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Now that I'm retired, I'm helping a friend bring a boat back to Texas from Guana Cay in April. I've never been to the Bahamas and neither has he. Going to fish a week or so there then come on back across the Gulf Stream. Any tips or suggestions on places to stay, fish, be a barfly? Neither of us has made the crossing from Abacos to Palm Beach but assuming weather is fine, that shouldn't be a problem.-Tom

Retired? You too damn young......wish I'd married money....

Palm Beach is generally west of the Bahamas, just follow the big "W" on the compass.

yo Fren'

UV

Vicroy wrote:Retired? You too damn young......wish I'd married money....

Palm Beach is generally west of the Bahamas, just follow the big "W" on the compass.

yo Fren'

UV

Uncle Vic, short term retirement, more of a sabbatical really. Sold the business, 6 months max unless I can pull a Randall or my liver gives out.

Nippers or Petes Pub and don't blame me for the hangover.

Nippers! It is a life altering exp. try to time it out for the pigroast! Some good Marlin fishing off Guana starting in April, gets better later into the summer. Off Green Turtle Cay is some great bottom fishing, it is the next major cay west from Guana!

Uncle Vic, short term retirement, more of a sabbatical really. Sold the business, 6 months max unless I can pull a Randall or my liver gives out.[/quote]


au contraire mon ami.........i NEVER get to retire...work till the end.

i'll save you the trouble ...."you call that work!!"


have fun...i sailed across. south florida is hard to miss .......bunch of rectangles across the horizon.

This is my 2nd try to respond. The banks north of Grand bahama island need local knowledge to get accross. Also a inland waterway that brings you into Lucaya, good dockage and ginmills, 73 miles from Palm beach, good yellowfin time 5 miles off Lucaya that time of year, I can probably#s if you like. Carry a weapon aswell

dont forget to clear customs when stateside, West palm beach may be closest port, I think they are still at the airport, call from your cell phone to get your clearance #, if you dont' they will put you in timeout and be very uncorroperative, dont get off the boat till your captain has obtained this # and there permission to disembark

I've never been to the Bahamas and neither has he.

Tom,

Be very careful and understand that the Bahamas can be a very treacherous adventure to boaters inexperienced in running a boat on or near the Banks...

Crossing the Gulf Stream to or from the Bahamas is relatively easy in decent weather and with any wind direction other than from a northerly direction, (20 kt or more).

April can still be pretty windy. Anything over a 20 kt wind, from any direction, can and will stir up the shallow waters on the bank to the point that reading the water is difficult to impossible. Entering onto the Banks and navigating across from Memory Rock, (north of West End), is the shortest route from West Palm Beach. The southern route, (south of Grand Bahama, around Hole in the Wall, back north and to the Abacos), is much longer and can easily be a two day haul.

Any boating trip to the Bahamas, especially without a lot of prior experience, is not an adventure to be taken with a cavalier attitude... The reefs, rocks, shallow waters, tides, and sea conditions at the various entry points onto the bank can and will get you into serious trouble without keen attention.

There are almost no markers or warnings anywhere to guide you along your route. A good Bahamian marker may be nothing more than a 2' stick in the water or a floating bottle anchored down. Which side do you favor?

I would strongly advise that ya'll hire an experienced guide from the West Palm Beach area to make the trip with you. A few hundred dollars extra expense will be short money compared to what can, and may, happen to you without a guide. I can give you some recommendations for guides if you want...

The Bahamas can be a prime example of the old saying: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Someone mentioned a weapon- be careful declaring in the Bahamas I ran into problems declaring a weapon/ammo. If you clear at a smaller custom confirm hours. Showed up once on a Sat afternoon, had to wait until Monday.

Get Dodges Cruising Guide.

There is a better nav map chip (can't remember which company) we ran it through the handhelp gps/pc-

Sunday afternoon go to Guana for Nippers Pig Roast-
Abaco Inn
Lubbers Quarters, Cracker P's
Fish on the outside down to Pete's Pub from -

We've moved our annual trip from late April to mid late May due to weather/fishing reasons.

When cruising in the Bahamas I've had luck asking others about my next leg and gotten good intel.

Thanks for the responses. Flying Yellow Taxi into Marsh Harbor so I'm hoping that's a big enough customs to avoid delays. Will double check though but going to be pretty hard to smuggle a weapon.

Randall, to most of the masses, self included, what you do far transends work.

Good thoughts Capt Pat on navigating, although I rarely enter into these things half cocked. Unless I'm on a hyena boat headed to Port Eades over a Father's day weekend with some bambulance chasing attorney I met internet dating at the helm.

The boat has been there for two years owned by an ex pat, so I've been assured the nav equipment has updated chips. We'll see, you know how that goes. Looking forward to the trip and maybe a fish or three.

Sounds like a date at Nippers on 4/18 for a little pig and some rum drinks.

I rarely enter into these things half cocked

Half cocked, full cocked, locked n' loaded, nav chips, maps, charts, or whatever, The Bahama Banks are still tricky at best and even jump up to bite "banks experienced" operators in the ass from time to time. Just sayin'... Good luck and have fun.

Leave the guns at home son. Odds are you won't need one and if you run amuck with the authorities it'll not be pleasant.

Tom,
Maybe some wasp spray?

times sure have changed. we sailed a 50 foot yawl into ft liquerdale and called customs. (berry islands previous port of call) feller comes down about an hour and a half later and looks at the four grungiest humans on the planet and says "guess there's no point in lookin at the boat now?". hitchhiked to the airport and was home on LI for a late lunch. still had my shampoo bottle full of absenthe.

I'll second Patrick's words of caution, and also the recommendation of Steve Dodge's Crusing Guide to Abaco. It contains specific waypoints to get you around, and if you follow if closely, you'll be fine.

http://www.wspress.com/detail-cga.htm

Be sure to visit Man-O-War Cay while you're there, a dry island but the center of Abaco boat building. There are many outstanding craftsmen there, mostly named Albury, and no visit is complete without a visit to Albury's Sail Shop on MOW.

JB

I'll second the Nippers recomendation. Have stayed att he Abaco Inn on Hope Town 3 times...great spot.

Rented a 17 foot whaler while I was there. I would take heed on the warnings....The water is not as well marked as we are used to from the states.

CaptPatrick wrote: Half cocked, full cocked, locked n' loaded, nav chips, maps, charts, or whatever, The Bahama Banks are still tricky at best and even jump up to bite "banks experienced" operators in the ass from time to time. Just sayin'... Good luck and have fun.

Leave the guns at home son. Odds are you won't need one and if you run amuck with the authorities it'll not be pleasant.

Sorry, my response doesn't come off like I meant. Typical. Capt Pat, I triple check everything and take the words of advice seriously as does the owner. Hoping that everything goes smooth just doing a little due diligence. If the weather is bad, might have to hang around for the Bertram Hatteras shootout a few days later.-T

Had a great time in the Abacos. Ended up renting a house in Hopetown. Fished from Man O War down to the Hole in the Wall. Cold water, caught some fish, lots of dolphin in the area.

Boat Harbor is great, there was a sticker on a pole from Kipps boat, Targeted Species. Got a kick out of that. Lots of rum drinks and crawfish (lobster). Kind of rainy and cool most of the time. Hit Nippers, Albury boatworks, Grabbers, Snappa's, a beautiful lighthouse in Hopetown. Had a big time and surely left a mark on the locals. Or at least gave them cause to celebrate our departure.

BTW, the name Albury is kind of like Boudreaux or Thibedeaux in S. LA. Pretty much every white guy has that name or married into that name.

Navigation was a nonissue with the Furuno electronics. Right on the button w/ depths and channels. Ran from Hopetown to West Palm yesterday. a couple hundred miles or so. Had a couple of rum punches at Bimini Bay (West End) then made the crossing. Crossing was a nonevent with zero winds. Got a Coast Guard visit looking for blow or weed. They weren't interested in my chewing tobacco so had to let us go. Hardest part of the whole trip was navigating around Peanut Island in W. Palm Beach. Hit the airport at 6 this morning, back in Houston for breakfast.

I appreciate the advise, I hope to take my boat back this summer w/ the family.

Tom,

Glad to hear that ya'll had a good trip... Welcome back.

Tom,
My money is on the liver giving out first...right after mine does. Have a great time.
Sounds like a lot of fun.