FL Keys to Bahamas via S. Riding Rock ?

[alaskadog]

We plan to go to the Bahamas soon. Currently in Tarpon Springs having work done on the boat. Perhaps within 3 or 4 weeks. We hope to stage from Marathon and cross the Gulf Stream from there, taking advantage of the favorable current and hopefully southerly winds. Has anyone experience with arriving on the Banks in the vicinity of S. Riding Rock? And where would you recommend checking in to the country? Is there customs & immigration on Chubb Cay? Thanks much for any insight.

[AnchorageGuy]

Joe, your arrival will be pretty straight forward. Be sure and have current charts and follow them. Explorer Charts are the preferred and IMHO the only charts to have. Yes you can check in at Chubb Cay. You will probably need to anchor on the banks overnight although some run the banks at night. It can be done. We usually leave Marathon late afternoon.

[imagine2frolic]

I second the Explorer Charts......have fun.....i2f

[Vasco]

We go right to Nassau to check in. Entry can now be done at Chubb again but it is now a very high end development and I don't know what the marina might charge there. Nassau is very good, the officials come down to the marina and if you're anchored you can go to them at the cruise ship docks. Many folks run the banks at night. With Explorer charts and GPS it's no big deal. We'll be crossing around the end of December if I ever get out of Toronto. It's getting cold here now.

[imagine2frolic]

The club at Cat Cay wanted $100.00 several years ago to tie the dinghy to the dock to check in, so I sailed on to Nassau. Is this now the way Chubb runs it's marina? I have anchored out in Bimini, and Nassau to check in. Bimini wanted me to get a slip. I told them as soon as they stamp me in I will leave, or I will simply go to Nassau. They stamped me in right away.

[GordMay]

Chubb Cay Marina’s daily dockage rate is $3.50 per Foot (Minimum 40' = $140) plus $30/day for 30A electricity.

[opsailor]

Last year we checked in at Bimini. We anchored one night at Nixon's Harbor at South Bimini, and took a dock at Bimini Bluewater Marina, $1.25 ft. The folks at customs and immigration were polite and very outgoing. Also let me get 120 days instead of the standard 90 day permit, so we wouldn't have to make a second call at immigration somewhere. Also some anchoring in the harbor, where no one was bothered. As far as I know....

[alaskadog]

Thanks much for sharing your knowldege. It is good to know that the approach to the banks at Riding Rocks is an OK entry point for the Banks. Because the check in points in the Biminis is so far off my rhumline, I was interested in the situation at Chub Cay. Gords information cinched it for me. I will bypass Chub and I won't bother checking in there but will likely do my check in at Nassau. On the other hand, I hear there is a port of entry at Nicholls Town on Andros Island. Has anyone had experience with checking in there? The charts show it to have a quite narrow and shallow entrance channel.

[Curtis]

Hey AlaskaDog,

We keep our SO40 in Tarpon Springs. If you need any local info, please don't hesitate to ask...

Curtis

[Vasco]

You can check in at Fresh Creek (Morgans Bluff), Andros. This is where the tankers get the fresh water that Nassau uses. The anchorage is not the best. In a blow you sometimes can get permission to anchor in the small commercial harbour. I have never checked in there but friends have. The problem is it's not a good spot to be caught in when it blows and if you cross prior to a front (that's when most cross as the wind starts to clock) the front will catch up to you at Fresh Creek! Your best bet is to go straight to Nassau and if the Tongue of the Ocean is a bit too rough go and hide behind Fraziers Hog Cay which is really a continuation of Chubb Cay. If you anchor here make sure you find a patch of good sand.

[imagine2frolic]

Yes the east end of chub is hard. I anchored off an old club there. About 1inch of my anchor stuck, but like a nail it was. I had to swim down with a trip line to get it out, and motor over it a couple of times.

[Vasco]

There are quite a few good sandy spots there. Don't go too far east as it shallows fast. And don't go too far north as it's coral with an inch of sand. I think the guide books tell you to go to the end (north) and I've seen quite a few boats go up there but they eventually come back down to where the holding's a lot better.

[sailcapt]

In Nov 2006, the marina at Chubb wanted to charge $100.00 to tye up to the fuel dock for check in. Sail on to Nassau, you can tie up to the customs dock and check in. When finished, move over to Rose Island for the night. You will be much more comfortable there than in Nassau. Have a fun trip.

[opsailor]

Good advise re: Rose Island. I also understand that if you check in at Nassau, you can get a six months cruising permit vs. three months most anywhere else.

[alaskadog]

Thanks to all very much for the great information. I've copied it to a file so that I can refer to it later. Looks like a check-in at Nassau for us. After that we hope to go to Eleuthera for a while before heading to the Exumas and points south.