Crossing August 2017

Hades02

Hello everyone.

I'm new to the forums and have really enjoyed reading the threads. My friends and I will be doing our first crossing to the Bahamas August of next year. 4 boats (SeaRay 240, Mako 232, Bayliner 185 and whatever 28 ft bowrider I buy from now til then). It's a ways off for planning purposes and we would like our first trip to be during calm seas time. I understand that the weather is still unpredictable at that time and we are going to be flexible with our dates. We are open to 5 - 10 days.

I have done a search but the one question that I still have, that I haven't been able to find an answer to is, What are some inexpensive (decent) lodging establishments that have docks. We would like to boat around and would probably not stay in one place for more than a night as we would like to explore and see things such as Pig Island, Bimini, Green Turtle, etc. I know that one gentleman here on this board has a house in OBB, I believe.

We will have high maintenance women with us when it comes to sleeping in warm non air conditioned settings so staying on the boats (bowriders) is not an option. I would love to camp but I know that camping is also not allowed on the beaches and once again The Women.

Any suggestions for lodging. All advice is welcome and we are not tied to the above locations that I mentioned. Those were merely ideas that we have.

Rich

BullMarket

You need to choose destination first. You wouldn't go to Bimini and Green Turtle. Those would be two different trips due to distance for your crew. Look into renting a house or two on Green Turtle or in Treasure. That may be your best best for island hoping. You could clear in OBB and stay there the first night. then move onto the Abacos for the following 4 nights or so.

Hades02

BullMarket wrote: »

You need to choose destination first. You wouldn't go to Bimini and Green Turtle. Those would be two different trips due to distance for your crew. Look into renting a house or two on Green Turtle or in Treasure. That may be your best best for island hoping. You could clear in OBB and stay there the first night. then move onto the Abacos for the following 4 nights or so.

Thank you BullMarket. I'll definitely plan the destination first and then ask for more info. The plan i to do this and provide an account of the trip for others.

Docked Wages

Use the next few months getting acquainted with the layout of the Bahamas. The destinations that you identified are all great places but not very conducive to island hop on the same trip. The Bahamas is a large area. Bimini is a great destination from South Florida but limits you to Freeport, Port Lucaya, Nassau etc. West End (aka Old Bahama Bay) is a great location and good launching point to hit the Abacos like Spanish, Green Turtle Marsh Harbour and so many more destinations. West End is 60+ miles from West Palm and the Abacos are another 70-80 miles and at times local knowledge of local shallow waters is a must. There are documented routes but you need to stay on course in wide open waters or run the risk of running aground from West End to Spanish or Green Turtle. Go prepared with proper tools and extra props to cover the "what ifs" scenarios.

Perhaps your first trip should be a little less ambitious and just hit Grand Bahamas ( OBB, Bottle Bay or Blue Marlin Cove) or Bimini for the week or weekend. Both have great accommodations for the woman, great fishing and a chance to refine your familiarity with crossing and packing accordingly. And any Bahamas location is still the Bahamas!

The fear is not packing enough for all the unknowns and boat maintenance.

The reality is that you pack too much the first trip and over load your vessel resulting in spinning a hub or compromise fuel range.

Also have a plan if one of your boats become disabled on how to handle that situation. If you decide to tow the boat, your fuel economy must be considered for safety and you need to ensure that the boat doing the towing is capable even with the heavy load of both boats with your weeks worth of supplies, etc.

Safety in crossing is not necessarily boats in numbers as that raises the statistics that someone will have a mechanical break down. Safety is all about preparation and mitigation.

Hades02

Thank you Mark. Great advice.

dzank

I agree with "docked wages" as trying to bite off too much on your first trip without getting a lay of the land is a problem from my vantage point. We've been going over to the West End/Walkers area since 1982 and have made over 150 trips over the years. His point about distances to travel all sound very manageable but weather can throw a monkey wrench into the best plans especially with smaller boats. Not to mention mechanical problems that always seem to pop up. I would try to plan a 4-5 night trip to the West End area and keep it simple and learn the process. Old Bahama Bay would probably make most sense if the gals are looking for a bit more luxury which is certainly understandable. OBB is expensive however. Both Blue Marlin Cove and Bootle Bay Fishing Lodge are located in the same channel about 4 miles SE of OBB. I would put both BMC and BB as more of a fishing lodge type atmosphere but both properties are in great shape and generally much cheaper than OBB with BB as the lowest cost option. If you stay at OBB take the time to do a dinner or two at Bootle as Vida's wife LaShanda is the best cook on Grand Bahama. Planning for a trip is always fun so feel free to PM me with any questions. We are headed over to BB next week on 9/22 for five nights!

Al Bundy

Agree with the previous, your limiting factor is going to be the smallest of the 4 boats' fuel capacity. It won't matter if one boat has 250 gallons if another only has 100. My go to in Bimini for the girls is a no brainer, Big Game Club. Best restaurant on the Island. Also, reserve a golf cart ahead of time so you can bounce around.

Hades02

Thank you all for the advice. I will keep everyone posted as we plan and ask more questions.