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22-12-2016, 06:02
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#1
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S/V rubber ducky
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
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Bahamas Cruising Guides
So many cruising guides out there and no way to skim through them on the internet.
What guides do people recommend for the Bahamas?
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
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22-12-2016, 06:26
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Rocky's Boat Yard
Boat: Tayana V42 - Passages
Posts: 611
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
While not a "Cruising Guide", the Explorer Charts are the gold standard.
__________________
You can make more money but you can't make more time.
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22-12-2016, 06:35
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Boat: Mahe 36, Helia 44 Evo, MY 37
Posts: 5,731
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
Active Captain is updated by the minute
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22-12-2016, 07:14
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#5
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: 29° 49.16’ N 82° 25.82’ W
Boat: Pearson 422
Posts: 16,306
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
No doubt the Explorer Charts are the gold standard for navigation but they don't really give much information beyond that.
If you want details about marinas, restaurants, bars (surely Sailorboy1 would never frequent that sort of establishment), local sites, etc then a guidebook is wanted.
The old, original is the Yachtsman's Guide to the Bahamas. Includes routes, navigation, harbor details etc but also all the info mentioned above. I think the Waterway Guide has a Bahamas edition that offers the same info but I haven't personally seen their book.
__________________
The water is always bluer on the other side of the ocean.
Sometimes it's necessary to state the obvious for the benefit of the oblivious.
Rust is the poor man's Loctite.
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22-12-2016, 07:30
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#6
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: 29° 49.16’ N 82° 25.82’ W
Boat: Pearson 422
Posts: 16,306
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cotemar
Active Captain is updated by the minute
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Yes. Maybe the best resource for marinas, anchoraging, etc but not much info about restaurants and beeratoriums.
__________________
The water is always bluer on the other side of the ocean.
Sometimes it's necessary to state the obvious for the benefit of the oblivious.
Rust is the poor man's Loctite.
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22-12-2016, 07:36
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cruising the east coast and Bahamas
Boat: Pearson 422
Posts: 228
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
We like:
Cruising Guide to the Abacos, Dodge
The Exuma Guide, Pavlidis
As others have said already: Explorer Chart books and Active Captain comments.
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22-12-2016, 08:10
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Marion, Ma
Boat: Little Harbor 38
Posts: 301
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcapo
While not a "Cruising Guide", the Explorer Charts are the gold standard.
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Does anyone know when the next Explorer Chart update will come out?
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22-12-2016, 09:00
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tampa Bay area, USA
Boat: Beneteau First 42
Posts: 3,961
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
For what its worth, we bought the supposedly latest Pavlidis cruising guides--all three--on line from his web site about 18 months ago. I was very disappointed to discover that the latest printing (based upon the copyright stamp) was 2010 and, in reading the text, many of the referrals are made to 2008-'09 which, in my view, is pretty seriously out of date given the shifting nature of the bottom and conditions in the Bahamas. Note too that the editing is terrible. In many places whole paragraphs of text are repeated, sometimes seemingly at random, and there is (in my view) whole sections devoted to material irrelevant to pertinent, current, information. And reference chartlets are often, if not universally, displaced from the text that describes their features so one has to keep flipping back and forth between the pages with the chartlets and the relevant text. Frankly, while some swear by the books, I was not impressed and would be very circumspect about relying on a good deal of the information without first being able the confirm it with a survey by dinghy--particularly with respect to passes over shallows where one has narrow margins for error.
Again, FWIW...
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"It is not so much for its beauty that the Sea makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from the waves, that so wonderfully renews a weary spirit."
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22-12-2016, 09:20
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posts: 349
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
Also, on the dodge website you can also download the route and waypoint files for your GPS that are covered in the book. It's around $5 and saves you from having to punch anything in manually.
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22-12-2016, 10:01
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Beaufort, SC
Boat: 2004 Hunter 41 AC
Posts: 310
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
In addition to the above, we also used the Waterway Guide. Lots of current, useful info.
Scott
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22-12-2016, 10:44
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#12
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CF Adviser Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Virginia
Boat: Island Packet 380, now sold
Posts: 8,942
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
The Explorer Charts website has some good, current information, e.g., fuel and dockage prices for various marinas.
Welcome to Explorer Chartbooks
__________________
Hud
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22-12-2016, 14:47
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Jacksonville/ out cruising
Boat: Island Packet 38
Posts: 31,351
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Bahamas Cruising Guides
I have Yachtsman's guide and Waterway guide, I can't validate either, but can verify both exist and claim to be updated.
In Florida so far I have relied heavily on Active Capt.
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22-12-2016, 15:23
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
I like Pavlidis. Some of his info. might seem a bit dated but he does give good background information and some interesting stories. As for shifting nature of the bottom that svHyLyte mentions I haven't seen a lot of changes in the bottom. The sand bores increase or decrease at a very slow rate. I enjoy Pavlidis' stories. Now I don't think Pavlidis has been in the Bahamas since 2002 or 2003 when I last saw him there but his guides are very good reading. For piloting use Explorer charts.
Whatever you do don't waste your money on the Bahamas Yachtsmans Guide
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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23-12-2016, 05:08
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#15
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S/V rubber ducky
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
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Re: Bahamas Cruising Guides
[QUOTE=skipmac;2285536
If you want details about marinas, restaurants, bars (surely Sailorboy1 would never frequent that sort of establishment),
[/QUOTE]
They had those in the Bahamas?
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
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