Bahamas...

J

JamesTXSD

Active member
This may be a bit premature since we won't pick up our CD-25 until this summer; but as we count down our days of gainful employment (83, thanks for asking), we are planning destinations. It was our desire to see/do the Great Loop that led us to this boat (since we are long-time sailors). Other than staying away from the cold, our timeframe is unstructured. We plan to spend plenty of time exploring Florida and would like to take the boat to the Bahamas. Apparently, others here are interested in that as well, according to the PMs I've received.

SO, this is not a call for a gathering (yet), but rather a request for some discussion. Some here have made that trip (whether aboard their C-Dory, another powerboat, or sailboats); what can you share us? We know the precautions of starting out with wind that has any component of "north" for crossing the Gulf Stream; where was your departure point in the US and how did you handle vehicle storage? What were your favorite places in the Bahamas? Best beach bar? Hidey holes? Provisioning? Budgeting? Tell us all about it!

We are tentatively looking at next spring (after the northers and before hurricane season). Others here have expressed interest. Tell us about your experiences with the warm breezes, the beautiful clear water, the marinas, the anchorages, the must-do, and the should-avoid. We appreciate the experience and advice offered here - thanks in advance.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
I just moved my post to this subject heading, more appropriate...

I've been to the Bahamas in 2000 with my F-31 trimaran, trailered across the US, launched at Key Biscayne (Miami marina where supposed to launch was wiped out by a tornado 1 week before we arrived!). Buddy boated with 4 other trimarans in a club for 4 weeks on the water, mainly to the Exuma Cays, approx 600 miles roundtrip, entered/exited at Bimini.

I'm ready to do it again and will, but two things holding me back. One, my son Miles (17) is dying to go but doesn't get out of school till mid-June each year, which brings me to #2, another big hurricane season predicted for this year, 17 named vs normal 10 (from one scientific organization that seems to have a good track record on predictions).

We had a tropical depression go through us around June 18, 2000 while anchored at a small cay (pronounced "key"), pretty wild, 50+ kmph winds hit at 4am, not particularly pleasant -- but this is also why I have a very high tolerance for big seas and wind out here in So. Cal, many people think I'm just plain nuts...hmmm, could be truth there, hard to evaluate myself :crook !

Maybe next year is the year! I'll even help guide a group to some of the choice spots we went to... so much to do, so little time...

Steve
 
Like several others, I will be watching this thread as well.

We love the Keys and have spent quite a lot of time in Key West, both summers and winters.

Winters (at least in Key West) are often pretty breezy, the temperatures are delightful but the water is pretty cool for snorkeling. Summers on the other hand are often flat calm - but hot and humid which makes snorkeling comfortable (and boatcamping challenging), but hurricany (technical meteorological term...). I suspect Bahamaian wx is pretty similar.

Will be very interested to hear how folks balance the issues: heat/humidity/wind/hurricane season.

Several folks have been to Bahama's in their C-Dory's et al, so it'll be fun to watch the responses!

Casey
C-Dory Naknek
 
Hi Casey,
About 12 more hours and I'll get to see Manana.

Sure would be fun for a bunch of C-Dorys to go to the Abacos. I guess the best way to get interest in such a thing would be to tell how Dee and I make the trip.
Plan: Take lots of beer for trading stock.A six pack got me 38 lobsters Boat use to be bigger (45 ft.) The 1st time we were so nervous about crossing I went to the Coast Guard and ask if it would be safe to cross in 5 ft. seas. They ask " How big a boat?" I was embarassed , We went. Leaving Palm beach and headed for the West End of Grand Bahamas Island. It took about 4 to 5 hours to cross with that boat in 5 ft seas. It is about 60 miles across. We always went in the winter. We would stay about 3 months. Dock people always try to shaft you for an extra 10 to 20 bucks. A scam like it is connected to custom duties. They try to get you to stay at the Marina.
Leaving West End go by the guide book some markers are bound to be missing. Water across the banks is only about 8 to 12 ft deep with shoal areas to start. Beautiful emeral green. 1st stop is Great Sale Cay. Nice anchorage no people, About a 45 mile trip. Next stop Allens Pensacola. One of my favorite spots. another 45 miles. The best snorkeling, fishing , Lobster, conch, and no people. The outer reef is magnificent, you have got to see the house size coral heads. These are right around the corner to the north. You will see the distant outer reef where the water breaks over then. Jump in on the 1st ones you see even if you can't swim. mask, fins, and snorkel with a life jacket on. There is an old dock on the beach way inside the cove. Go right to it at high tide and tie up. the tide will go out and you will be high and dry and sleep like a baby. At high tide the C-Dory can go into the woods on the back side for total protection. Big boats can't go closer than 5ft of water. Guess thats why they call the CD a jeep. There is a trail across the island. It is a nice walk. No animals to worry about, but don't touch some of the trees.Some are poison. A sign on one, fallen across the trail will warn you. A memorable incident while scuba diving in about 20 ft of water right at the north end of the island. There was a huge grouper in a hole and i was trying to get him when something cut off the light from the sun. I looked up and it was a huge Manta ray. Like 15 ft across. That was the 1st day in the Bahamas.

Story to be continued
Captd.
 
Keep 'em coming, CaptD! :D I had to do some real sweet talking to get the Blonde to fly to the Bahamas (she was sure someone would knock us on the head and steal the plane)... she is all excited about taking the boat!
 
Hey All:
We spent 11 days in the Bahamas in early June 2004 on our Dory. Spent the whole time in the Northern Bahamas and I assure you that we didn't get to do half of what we'd have liked. Simply not enough time.This was just before the entry fees jumped from $100 to $300 which includes fishing rights. The local cruisers net was in a teasy. They broadcast relevant cruising info every morning at 0800h. We used the public boat ramp in Riviera Beach (which is 5 minutes at idle from the open ocean) with no problems. Crossed over to West End and spent the remainder of our time from Walker's Cay to Green Turtle Cay. Beautiful habitat and very remote. Only 1 night out of 10 did we share an anchorage and we never stayed in a marina. When you go, try to stay as long as your schedule will allow which helps take a bite out of the entry fees.
 
Jim,
Was there a price difference in boat size. was the split at 22 or 24 ft. seems to me we paid $100 last winter. The permit was for 6 months and fishing lic. for all. I know we didn't have to pay $300. We had family fly over and they got to fish from the boat for free on our permit. It was well worth it.
We have been there in the summer and winter and I would say the wind averages 10 miles faster in the winter. Winter is better for sail boats. The idea of early spring is a great idea, or late fall. Before or after hurricane season.

Story continued: After staying at Allens Pensacola for a week or so, we went on to Fox town. Warning: Day anchorage only. My 1st biggest mistake as a new boat owner. Holding is very poor. solid rock. Wind swings from west to north in the middle of the night and you have problems. Rocks sticking out of the water all around you. A small trawler went aground on a rock that night as we watched and heard the crunching noise of the hull against the rock. Scarey night for Capt. and crew. Fox Town is a Black community that has fuel and best of all, fresh hot Bahama bread. Always buy two loaves and eat one hot as you wander about. The boat that went on the rocks was called the Hawks Bill. The little island out front of Fox Town is also call Hawks Bill. The reason I mention that is around the edge of the island in shallow water we found lobster. You can use a pole spear or an Hawaiian sling to get them. There is an anchorage along this shore with some protection from the north. we spent a few days along side this Island. No one lives on Hawks Bill. Good place to potty the dog. Ya we always have my wifes baby to take care of. It is hard to teach and old dog new tricks like pottying on the boat. We tried everything including a wading pond filled with dirt and a small tree planted in it. Didn't work so guess who took the dog ashore rain or shine?
That dog had to be set down on a nice sand beach not any old hard coral that would hurt his tender feet. :cry:


To be continued:
Captd
 
Doggone it! Patty is going to see this thread! How the heck are we going to get Daydream to frickey-dickey FLORIDA for cryin' out loud!

James and Betty - I was a little disappointed to see that your anthem was not "I'll Never Say No to You" - picture it, Johnny Brown (Harve Presnell) and Molly (Debbie Reynolds), cruising off to the Bahamas in their TC!
 
Captd.

Very interesting stuff. I've been to the Bahamas on my Jeannneau Tonic 23 (sail) for a month, but, obviously my primary means of propulsion was the wind.

I crossed to Bimini from Government Cut in Miami and then headed to the Exumas with the southernmost point being Highborne Cay, south of Nausau.

My question: how much gas do you carry? I've seen the rack that you built and wonder how much I would need for the same trip. I'm thinking that I would have to go with any auxiliary tank in the 20-30 gallon range.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
One quick question... My C-Dory is equipped with ONE Honda 90 & a Honda 9.9 kicker. How many of you would take off to the Bahamas with ONE main motor?

I believe Captain Ron said, "If anything's going to happen it's going to happen out there, right boss?".

To answer my own question, yes I would and will head to the Bahamas with one main motor. I do look for and respect advice from the more experienced though.

Al
 
Al,

I have a Honda 90 and an 8 kicker and I'm interested.

One Honda 40 operating alone will give you about 8 knots. A Honda 8 will do 5. Not much difference.

If you or I break down, we can always raft up and run as a cat with three engines? Now that would be interesting!

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Nick,

I sort of remember this conversation from 30 years ago when I started taking flying lessons.

A twin engine plane is always safer until you realize that some twins can not maintain altititude on a single engine. The conversation ends there.

We'll raft up with 2 or 3 motors. You buy the gas, I'll bring the beer.

My son is a scuba diver who is more at home under water than he is on land. Go figure. We'll just throw him overboard with a rope & point towards the Bahamas.

Added bonus.. He doesn't drink beer.

Al
 
As a sailor-boy, this is something I have considered. Now, before y'all say, "The boy ain't right," here's some food for thought. Several owners on our trimaran forum have tried a kite on their boats. These kites, made by http://www.kiteship.com/ , are not attached to the mast. Unlike a spinnaker or screacher, they don't pull the hull down. Of course, there would be some problems without a daggerboard/keel and rudder. But, these were originally being developed for ocean freighters/tankers, so a much smaller version could work on our boats. I have no plans to create a sailing C-Dory... just thinking out loud.

I had to pull out my FL Keys/Bahamas Cruising Guide today... sigh.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jim,

I think you phrased is very well when you said: "The boy ain't right!"

Seriously, I suspect that as fuel prices continue to go higher and higher we will ALL (even C-Dory folk...) experiment with ways to economize in our cruising. If you read the "Peak Oil" folks - it's just a matter of time.

I'm planning to economize my drinking cheaper Scotch. Uh oh ... it just dawned on me - we already drink the cheapest scotch(!); back to the drawing boards.

Casey
C-Dory Naknek
 
You guys are driving me nuts with this Bahamas talk. And them other guys with the Hawaii talk. Florida and SoCal talk is bad enough. Imagine how the AK boys feel reading this stuff.
 
Nick,
Wrote an answer to your question, hit the wrong button and poof it was gone into cyberspace. Well I will try again.
The Hunky Dory is equipped with two twenty gal tanks. ( they told me twenty-fives ). Than I carry two 6 gal Honda tanks in between those saddle tanks. I have two 7 gal over sized plastic tanks I carry on the top rack. That gives me a total of 76 gals. It is not that you need to carry that much in the Bahamas. But my idea is to carry all I can from the states because that is where it is the cheapest. Besides you could be let astray by some fun side trips. Like Walkers Key. You can buy fuel there and several places all the way down to Marsh Harbor. Like Fox Town , Coopers Town, Spanish Key, and Orchid Bay all have fuel. My advice is fill up in Palm Beach and top off again as soon as you clear customs at the West End. That will be as cheap as it gets. It will be well over $300 a gal . Probably closer to $400. Thank god for four stokes. We can live with
that. Huh? Restaurants are very costly, but grocery stores are very reasonably. Eat lots of fish , lobsters and conch. Catch them yourself. It make the gas a lot better buy.
As you leave Fox town your are heading south between islands on both side, all on the banks. You can travel anywhere on the banks safetly and always find shelter if a blow comes up. Relax from West End on. I will try to post some charts but I have to figure that part out. The Abacos have better shelter and anchorages than the Exumas. Higher elevation with trees. At one time or another I have gone all the way to the southern most island of the Bahamas, called Great Inagua and a town called " Mathew Town. Believe me , you don't need or want to go down there. George Town is a as far south as you need to go. Fun town with friendly boaters. Million dollar yachts mix with us paupers. Volley ball is a big deal with the boaters.
Stops on the way to Marsh Harbor would be Powell Key, Use to be a boat buried in the sand on the beach. Good party spot. Snorkeled right off the boat. There was an old sail boat sunk right there . 1st time we Snorkeled on it we spotted three lobster under the hull. We ate good that night.

Nanjack Key, some call Monjack. Beautiful beach all to yourself. Good shell pickens. Here is a secret you will get from no where else. Right along shore get on your neehs in shallow water. Dig your fingers in the sand. You will feel small sweet clams, let your fingers gather several at a time till you have enough for dinner. You should see small grass peeking out of the sand where you are looking. Don't tell anyone else. Just us C-Dory people need to know. On the ocean side of all these keys will be the surprise of your life if you snorkel or dive. I promise you it is better than the Great Barrier reef. This Key is before before don"t Rock. With the C-Dory you can pass this rock through the shallows. With a bigger boat you would have to go around Whale Key. If you plan on doing this be sure to wait for a nice day. That little 5 mile passage can sink freighters. They call this situation " The Rage" when the wind is right. It is aptly named. Green Turtle is just before this. White Sound and Black sound at Green Turtle both have fuel. Black is the best anchorage. Really good holding.

To be continued
Captd
 
C-Brats,
An adendum to the last post. I would not hesitate for one minute to cross the Gulf Stream with a single newer model engine. A kicker would be nice.
The Coast Gaurd can hear every word from your radio all over the Bahamas. Fat Albert is probably watching you the whole time you are over there. So no nude bathing.
I would take my new (to me ) 17 ft Montauk with a 90 Honda across the Stream. It would only take about an hour and 15 min. on a nice day.
huh Casey?
Captd
 
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