Bahamas boating fling to bimini is 2 weeks away...who's going??

[barryg]

The next boating fling that the Bahamas puts has it's captain's meeting 2 weeks from tonight and leaves the next morning at first light for the clear turquoise waters of Bimini. So far I know Ray and Kathy from White Pearl, and myself, my son and our friends on Sunny Daze are heading over...

I think a few of the CSR members from the Carolinas are also making the trip. If anyone else is interested let me know and I'll get you the info you need.

Anyone else signed up, please post here and we'll look for you at the meeting.

Barry

 

[LMBoat]

Barry,

We went on the first one last week. 7 boats. It was a great time. Wish we could go on this trip, but we are heading to the Keys that weekend. FYI, there was no water on the island for most of the time we were there, but you are going to Bimini Bay and they make their own water, so things should be fine. If anyone is staying elsewhere, they might want to call and check.

Thanks
Larry

 

[barryg]

Thanks Larry,

The fling is staying at Bimini Bay, so everything should be good.

Glad you had a great trip.. Can't wait to get there.

Barry

 

[Nacho Boat]

Thanks Larry,

The fling is staying at Bimini Bay, so everything should be good.

Glad you had a great trip.. Can't wait to get there.

Barry

Just came back from the Fling to Port Lucaya. We only had three boats from Ft Lauderdale (two other boats went over on their own).

I was told that the Fling to Bimini this week has 18-25 boats signed up (depends on who you ask). You should have a great trip...if the Gulf Stream calms down by then.

 

[barryg]

Thanks, How was the gulfstream when you crossed? It's looking like it will be about 3-4' when we cross, not the calmest but hopefully that early in the am will be ok...I figured there would be a lot on this trip..Will know Wednesday night at the captains meeting...Looking forward to it!

 

[Nacho Boat]

Thanks, How was the gulfstream when you crossed? It's looking like it will be about 3-4' when we cross, not the calmest but hopefully that early in the am will be ok...I figured there would be a lot on this trip..Will know Wednesday night at the captains meeting...Looking forward to it!

Barryg,

The water was like glass going over. I wish the intercoastal would be that smooth.

Coming back was OK (1' - 2')...we got we from some spray, but was able to maintain 30 mph. I had to put up the front canvas to stay dry.

Looks like it was supposed to get worse each day until about Thursday, when it is supposed to calm down again.

93 miles to Grand Bahamas is alot further than Bimini.

BTW - Richard was unable to go on our trip (Passport Issues). Hopefully, he will have those resolved before your trip.

 

[barryg]

Thanks Nick.. REally looking forward to the trip... Will see at the captains meeting Wednesday night how many are coming over.. I think Richard and Carlton both should be making it..

 

[Nacho Boat]

Barryg,

Have a great trip!!! Let me know how the crossings went, and how many "kids" went on the trip. (I have two kids, and they get a little bummed when there are not other kids on these trips).

 

[barryg]

Thank Nick,

keeping my fingers crossed that the winds die down Thursday morning for the crossing... Right now it looks like 2-4 or 3-5's .. Hoping for 2' or less!!! Bimini Bay is a great resort and I'm sure there will be a lot of kids, but will let you know..

Thanks

Barry

 

[LMBoat]

Barry,

Are you still going to go? The weather does not seem to be cooperating. We are heading to Miami on Friday and Key Largo on Sat so I've been keeping an eye on the weather as well.

Keep us posted.

Thanks
Larry

 

[barryg]

HEy Larry,

I am loading the boat now and will head over to Bahia Mar tonight.. We will have the captains meeting and see how good/bad the conditions are going to be first light.. We should be out the port before 7am and if the gulfstream is too rough, we will probably wait till Friday to go over, and if then too rough, will either cancel for another week or go down to the Keys on the inside.. but keeping my fingers crossed as my son flew in from Boston for the trip and my friends are also coming..but whatever the seas allow is what we will do.

 

[LMBoat]

Barry,

I'll keep my fingers crossed. When we went to Bimini 3 weeks ago, my son and his wife came down from Orlando. Not as far as Boston, but I understand how Mother Nature can change the best laid plans.

If you go to the Keys, keep an eye out for us. We will be Marina Del Mar in Key Largo on Sat and will keep the boat there for several weeks.

Thanks
Larry

 

[Nacho Boat]

HEy Larry,

I am loading the boat now and will head over to Bahia Mar tonight.. We will have the captains meeting and see how good/bad the conditions are going to be first light.. We should be out the port before 7am and if the gulfstream is too rough, we will probably wait till Friday to go over, and if then too rough, will either cancel for another week or go down to the Keys on the inside.. but keeping my fingers crossed as my son flew in from Boston for the trip and my friends are also coming..but whatever the seas allow is what we will do.

Barryg,

I would definately advise trying an earlier departure time. Last week, we ending up leaving by 0630 for Grand Bahamas, and in fact, we could have left earlier.

I would push Richard for a 0530 launch - this would definately help beat the waves!

Good Luck....Let us know how you make out!!!!

Have a great trip!!!!!

 

[barryg]

Thanks Nick,

Yeah, the earlier the better... I'd like to be out by 5:30 or 6, will talk about it tonight...

Larry, will keep you posted..never taken the boat down to the Keys as it's so much closer to Bimini from here and the time and gas down there would be double going over to Bimini...

 

[LMBoat]

Barry,

Just some FYI's: From my home dock in Pompano to Bimini is approx 60 miles. My home dock to Marina Del Mar in Key Largo is 78 miles. Price of fuel in Bimini was $5.00 a gal, the Key's $3.50. There is no $150 crusing permit fee, etc in the Keys. There are strong reasons for each place, but in my experience there is not a financial reason to pick one vs the other.

Just my .02

Larry

 

[barryg]

Good point Larry,

How is Marina Del Mar? Have you been to Hawks Cay resort? Need a few alternatives to Bimini just in case..for good snorkeling-reefs, and amenities at the Marina..

 

[LMBoat]

Barry,

We haven't been to Hawks Cay, but I've heard good things about it. It's another 60 or so miles south. We usually stay in Key Largo. We do like Marina Del Mar. We're usually keep the boat there 6 weeks during the summer and go back one or 2 other times during the year. We've been going there for almost 20 years. Candy is the dock master and is great. It is also in a great spot for snorkeling/diving as once you leave the canal outbound you have a plethora of places to go within 10 miles each way.

Plantation Yacht Harbor is another marina on the inside, but there is not much to do there unless you have a car to go elsewhere.

Holiday Isle is always a popular spot, but it is more of a party bar place than a nice marina. It can be great as long as you know what you are getting yourself into <bands playing, etc>

Ocean Reef is phenominal if you can get in <so I've heard>. It's a private club and you have to be a member or a guest of one.

Thanks
Larry

 

[JC3]

Did you guys make it over? JC

 

[Nacho Boat]

How did it go? We are anxious to hear how the water was....Hope everything went OK.

 

[barryg]

Hey Guys, We're back...here's the long version of the trip...

We moved the boat over to Bahia Mar Wednesday evening just before the captain's meeting at 7. We got upstairs and the room was crowded.. About 16 boats and their crews. About 4 or 5 had been over on the trip before, including my boat Sunny Daze, White Pearl, and a few others. The forecast was on the table and it called for 4-6' seas... not the most comfortable ride was in store, and there were about 3 or 4 23-25' center console and bowriders also going. A few of the larger boats decided not to go, but they did not cancel the trip... Radio checks were moved to 6am so we could get an early start.. In the morning the winds were whipping through and we headed out to the turning basin at Port Everglades... As we were getting ready to head out to the inlet, a large cruise ship was coming in and being turned around right in front of us, so we had to wait about 20 minutes.

Finally we were able to go and started out.. The cut was rough and we thought once we got past the outer markers that it would flatten out a little, but that was just the beginning.. Since my boat and speeds were similar to White Pearl, and we are good friends, we started out together at about 8-10 knots. My son Adam flew in from Boston to come for the second time, and my best friends Abe and Phyllis also came for the first time.. Almost immediately my friend started getting sick, and the seas started getting bigger... Average was about 5-6 and as we made it into the gulfstream, it was more like 6-8 with a few 10 footers thrown in... We tried backing down to about 7-8, but the thought of being tossed around like that for 7 hours was more than we could deal with, so we pushed the throttles up and though we couldn't get on plane, we got to about 14-16... I kept asking my friend who was sick as a dog and white as a ghost if he wanted me to turn around, but he and his wife kept saying to go, so we kept on.. Ray (White Pearl) stuck with me and we both found the faster speeds a little easier to deal with and though it was sucking up all the gas, we kept at that speed the rest of the way and were the first 2 boats in after almost 4-1/2 hours... Even the one larger lead boat had it rough as they were a sedan bridge and they swayed so badly side to side, a few of the passengers on that boat were also getting very sick..

We pulled into Bimini and made our way down the channel towards Bimini Bay, but wanted to stop and get gas first (only 1 marina that has pumps on the North Island) so we made our way over to the pumps.. The wind was still blowing and at slow speed was pushing the boats around like they weighed next to nothing.. Ray docked first, only to find out that since we had our quarantine flags up, they would not sell us gas till we went through customs... so, we got back in the channel and made our way towards the resort.

It's about a 15 minute ride once you get into Bimini to get all the way down to Bimini Bay, and they have 2 marinas there, the fishing village marina and the mega-marina. For some reason they decided to put us all in the mega marina. Ray called them on channel 16 and they instructed him to which slip to head towards... With the winds directly off of the starboard, trying to dock was as much of a challenge as anything. The dockmaster had some hands on the docks helping to tie him down, and then it was my turn to try to make it into the slip next to his... The wind was not my friend and it too a lot of effort and a few passes to back it in...

The resort itself is beautiful.. Two pools, one right by our marina, and an infinity pool overlooking the ocean near the shops and fishing marina.. The dockmaster's office, customs and immigration and the showers/ restrooms were also right at the fishing marina too. They had a shuttle that would come and pick the captains up and take us to customs/immigration where we checked in, payed our $150.00 (if under 35') and went to the dockmaster to get our wristbands and sign in. Then Ray and I walked back to our boats..

Jumping in the pool and de-stressing was on all our minds, so we changed into our suits and jumped in... What a great feeling! They also had a lot of thatched roofed cabanas with huge pads, and after just sitting in the pool for a while, we took a few of them and just closed our eyes and relaxed for the first time all day.

Ray and his wife have become great friends over the trips and years and we decided on Friday to go to the Sapona (the half sunken ship) to snorkel, and then head to Honeymoon Harbor for a late lunch and some more snorkeling. Another couple from Atlanta that had a Formula also took their boat and the 3 of us headed out-first stopping at those fuel docks again. After Ray and Ralph filled up their boats it was my turn.. I had filled the boat full before we left and usually this trip takes about 2 to 2-1/2 hours and uses about 70 gallons, but my fuel low warning was already sounding on my starboard engine and both gauges showed almost empty (my tank holds 200 gallons, 190 of which is usable).. with gas in Bimini at $5.05 a gallon the thought of having to put almost 170 gallons in was too painful to think about...Started on the Port tank and it took 62.5 gallons..Went to the Starboard tank (the genny also runs off of this tank) and it took 70 gallons... not as bad as the 170 gallons I was fearing, but almost double what it normally would use.

Made our way to the ship and pulled in as close as we could to make it a short distance to snorkel to, and also to see if the ship could block the wind and seas a little, but after trying to set anchor twice and being dragged, we decided that it was too rough to stay there and went instead to Honeymoon Harbor..

Honeymoon Harbor is protected on two sides and shallow.. we rafted up and set out our rafts and lines, and put on our snorkel gear.. I had bought a marine housing for my camera and was anxious to try it out.. The waters were crystal clear, turquoise in color and in most places around 5-8' deep.. There are many many stingrays there as well as other fish and marine life and we had a blast.. We went to the beach on one side and watched as the stingrays would come almost on the beach where you could carefully feel and pet them (they are used to getting fed by people who go there).. really cool. After a while we went back to the boats, made lunch and then jumped on the rafts and floats and hung out there the rest of the day. About 5-5:30 we headed back to Bimini Bay, where we called in the dockmaster for some help as the winds were still strong, and the marina was no filled with large boats all around our slips.. The good news is I didn't hit anything, but it was humbling to have to go around about 3 till I was able to get the stern in and have the dock hands help...

We went over to the infinity pool and saw an amazing sunset and then went back to the boats where we were going to grill some steak, chicken and hot dogs, and invited Ralph and his wife to join us and White Pearl... I had a great portable grill I had given my son when he was in college called the Q grill that folds up and stores away in a bag.. I've used it a few times since then and everything worked great. I had bought new propane cans and we put that on the dock along with the chairs I brought and lit it up and ...nothing...No matter what we tried it wouldn't light or if it did, it would go out..

Ray came to the rescue and let us use his grill on his boat, and we made enough for everyone..

Saturday we decided to keep the boats in and tour the town and then get some of the best conch salad around at a little shack on the water called Joe's.. We got a ride on a golf cart, (which everyone uses and rents for as much as $90.00 a day).. and went over to Big Game to see what it looks like and also see all the Guy Harvey images and signs that my company had done for the place. They are working hard on getting things fixed up and I have to say the artwork and murals were beautiful. The restaurant looked great and the pool was nice and clean. Problem was there were only 3 boats there... and maybe a handful of people around.. Hopefully when the seas die down people will start going back there. After that we walked around and made our way to Joe's where we had a great lunch, and then to Charlie's for some Bimini Bread... Charlie bakes out of his house and you walk right into his living room to the kitchen where all the bread is out there ready to be sold...Piping hot and amazing, we all ate a loaf walking back. We then headed down to the infinity pool and bar to watch the USA soccer game and stayed at or in the pool the rest of the afternoon. Before dinner the Fling had another cocktail hour with some really nice appetizers, along with some beers and sodas. A quick talk about the trip back and then it was back to the boat to eat and pack up.. Each night we would call for the shuttle to take us to the front where the showers/bathrooms were, and then they would take us back when we were done..

Sunday morning 6am was radio check, and we made our way out, and cleared the markers around 7am. Forecast was 2-4 and with following wind and seas and the gulfstream helping, we were able to average about 25 and made it back in exactly 2 hours, coming into Port Everglades at 9am. I wish we stayed one more day!!!

I'll try to post some photos tomorrow...

Barry