A few pics and a few notes...

PascalG

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spent a week in bimini, Berrys and Nassau on charter, here are a few notes/ pictures of interest to those that are Bahamas bound...

Bimini. The more i go, the less i like Bimini Bay... so they have state of the art floating docks and a nice pool, and $2 a ft isn't bad. but the staff is clueless, it's a long trolley ride to customs and to check in and out, it's also a long walk to the resort lobby (or a wait for the shuttle...). Also, there is no convenient access to what's left of the beach they destroyed... the older marinas in town are next to radio beach and walking distance of customs.

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The wreck of the Sapona is a must stop for snorkeling, as usual, and so is honeymoon Harbor although i still missed the old days before some storm cut the beach in half. the Sting Rays still some rubbing against your legs... plenty of water to get in, 9 to 10'. there is also anchorage on the back side of Gun Cay, coming from the bank side.

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Chub Cay... a nice stop, $2.75 a ft. The beach while not natural is very nice and protected. tons of conch, ever see conch trails in the sand? and starfish. Free wifi weasn't up yet (they were changing provider) but pay service thru beacon worked fine.
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Atlantis... it's a tropical disney world, all fake, crowded and too expensive. Yes, the aquariums are spectaculars but that's about it. $15 a day for wifi is outrageous when they charge you almost $5 a foot a day... on tghe upside, they have the cheapest water, 0.10 a gallon vs up to 0.40 elsewhere.

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White Cay/Hoffman Cay. great spot to anchor. easy in, decent protection, fairly deep. real pretty spot. Dinghy up to the second beach on Hoffman, and walk the trail (10min) to the Blue Hole. the trail starts near the south end of the beach.

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Sugar Beach on Great Harbor Cay, probably the most spectacular beach in teh berrys. you can anchor there in decent weather. On the north side, near the far end, the Sugar Beach Caves are a must see.
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Great Harbor Cay marina. 2 thumbs up! some older cruising guides mention it as in disrepair, it's under new ownership and management (as of early november). the dockmaster/manager is professional and helpful. Wifi was iffy at the slips but they were waiting for an external antenna to come in. while the entrance looks tight, it's easy and 9 to 10' deep in the channels. Power was good, the fixed dock adequate. and did i mention 1.20 a ft?

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Pascal,

Thanks for the great picts and your current ride-along.

Scott
 
Thanks Pascal, I've been curious what Bimini and Nassau look like. And while our plans have never included either, we've been happy in the Abacos the past two trips. We might be taking a sister-ship with us next spring, and if so, we'll stick to the Abacos again. But if not, with your helpful comments in another thread to me, we might just trailer a little further south and see if we can't check out the Exumas next time around (I've got a vendors in Miami I should meet up with to write some of the trip :-)
 
Great pix and very good information. I'm planning a Jan/Feb trip (depends on when the repower is finished and adequately tested) and some fof those places I haven't been to in quite a while but will certainly include them in my next trip.

thanks!
Bob
 
Excellent pics Pascal. We're really looking forward to the trip.

max
 
Thanks for posting. We still have our return itinerary to work out!
 
You mentioned Bimini - any developments at the Compleat Angler site?
 
nope... nothing is going on in bimini, except at bimini bay, they're workign on the golf course and filling in some land on the bay.

Alice town is completly dead... the Complete Angler site hasn't changed.
 
Too bad about Bimini and the Compleat Angler. We spent some enjoyable nights there. Of course our room was above the bandstand, and we didn't get to sleep till after 2:00 AM.

Roy
 
i call the Bahamas the Unfinished Islands... everywhere you go you see unfinished developments or derelict building. it's really incredible... when you get into Bimini, the first thing you see on the port side is the shell of that old hotel right by the seaplane ramp. on the stbd side, along the South Bimini beach, you have two or three abandoned homes on teh beach!

chub Cay? the marina is nice, but i didnt' see any sign of work being done on some of the construction sites.

Great Harbor? the golf course is abandoned, on the north end of Sugar Beach there is a road that was being built but construction stopped, with a bulldozer abandoned and rusting away.

In fact, if you look at the picture supplied by the ministry of tourism for one of the cruising guide, the first thing you noticed on the Bimini picture is a derelict hotel and pool.

only 42NM from South Florida....
 
quote:

Originally posted by Roy

Too bad about Bimini and the Compleat Angler. We spent some enjoyable nights there. Of course our room was above the bandstand, and we didn't get to sleep till after 2:00 AM.

Roy





Roy, we both may have been at the Complete angler when the music and the beer was the thing to do after a day of fishing. I don't remember ever crying at a funeral, but I cried when I heard that it burned down.
Many great memories of times with friends at the Complete Angler. Was always part of the adventure of the trip over. Ill still go to Bimini but I'm sure it wont be the same. To bad for new boaters making the trip, but the clear waters and Honeymoon harbor and the Sapona is worth the trip.
 
The best way to ruin something is to call it paradise...

Bimini sounds the same way it did when I went with the Boatered Flotila bak in '01. I think that silly resort on south bimini ruined it all. If I want to have the fancy resort atmosphere (which sucks) I'd go wither to West end or stay in South Florida. I prefered the laid back Island atmosphere that was Bimini in 01. I've been to Nassau as well and thought that sucked. Atlantis was a worthless joke. to me, but it is making someone big money...
 
Paul I'm thinking Berry Islands for what you are talking about.
 
Dan, do you mean the Berry Island are not touristy and are more laid back, like Bimini?
 
I'll have to look into it for the future boat. What I have right now wont get me past Bimini.
 
I'll let you know. I'm planning a Feb trip as wel speak. I plan to spend a good bit of time in the Bimini and Berry Islands.

I'm also thinking about going down to Conception Island where there is some of the most spectabular SCUBA diving I've ever seen. But, that is still up in the air.

Bob
 
Other than Chub Key, which is not fully finished anyway, the Berry's are more like the out islands.

I prefer staying at the old Berry Island Club on the East end of the Frazer's Hog Key then at Chub Key Club on the West end.
 
February we're still around Marsh Harbour somewhere. We have not planned that far out. It could be Harbour View or more time at Sea Spray. If things are going well we may hang on a mooring somewhere for a while. If we get a great window we could move South to Exuma.
 
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