Docking at the marina.

[Victor75]

Hello everyone. Need advice please. 4 years boating, trailering, but never used marinas for anything except for fueling a couple of times. Don't know much about them and how they operate. I'd like to cross to Abaco islands from florida and use marinas there to dock my boat to go visit places. Different Cays different towns i'd like to see there every day during my 2 weeks vacation. My question is how can I use marinas there , where do i dock my boat to leave for a few hrs at the time. Do I just pull up to one and start calling them on the radio or how do I find available dock ? I also want to use them for a few hrs a day so do they have hourly rate there for me to pay or how does it work guys ?

Thanks,
Victor.

[Enrique100]

Originally Posted by Victor75

Hello everyone. Need advice please. 4 years boating, trailering, but never used marinas for anything except for fueling a couple of times. Don't know much about them and how they operate. I'd like to cross to Abaco islands from florida and use marinas there to dock my boat to go visit places. Different Cays different towns i'd like to see there every day during my 2 weeks vacation. My question is how can I use marinas there , where do i dock my boat to leave for a few hrs at the time. Do I just pull up to one and start calling them on the radio or how do I find available dock ? I also want to use them for a few hrs a day so do they have hourly rate there for me to pay or how does it work guys ?

Thanks,
Victor.

Radio them as you approach and see where they want to put you. Or anchor in a safe spot and dinghy ashore.

[FSMike]

Comparatively few marinas are likely to have hourly rates. If you want to go ashore for less than a day best to anchor and dinghy in.
Then all you have to do is find a dinghy dock. Usually not too hard, just make sure you have permission.

[SilentOption]

If you want your first trip to be a happy one I suggest keeping it simple. Choose one or two places to go ahead of time. Use the internet to find the closest marina to where you want to go or get a book that lists marina details. There are many books that info about the Abacos. Check West Marine or other marine book stores. Once you have a plan call them before you leave Florida to make sure you can clear customs there. If not they can tell you where to go first. I just found this with a simple search. The Abacos | The Official Site of The Bahamas
In general...Even if you don't have a plan marinas all over the world operate pretty much the same. You can pull in unannounced and just go to the fuel dock and tell them you want to stay for a few hours or longer. They will direct you. One thing to consider though is popular places like say the Abacos might be completely booked so calling ahead would allow you to reserve a spot. Be safe have fun!!

[Victor75]

Thanks guys. Hopefully they wouldn't say too much that I've parked my dinghy at the wrong place ashore seeing their town.

[Victor75]

Also what are you calling '' out islands '' in the bahamas? Where and what are those?

Thanks everyone.

[TomLewis]

Interesting, I have never been able to just pull in for a couple of hours, visit, maybe have lunch and leave for the next place. There was never enough hours in the day for that. Plan on only one stop per day unless you are the flash!

[Cylinder]

Originally Posted by Victor75

Also what are you calling '' out islands '' in the bahamas? Where and what are those?

Thanks everyone.

Out Islands generally are Bahamian islands other than New Providence and Grand Bahama. A vast majority (probably > 90%) of Bahamians live either in Freeport or Nassau. From a US perspective, you probably wouldn't include Bimini just because of proximity and local culture -- though it is an Out Island from a Bahamian perspective.

A kind of synonymous term is Family Islands but that is often perceived more to associate with local culture rather than population density, administrative capacity or geographic location.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Cylinder.

[Victor75]

Thanks everyone

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by Cylinder

Out Islands generally are Bahamian islands other than New Providence and Grand Bahama. A vast majority (probably > 90%) of Bahamians live either in Freeport or Nassau. From a US perspective, you probably wouldn't include Bimini just because of proximity and local culture -- though it is an Out Island from a Bahamian perspective.

A kind of synonymous term is Family Islands but that is often perceived more to associate with local culture rather than population density, administrative capacity or geographic location.

The farther away from Nassau the more "out" are the out islands lol.
The Exumas and the Abacos are getting so popular they aren't very "out" anymore.