Asureyez
New Member
- Apr 22, 2007
- 1,535
- Boat Info
- Sea Ray 460 Sundancer Hardtop 2001 - SOLD
- Engines
- Cummins 450 Diesels
What follows are photos and notes from my logs in past trips to Lucaya to assist skippers seeking to call at Port Lucaya for the first time.
What follows will be long but hopefully usefull for those contemplating the trip.
First, Lucaya is a development located east of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. It is a planned development area dedicated to yachting and tourism. There is a local community near by but is not of prime interest to the typical tourist or yachtsman.
Trips from Lucaya into Freeport are easily arranged by ever present cabs. Many cruise ships call at Freeport and there is a thriving shopping district there. That said, most any shopping crave can be satisfied at the marina complex.
One will note quickly when approaching Freeport from the sea that it is a industrial city with a heavy petroleum refining base.
When apporaching Freeport from the west the first land marks seen will be the offshore petroleum loading docks.
These loading cribs seen from 4 miles out are move than a mile off shore and are busy, skipper will need to keep a sharp watch for commercial traffic leaving and apporaching. What you are actually seeing is this:
As you close on Grand Bahama from a southerly direction you eventually pick up the refinery stacks located on the east side of Freeport well off the beach:
As you pass to the south of Freeport you'll begin to see beach front hotels
and off in the distance some miles will be the Bell Channel (Lucaya) Sea Bouy. The Sea bouy can not be seen easily before you're perhaps a 1 mile off.
Looking just east of the sea bouy on the beach to the right you'll see Bell Channel Light, here it is up close .
Lucaya Complex seen from the air looking from the West, Bell Channel as seen in the top right of the photo Bell Channel. Port Lucaya is in the foreground:
Bell Channel as seen from the air from New Providence Channel. The Channel is surprisingly narrow, but it carries 10-12 ft at low tide and current is swift on tide changes.
The Westin Hotel is located just to the west of Bell Channel and has a distictive curvey outline:
Westin 1-2 miles off
West just off the Bell Channel Jetties
Entering Bell Channel (lined with condos) you will come upon an unmistakeable sign directing you to Port Lucaya Marina.
The channel makes a left - right dog leg turn then back to the left, but the marina is still hidden from direct view and lies behind some large condos:
This is another arial view of the Marina, "C" dock is on the left side of the picture, the oval area is the motel bungalow complex, pool and docking. The docks are fine, quiet, the water still and the air still as well. The docks have grills and tables scattered about. The bungalows are rural roadside in appearance as seen here from the marina complex.
The center pool is huge, well kept and lots of lounges, but do not expect tropical luxury. CSR will want to be on C Dock where the action is.
This is the marina from the channel and you'll pass the gas docks on the way in and are in the left foreground
Once docked the skipper will need to proceed to the Bahamian Government offices located to the east of C Dock upstairs, shown here behind and to the left of Randy's (Odyessy) son.
Hopefully this will have given a skipper a fair orientation of Lucaya and its approaches.
I'll get a set of chartlets posted in this thread and of course other skippers having made this landfall are invited to add to the orientation.
What follows will be long but hopefully usefull for those contemplating the trip.
First, Lucaya is a development located east of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. It is a planned development area dedicated to yachting and tourism. There is a local community near by but is not of prime interest to the typical tourist or yachtsman.
Trips from Lucaya into Freeport are easily arranged by ever present cabs. Many cruise ships call at Freeport and there is a thriving shopping district there. That said, most any shopping crave can be satisfied at the marina complex.
One will note quickly when approaching Freeport from the sea that it is a industrial city with a heavy petroleum refining base.
When apporaching Freeport from the west the first land marks seen will be the offshore petroleum loading docks.
These loading cribs seen from 4 miles out are move than a mile off shore and are busy, skipper will need to keep a sharp watch for commercial traffic leaving and apporaching. What you are actually seeing is this:
As you close on Grand Bahama from a southerly direction you eventually pick up the refinery stacks located on the east side of Freeport well off the beach:
As you pass to the south of Freeport you'll begin to see beach front hotels
and off in the distance some miles will be the Bell Channel (Lucaya) Sea Bouy. The Sea bouy can not be seen easily before you're perhaps a 1 mile off.
Looking just east of the sea bouy on the beach to the right you'll see Bell Channel Light, here it is up close .
Lucaya Complex seen from the air looking from the West, Bell Channel as seen in the top right of the photo Bell Channel. Port Lucaya is in the foreground:
Bell Channel as seen from the air from New Providence Channel. The Channel is surprisingly narrow, but it carries 10-12 ft at low tide and current is swift on tide changes.
The Westin Hotel is located just to the west of Bell Channel and has a distictive curvey outline:
Westin 1-2 miles off
West just off the Bell Channel Jetties
Entering Bell Channel (lined with condos) you will come upon an unmistakeable sign directing you to Port Lucaya Marina.
The channel makes a left - right dog leg turn then back to the left, but the marina is still hidden from direct view and lies behind some large condos:
This is another arial view of the Marina, "C" dock is on the left side of the picture, the oval area is the motel bungalow complex, pool and docking. The docks are fine, quiet, the water still and the air still as well. The docks have grills and tables scattered about. The bungalows are rural roadside in appearance as seen here from the marina complex.
The center pool is huge, well kept and lots of lounges, but do not expect tropical luxury. CSR will want to be on C Dock where the action is.
This is the marina from the channel and you'll pass the gas docks on the way in and are in the left foreground
Once docked the skipper will need to proceed to the Bahamian Government offices located to the east of C Dock upstairs, shown here behind and to the left of Randy's (Odyessy) son.
Hopefully this will have given a skipper a fair orientation of Lucaya and its approaches.
I'll get a set of chartlets posted in this thread and of course other skippers having made this landfall are invited to add to the orientation.
