Planning a Trip to the Bahamas

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by taezow

---- never had a bridge open for us.

Wow this could fun.



Will

If the concept of a bridge opening for you sounds like fun, you'll be delirious with joy from Palm Beach to Lauderdale to Miami.
Have a great time.

[Cheechako]

A sail outside from Lauderdale to Biscayne can be done in a day and can be a great sail too. I'm not sure people do say "go to the Abacos" any more than elsewhere...? I say, "go to the Exumas"!

[Steve Pavlidis]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I say, "go to the Exumas"!

I have to agree with you. The waters are much prettier, much clearer. Definitely put it on your list to do one day.

Sometimes winter weather will cause you to spend extra days in a sheltered anchorage instead of being out sailing and exploring. If you only have three months to spare I'm sure you'll want to get the most out of that time. Getting to and from the Exumas eats up a few days, getting to and from the Abacos requires less time. If you're heading to Biscayne Bay in January you're pretty much mid-winter, so if you stay three months in The Bahamas you'll be returning in the early spring with lots of snowbirds. Those who were in the Exumas often travel back north via Eleuthera and the Abacos...food for thought.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...either way you go you'll have fun.

[taezow]

We are not very good at cruising. It is hard for us to say in one spot for very long. Hum--- maybe I should I instead of we.
That being said I think we will start at Indiantown and play it by ear from there. We will probably end up in south Florida waters, unless we get great crossing weather.

Why Miami? Well if I went to High School there I probably would not be very interested in going there either. I would say, “Because I have never done it”, But hey I have never shot myself in the foot either. Well not literally any way.

Thanks guys, you have been a great help.

Will

[Crwcjm57]

Steve,

I'm planning on basing myself out of eastern New Providence and was wondering if you had any suggestions as to what type of sailboat would be best for that part of Bahamas. I would prefer a monohull but am worried that it may be too restrictive for the shallow waters in the area. Would like to be able to cruise to the Exumas without too much worry. Any thoughts?
Also, there doesn't seem to be many sailboats around the Nassua area, more sport fishers than anything else. Any particular reason?
Thanks for your help
Jeff

[Steve Pavlidis]

Originally Posted by Crwcjm57

Steve, I'm planning on basing myself out of eastern New Providence and was wondering if you had any suggestions as to what type of sailboat would be best for that part of Bahamas. I would prefer a monohull but am worried that it may be too restrictive for the shallow waters in the area. Would like to be able to cruise to the Exumas without too much worry. Any thoughts? Also, there doesn't seem to be many sailboats around the Nassua area, more sport fishers than anything else. Any particular reason? Thanks for your help. Jeff

Jeff,

Therer's no particular sailboat that's best for the part of the Bahamas that you're talking about cruising. A monohull would certainly be fine. There are hundreds of monohulls sailing in the Exumas every year. In general 4.5'-6.5' of draft seems to be the norm but I've seen boats with 7'-9' drafts cruising the Exumas. They may not be able to access some anchorages, but they can move up and down the island chain and enjoy themselves just fine. And more places open up to you when you learn to read the water and play the tides. You'll find lots of folks on this forum that cruise the Exumas with drafts greater than 6'.

When you say you are basing yourself out of eastern NP, do you mean one of the housing developments with access to the water? If that's the case your choice of boat may have more to do with the depth of your access channel and dock.

Nassau is a popular spot and a major stopover for boats heading to the States, the Exumas, or points south. You'll see all kinds of boats in Nassau, both recreational and commercial (at times Nassau can be a very busy working harbour). There are lots of sailboats in Nassau, not just foreign cruisers, but members of the local sailing club. And yes, there are lots of power vessels too; some fishing locally, some on their way elsewhere, and some belonging to locals. The more upscale marinas (for instance Atlantis, Lyford Cay, or Hurricane Hole) love to cater to the big powerboat and mega-yacht set since there is so much money there, but you'll spot the occasional sailboat berthed there as well.

Hope this helps.

[Crwcjm57]

Thanks for your quick reply. All good to know. Yes, I'll be in one of the new housing developments in eastern New Providence that has its own marina with a 13' ft channel to open water so that shouldn't be a problem.
Really looking forward to it.

[nautical62]

The last time I was looking for a 30-ish foot monohull for the Bahamas, I looked very hard for one of the Westerly twin-keelers due to their shallow draft, either the Konsort or the Berwick. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one at a reasonable price, so ended up with a Hunter shoal draft that is 4'3".

I don't think there is any magical draft requirement for the Bahamas. It all depends on what you enjoy and where you wish to go and how much you want to wait fro tide. If your main goal is to spend the winter in Georgetown hitting some of the popular stops along the way, then a 6 foot draft will probably have few restrictions. I prefer to explore more which means shallower areas. Even with 4'3", I often can't get in as close as I'd like, must anchor out too far or wait for tides more than I'd like. If I had the funds, I'd get a cat with 3 feet or less draft, but that's just me.

[HopCar]

I think Homestead Bayfront Park might fit your needs for a south of Miami launch site.
Miami-Dade County - Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces - Homestead Bayfront Park

Drive south on the west coast of Florida. Cross to the east coast on Tamiami Trail. When the Tamiami Trail hits Krome Avenue, turn south. When you get to Homestead, work your way east to the marina which is in the southern end of Biscayne Bay. This way you avoid the big city. On week days the ramp in Homestead has little traffic.

The only problem with this is that you are about an hour south of my store! If you need marine supplies, I'll meet you half way down and make a delivery.

[casual]

Stuart Fl area will fit all of your needs,Lots of inland sailing area ramps a plenty,RV storage,and not nearly as crowded as Miami area,Crossing to Abacos is not bad from Lake Worth Inlet 30 miles S.Pretty straight shot have made it many times.If you want names of facilities for storage or any other needs Send me a private e ,I'll be glad to help.

[Stu Jackson]

What's water going for these days? Enough to make a watermaker viable financially? We had a friend who sailed to Mexico and thought a watermaker, after his solar panels, was his best investment. When he returned he sold it for 80% of his purchase price. Made a good trip great.

[onestepcsy37]

i've never been able to justify the cost of a watermaker in the bahamas, but that's just me. i suppose if you were a full time cruiser living aboard in out of the way places it could eventually be cost effective, but there is enough water available in the bahamas to discourage me from installing another 'machine' on board that needs to be taken care of.

also, in some of the more popular anchorages like georgetown where there are a large number of yachts using the harbor as their toilet i would think twice about running it.

i personally use tank water for everything but the admiral prefers bottled water for drinking and some cooking.

[nautical62]

Water prices will vary from place to place. I think I paid ten cents per gallon in Marsh Harbour last year, 20 cents at Green Turtle, 40 cents at Staniel. I've come across a few places where one can fill up Jerry Jugs for free.

[mutualfun]

We carry 120 gal Stu and in 2 yrs of cruising the Bahamas we have only bought water twice. Both times was for .50 cent a gal. One learns to be conservative.

[jcapo]

Our watermaker died in April so we jugged water for three months before returning to the states. We paid $0.30/gal at Long Island Petroleum and $0.40/gal at Spanish Key.

The cost of water is an argument for a watermaker but freedom from jugging and being able to hang where there is no water for many miles (Conception, Jumentos, etc.) is a better argument.

We are full time cruisers also.