a pretty tight schedule. On more than one occasion I have spent most of a day clearing customs in the Bahamas or the T&C Islands. Sometimes you get lucky and and do it in an hour or three or five but don't count on it.

Your overnight in Luperon may allow just enough time to clear in one day and out the next.

[skipmac]

Georgetown. You will be in the very large and somewhat open Elizabeth Harbor. The town is on the west side. Just anchor off the town and take your dinghy in to Lake Victoria (under the little stone bridge) and tie up at the dinghy dock. Club Peace and Plenty has a wonderful view of the harbor.

If the wind is blowing hard out of the east there is about a 1 mile fetch across the harbor so can get choppy anchored off the town.

Leaving Georgetown just go out the north entrance. Sounds like you are in a hurry so I would stay on the sound side unless the weather is rough. Otherwise plenty of places to duck into the banks side but some shallow areas for 5' draft south. Unless you want to take your time and watch the tides I would stay outside until Farmer's Cut.

[Kim Petersen]

Great advice, Skip. I really appreciate your taking the time to help out.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Kim Petersen

Great advice, Skip. I really appreciate your taking the time to help out.

Very welcome and enjoy the trip. Too bad you don't have more time to stop and smell the roses. First time I made that trip I took two months and could have taken longer.

[mrohr]

The best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray. ----------Robert Burns (almost)

[bahamarich]

I have made this trip sailing and skipped the DR, which serves no purpose unless you need to take on fuel. Heading east the stop in the DR may be useful to wait for weather to cross the Mona Passage. I might even consider passing up the Turks and Caicos if the weather is good and you still do not need fuel.

[Capt RonB]

First thing is you need to get the Explorer Charts for the Bahamas... second thing is almost all passes and bays require good light for navigation. Preferably sun behind you.

T&C ... Provo is cruise ship oriented on the north side ... fairly high crime rate on Provo. Locals not very friendly. Use Wavy Line charts coral heads on charts are symbols only you must keep your eyes on the water. Anchor in Sapodilla Bay to clear in or out.

Mayaguana...use Explorer charts and waypoints ... not much here for supplies... anchor in Abrahams Bay enter on the western end anchor near dock on the northeastern end... watch out for coral heads one eye on the depth. Good snorkeling but sharkey.

Georgetown ... Explorer Charts have very excellent waypoints for entrances and channels. Enter south end from rounding Cape Santa Maria on Long Island follow waypoints but keep your eyeballs on the water. Anchor off the beaches on Stocking Island the anchorages are obvious but beware of the ship channels shown on the charts. Hamburger (in front of the Monument) and Sanddollar have better holding than Volleyball beach. Good holding near town but watch out for ship channel and shallow water. Locals here are great, very friendly and helpful, low crime rate, you can safely hitchhike anywhere. Several decent grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, a building supplies store. You can get anything from the states flown in here.

Exit Elizabeth Harbor on the north end follow Explorer waypoints...used to be some reefs marked in the harbor but privately maintained. If you see them, believe them but they might not be there.

Your next chance to get inside the Exumas is Rudder Cut but Galliot Cut and Farmers Cut can be used just follow the Explorer waypoints.

General warning .... all of the Exumas cuts can be bad when the wind and tide are opposed for quite a long ways out.

Big Warning .... do not rely on Navionics charts anywhere in the Bahamas. They are just plain wrong in critical areas. Explorer Charts are extensively cruiser tested and can be relied on.

Good luck!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Capt RonB

First thing is you need to get the Explorer Charts for the Bahamas... second thing is almost all passes and bays require good light for navigation. Preferably sun behind you.

Both excellent points, especially eyeball navigation. Even with the best charts and waypoints I would not enter a new harbor or channel without excellent visibility. Always use eyeball navigation to confirm what any chart tells you, and take it slow.

Originally Posted by Capt RonB

T&C ... Provo is cruise ship oriented on the north side ... fairly high crime rate on Provo. Locals not very friendly. Use Wavy Line charts coral heads on charts are symbols only you must keep your eyes on the water. Anchor in Sapodilla Bay to clear in or out.

Sorry to hear that. It has been about 30 years since I was in Provo and it was a sleepy little stop-over on the way to the VI and about as safe as anywhere in that part of the world.

[Double-Wide]

More info about Georgetown. Make sure you check out the St Francis YC - an excellent bar and grill. They also rent moorings. Chat &Chill on stocking Island is the center of activities.

I would not miss a stop in the Exuma Land & Sea park at Warderick Wells. Lot' to see in the Exumas.

[MarkJ]

Having another look at this thread. It seems the OP is making very short stops just to rest up... not to enjoy the locations. So why stop at all? Why nt go direct BVIs - Georgetown? Or direct to the places they do want to actually stop and have a look? A dinner at a marina is not toruism.

[AnchorageGuy]

Kim, There is only one marina in Luperon and it should be easy for you to get in and out. BUT, doing an overnight and clearing in and out may be a problem there. Ocean World Marina just east of Luperon might be a better option. Chuck

[capttman]

Hmmmm Provo a must stop fun safe relaxing. Do i travel with my eyes closed?

[bahamarich]

I don't know about if your eyes are closed, but if you stay too long in Provo the cruising fee is reported to be pretty steep, so keep your wallet open. So if you stop either plan a quick exit or stay for as long as the fancy priced cruising permit allows. Rich

[redsky49]

Originally Posted by Capt RonB

First thing is you need to get the Explorer Charts for the Bahamas... second thing is almost all passes and bays require good light for navigation. Preferably sun behind you.


Georgetown ... Explorer Charts have very excellent waypoints for entrances and channels. Enter south end from rounding Cape Santa Maria on Long Island follow waypoints but keep your eyeballs on the water. Anchor off the beaches on Stocking Island the anchorages are obvious but beware of the ship channels shown on the charts. Hamburger (in front of the Monument) and Sanddollar have better holding than Volleyball beach. Good holding near town but watch out for ship channel and shallow water. Locals here are great, very friendly and helpful, low crime rate, you can safely hitchhike anywhere. Several decent grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, a building supplies store. You can get anything from the states flown in here.
In all but strong winds with a westerly component, your best bet is to anchor in the lee of Stocking Island - Hamburger being my preferred beach, though it is a longer dinghy ride to the "Chat-n-Chill"!
Exit Elizabeth Harbor on the north end follow Explorer waypoints...used to be some reefs marked in the harbor but privately maintained. If you see them, believe them but they might not be there.
Watch out for the mostly submerged reef at the north entrance to the harbor. It seems to catch an unwary boater annually.
Your next chance to get inside the Exumas is Rudder Cut but Galliot Cut and Farmers Cut can be used just follow the Explorer waypoints.
If the sea state allows, head further north to Dotham Cut before returning to the Banks. This is one of the easier cuts to navigate, with a pretty anchorage at Black Point just past the cut. If the tide is against you or the water is rough, passage through the cuts (Farmers for example) can be challenging. See posters note below.
General warning .... all of the Exumas cuts can be bad when the wind and tide are opposed for quite a long ways out.

Big Warning .... do not rely on Navionics charts anywhere in the Bahamas. They are just plain wrong in critical areas. Explorer Charts are extensively cruiser tested and can be relied on.

Good luck!

I would echo the thoughts of others and skip some of the stopovers you have listed. Especially if you can cruise at 8 knots.
Have a great cruise!