First Time Going Offshore

[Gerrycooper56]

Aren't the 2 issues separate, clearing in and buying a cruising/fishing permit for $300?

[donradcliffe]

To the OP--the trip is about 840 miles and should take about 5 days, as you should be able to travel at 7 to 8 knots through most of it. The first 3/4 of the trip should be reaching in 10 to 20 knots. You may get a frontal passage as you near Bermuda, but its likely that you will not need to motor at all unless you need to charge the batteries.

For a general idea of the expected winds, go to sailing great britain wind (gfs) + 0 utc

and select the forecasts for america, then north atlantic.

Hopefully you will have some way of getting weather when you are on the passage.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Sometimes I wonder if anyone on here actually bludi sails.. your going Nth.. along with the stream.. predominant winds are gonna be SW and W with maybe a day of N... get a frigging grip guys..
Its a short 6-9 day run.. pick your window and go.. FFS..

yes dad. Sorry..FFs lolololol

[boatman61]

[weavis]

[CaptTL]

Originally Posted by Gerrycooper56

Aren't the 2 issues separate, clearing in and buying a cruising/fishing permit for $300?

No.

At the risk of getting my hand slapped for copying the government final word on the subject, I give you the below verbiage right off the official Bahamian site. Here is the link if you want to go there yourself. Customs Rules. And I was wrong about the limit of time one can spend in the Bahamas continuously.


To enter The Islands Of The Bahamas, private vessels need the following:

a) One (1) copy of The Bahamas Customs Clearance Form PDF
b) One (1) Bahamas Immigration Card per person
c) Proof of Citizenship—Passport
Arriving By Boat

Visiting boaters must clear Customs and Immigration at the nearest designated Port of Entry. As you enter each port, fly the yellow quarantine flag and notify Customs of your arrival. Only the captain is permitted to leave the boat until your vessel has been cleared.
Customs and Immigration officials will come to your vessel. Everyone on board must have proof of citizenship and fill out an immigration card. US citizens must present a passport. Before leaving The Islands Of The Bahamas, be sure to surrender your copy of the immigration card at the last Bahamian port you visit.
If you have a firearm on board (shotguns and handguns only) you must declare it with Bahamian Customs. You must provide the serial number, name of the manufacturer, plus an exact count of ammunition. While you are allowed to have a firearm on your boat, you cannot remove it. Weapons must be under lock and key at all times. In cases of emergencies, which require your departure by air, you must notify Bahamian Police or Customs. They will accompany you to retrieve the firearm and present you with a receipt. Upon your return to the island, Bahamian Police or Customs will escort you to your vessel and return your firearm. Any infraction of this law will be dealt with severely.
Entry Fees

All boaters entering The Bahamas are required to pay an entry fee.
a) For boats up to 30', the fee is $150.00
b) For boats over 30', the fee is $300.00
Fees Subject To Change
The fees will cover:
1) Cruising Permit
2) Fishing Permit
3) Departure Tax for up to three (3) persons. Each additional person above three will be charged a $20 departure tax. This fee is good for a second re-entry within a 90-day period.
If you plan to stay longer than 12 months, special arrangements must be made with Bahamas Customs and Immigration. Bahamas Customs and Immigration office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Officers are on call during holidays and weekends.
There is no overtime charge.
Entry Formalities

Arriving by Air/Returning by Boat
Travelers are advised to purchase return tickets (and seek reimbursement upon returning home for the unused ticket) even when they are confirmed to return via private boat. However, if the traveler arrives at Bahamas Immigration on a single ticket, the owner/operator of the boat must present himself/herself and the vessel's cruising permit. A copy of the cruising permit will be permitted for crew members who may be arriving by plane and returning by boat as their names will appear on the manifest. A letter will not suffice.
Upon your arrival to The Bahamas, you will be asked to fill out an Immigration Arrival/Departure Card, which you will keep until your departure. All visitors are required to be in possession of a return ticket.
US Citizens
A valid passport is required. A visa is required for stays exceeding eight months.
US Residents (non-citizens)
An Alien Registration Card (Green Card) AND a valid passport from their country of citizenship are required.
For visits EXCEEDING 30 days, a valid passport AND a Bahamas visa are required.
Canadian Citizens
A valid passport is required for proof of citizenship. Voter registration cards, birth certificates and photo identifications are no longer accepted as proof of citizenship.
A Bahamas visa is required for stays exceeding three months.
United Kingdom Citizens
Citizens of the United Kingdom and colonies require a valid passport.
A visa is required for stays exceeding eight months.
All Other Countries
For entry formalities, please contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the nearest Bahamas Embassy, Consulate or High Commission.

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by StuM

DW guessed at a 6KVA generator.

My planning figures for running an 8KVA generator:
70% load = roughly 5.5HP.
0.225lph/HP gives me just under 1.25lph.

I would need to run it 24 hours a day to use 30 litres (8 US gal) /day.

Hmm...

5.5 HP / 0.7 = 7.86 HP

7.86 / 1.36 = 5.78 kW

You can not run 8 kVA gnerator using 5,78 kW diesel, I do believe...

My 6 kW genset has the engine with about 11 HP continous output, and it is running at 3000 rpm.

My calculations of actual fuel usage were very rough (so some margin of error is of course possible), and based on the tests during and after commissioning the boat. The engine of generator was not run-in then, and it is quite possible that actual usage is lower now. Anyway - I always prefer to do all calculations being on safe side.

By the way I was written about using less than 20 litres for generating energy purposes, more than one third of suggested quantity was a reserve for main engine.

Best regards

Tomasz

[StuM]

> You can not run 8 kVA gnerator using 5,78 kW diesel, I do believe

You are correct, I was a bit out in my figures. I just checked some specs. The Mastervolt Whisper 6 uses the Mitssubishi L2E rated at 5KW, the 8 uses is rated at 6.4KW (8.5HP)

[a64pilot]

Biggest point is since it's the first time, carry extra fuel, water and food. If nothing else that should alleviate some stress worrying if you have enough. I carried enough so that if something un-foreseeable happened, I could drift for a couple of weeks. I know it was excessive, but no harm.
I've still got maybe 10 gls of water in jugs from my little trip, but I never worried about water, and water is cheap, extra fuel will be used, same for food.

Only time you can have too much fuel is if your on fire, right

[Wandering]

My 4.5kw genset runs at 3000rpm. It uses a twin cylinder perkins at 2litres per hour. My 86hp perkins main engine will push at 6knots for 1200 rpm. We use 3litres/ hr at these revs. Our 44ft ketch weighs 16.5ton. We would expect to sail the same trip but use the genset whilst sailing to make water. Towed generator and solar will run the boat.