Florida to Exumas feedback needed

[StuartSailor]

Good Day All,

I am planning my first cruise to the Exumas from St. Lucie Inlet this May/June on my Tartan 37 (w/4’2” draft) for approximately 4 weeks total (back and forth) and have a few questions. Thank you in advance for any feedback you can offer.

1. Is The Exuma Guide by Stephan Pavlidis the Dodge book equivalent for the Abacos. I already have the Explorer Chartbook.

2. Are diesel and gas readily available in the northern Exumas? I don’t think I’ll make it to Georgetown on this trip.

3. Do you recommend carrying fuel jugs? I have a 50 gallon fuel tank. That gets me approximately 450 miles of motoring, minus recharging batteries since I have no solar.

4. Is water readily available as well? I carry 90 gallons in my water tanks for washing, deck shower etc. I usually carry approximately 30 (1) gallons for drinking. Any need to bring my 5 gallon jug?

5. I do plan on anchoring, or using the mooring balls I’ve been reading about, as well as checking into a marina occasionally so the crew can get a proper shower, etc. Any marina experience we must visit?

6. Same old question, but with technology always improving… Would you recommend I use AT&T international plan or did you have better success with a Batelco Sim Card?

7. Route from Stuart to Highbourne Cay or Norman Cay. I’m thinking we go down the coast to Miami to anchor, then to Bimini to anchor, then to Chub Cay Marina or anchor or Fraziers Hog Cay, then to West Bay to anchor instead of Rose Island, then to Highborne or Norman Cay. So 5-6 days to get there. Hoping to get south to Great Guana/Black Point before heading back on a reciprocal course except from Bimini where I’d ride the stream to Lake Worth or St. Lucie inlet.

I am definitely considering this a delivery to the Exumas so I’m not interested in spending any time in Bimini, Chub, or Nassau. I just want to get to the Exumas as fast as I can providing I have enough crew aboard. Already been to the Abacos and have good crew to work with. I am very open to other suggestions. Any reason I should consider Lake Worth to West End to Great Harbor in the Berries. I’ve heard the Berries are also a great cruising area but I would just be passing thru from this direction on my way to the Exumas.

8. If you have any additional information you’d care to share, favorite anchorages, bars, restaurants, etc. I welcome any feedback. I’ve heard provisioning is ok with small grocery stores along the way so I’m not too concerned about replenishing food. I like to keep ice aboard so I’m assuming that is also readily available at marinas and grocery stores.

Thank you to all you cruisers who enjoy even more time out on the water. Continue to sail safe.

Jesse

[geoleo]

From St Lucie Bimini is out of the way.

[fahtcha]

I found the Highbourne Cay Marina to be a good stop for diesel and water. There isn't much else in the northern Exumas.

[Woodland Hills]

If you stream tv get island WiFi for fast true unlimited data, if not get a BTC SIM card for your phone. Wherever there are Bahamians there will be cell service, usually LTE or 3G.

Water is $0.35 a gallon and up at a marina, if you get to Georgetown it’s free at the dinghy dock in Lake Victoria. Marinas are not cheap, $3 to $4 a foot and up not including power. Cheapest diesel in Bahamas is at Bay St fuel dock in Nassau: $4.65 a couple of weeks ago.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by StuartSailor

Good Day All,

I am planning my first cruise to the Exumas from St. Lucie Inlet this May/June on my Tartan 37 (w/4’2” draft) for approximately 4 weeks total (back and forth) and have a few questions. Thank you in advance for any feedback you can offer.

Leave from farther south. We like to cross over from No Name Harbor (Biscayne Bay). I'd at least go as far south as Fort Lauderdale. I've crossed to Bimini from there and you're fighting the stream, but it's doable, especially if you leave at nightfall, and plan for a daylight arrival. From No Name, leave at 5:00 am and you make it over with plenty of day left.

1. Is The Exuma Guide by Stephan Pavlidis the Dodge book equivalent for the Abacos. I already have the Explorer Chartbook.

We always found the Explorer Chartbooks to be adequate. His book may be great. I don't know.

2. Are diesel and gas readily available in the northern Exumas? I don’t think I’ll make it to Georgetown on this trip.

Highborne Cay Marina, Staniel Cay Yacht Club, and Cave Cay Marina all usually have diesel.

3. Do you recommend carrying fuel jugs? I have a 50 gallon fuel tank. That gets me approximately 450 miles of motoring, minus recharging batteries since I have no solar.

Fifty gallons for a sailboat with a 3 or 4 cylinder diesel is not bad. I always carry jerry cans, because there have been times (like in Georgetown in the past) where the only diesel to be had, was at a filling station.

4. Is water readily available as well? I carry 90 gallons in my water tanks for washing, deck shower etc. I usually carry approximately 30 (1) gallons for drinking. Any need to bring my 5 gallon jug?

Available pretty much everywhere, .40 to .80 cents a gallon on average, in marinas. You can get it free at some small town, Black Point, for one. Yes, it's good to bring water jugs, for the same reason as above. The town water spigot isn't always at a place you can pull your boat up next to.

5. I do plan on anchoring, or using the mooring balls I’ve been reading about, as well as checking into a marina occasionally so the crew can get a proper shower, etc. Any marina experience we must visit?

Highborne Cay is pretty swanky. And, they have a decent restaurant there. It ain't cheap. Staniel Cay Yacht Club is cool. The ultimate beach bar. Skip Chub Cay (and the swimming pigs at Big Major, may they all be BBQ soon). We always stay at Nassau Yacht Haven in Nassau, anchoring in the harbor there is just a pain usually because of the current and the junk on the bottom.

6. Same old question, but with technology always improving… Would you recommend I use AT&T international plan or did you have better success with a Batelco Sim Card?

We always just get minutes on our BTC phone. But, sim cards and unlocked phones work fine. Our US Verizon phones work fine down there, but Verizon makes you pay for it.

7. Route from Stuart to Highbourne Cay or Norman Cay. I’m thinking we go down the coast to Miami to anchor, then to Bimini to anchor, then to Chub Cay Marina or anchor or Fraziers Hog Cay, then to West Bay to anchor instead of Rose Island, then to Highborne or Norman Cay. So 5-6 days to get there. Hoping to get south to Great Guana/Black Point before heading back on a reciprocal course except from Bimini where I’d ride the stream to Lake Worth or St. Lucie inlet.

Just accept that the weather may have another idea, and you may be left with the choice of getting home later, or taking a beating.

I am definitely considering this a delivery to the Exumas so I’m not interested in spending any time in Bimini, Chub, or Nassau. I just want to get to the Exumas as fast as I can providing I have enough crew aboard. Already been to the Abacos and have good crew to work with. I am very open to other suggestions. Any reason I should consider Lake Worth to West End to Great Harbor in the Berries. I’ve heard the Berries are also a great cruising area but I would just be passing thru from this direction on my way to the Exumas.

8. If you have any additional information you’d care to share, favorite anchorages, bars, restaurants, etc. I welcome any feedback. I’ve heard provisioning is ok with small grocery stores along the way so I’m not too concerned about replenishing food. I like to keep ice aboard so I’m assuming that is also readily available at marinas and grocery stores.

Thank you to all you cruisers who enjoy even more time out on the water. Continue to sail safe.

Jesse

Personally, and this is just one guy's opinion, we like the Staniel Cay and Black Point Settlement area the best. But, there is no place in the Exumas we don't like. The Berry Islands are fun, too. All of the Bahamas, really.

Between Nassau and Georgetown, there isn't much in the way of grocery stores. Just small mom and pop stores, usually run out of their homes. Ice you can get.

It will be a fun trip.

[billknny]

Don't bother around shopping for diesel.

The price is fixed by the government. It's the same everywhere. I believe it is adjusted weekly, but it might be less often than that.

I don't yet know if it has been renewed for 2020, but for the past few years the government has had a $300 discount on fuel purchases for each cruising permit issued. A few marinas will take that credit toward dock fees as well. Be sure you check that out when you arrive.

If you need fuel on your way back, it is easily available at the Cape Eleuthera Marina on the southern tip of Eleuthera.

[StuartSailor]

Thank you all for your responses. Good information for me to use. This allows me to focus more on the best route, if there’s such a thing, to get to the Exumas. I wasn’t clear in my OP that I am leaving from the St Lucie inlet but planned on going to Miami to cross to Bimini, unless someone with experience suggested a better route would be to go to West End, north of Berries, Nassau/Rose Island then to Highbourne. It seems to me the mileage is about the same. Thank you again.

Jesse

[MileHighSkip]

Others have answered most of your questions.

For cruising guides, I have both the Explorer Chart and the Stephan Pavlidis book. My takeaway is that the Explorer Chart is in a whole different league in terms of navigation – muuuuch better maps overall with both overview & detail views, more/better sounding detail, etc. Since you already have the Explorer, the Pavlidis book won't add much – though it might do a liiiittle better job describing shore activities, hikes, etc.

For others with a similar question, the Explorer Chart was ~$70ish and Pavlidis was ~$50ish, if I recall. The Pavlidis book is entirely sufficient and it's cheaper. Certainly never hurts to have both but if forced to choose one or the other, no question it's the Explorer chart.

[Russ]

AT&T International plan allows Free WiFi calling. I have yet to spend a dime on phone charges. Most marinas have WiFi and here in Turks the Batelco SIM card is worthless. ATT gets you connected anywhere in the world virtually. Batelco service was dismal when I used it in 2015

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by Russ

AT&T International plan allows Free WiFi calling. I have yet to spend a dime on phone charges. Most marinas have WiFi and here in Turks the Batelco SIM card is worthless. ATT gets you connected anywhere in the world virtually. Batelco service was dismal when I used it in 2015

5 years is a long time and several hurricanes ago. After every big storm the cellular service gets repaired and upgraded. Bahamians all have mobiles and all demand a dial tone on their home islands. If you don’t like BTC, try Aliv the cost is essentially the same.

Every phone company offers WiFi calling, it’s just Skype under another name, we use Verizon. Just go into settings on your phone and turn on WiFi calling before you leave the States. If you try once you are roaming, it may not work. You might want to get a local SIM card so that you can call ahead to reserve marina space if needed: you will need to be in the marina to get WiFi and it will always require a password.

[StuartSailor]

Thanks again for the feedback. I get to check a couple of things off my list.

[GeneM]

Unless you have a very fast boat, I recommend getting to West Palm, either outside if nice or in. Then go across the stream to West End. There you can choose north through the Abacos or south to the Berrys.

Highborn is a full service expensive place, especially for food.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

5 years is a long time and several hurricanes ago. After every big storm the cellular service gets repaired and upgraded. Bahamians all have mobiles and all demand a dial tone on their home islands. If you don’t like BTC, try Aliv the cost is essentially the same.

Every phone company offers WiFi calling, it’s just Skype under another name, we use Verizon. Just go into settings on your phone and turn on WiFi calling before you leave the States. If you try once you are roaming, it may not work. You might want to get a local SIM card so that you can call ahead to reserve marina space if needed: you will need to be in the marina to get WiFi and it will always require a password.

The big change in the Bahamas for cell phone coverage was the $7 billion dollar investment made in the BTC system, including cell towers all over the country, that occurred around 2008 or so, (to the best of my recollection). Talking on phones has been pretty easy in the Bahamas, ever since.

[sailjumanji]

I think some peoples idea of "water readily available" is different. Thinking about your route. Bimini marinas will have water. Nassau Yacht Haven we have stayed and i wouldnt put it in my tank. Chub Cay has RO water at their slips, but not sure if you can fill up at the fuel dock. Their transient rules seem to be in flux. Highborne marina has RO water, but maybe same issue as Chub. Staniel Cay marina will let you fill up water at fuel dock. Within the Land and Sea Park, there is a hike to a well at Shroud Cay. I wouldnt call that readily available, and you will certainly need your jug for that.

Read your Explorer guidebooks for water availability at each Cay. But dont think you are going to pop in at each cay for a water fill up. We have a DC watermaker onboard and plenty of solar capacity and battery bank. We carry a bunch of collapsable 5 gal jugs and have given away a lot of water to people in dire need, especially when the weather prevents movement.

[sailjumanji]

Phones. We have Sprint service in the US. They have a global roam option that features free texts and 3G data, and $0.25 per minute voice calls. They use BTC towers and system. In the park, we turn one of the phones to a hotspot and hoist it up the mast to wifi the boat. We obviously cant watch movies with only 3G, but we can access weather web sites, facebook for posting, etc. We just change the phone settings during crossing, and we are all good. Also worked well in France. And we dont have to mess with unlocking phones, finding BTC sim cards, top up service, that weve watched others waste time doing.