Feedback Re My First Cruise to Exumas

[StuartSailor]

Good Day All,

I hope this isn't too long because we all know what we do when the OP writes too much initially. Well here goes...

I am planning my first cruise to the Exumas from St. Lucie Inlet this May/June on my Tartan 37 (w/4’2” draft) for approximately 4 weeks total (back and forth) and have a few questions. Thank you in advance for any feedback you can offer.

1. Is The Exuma Guide by Stephan Pavlidis the Dodge book equivalent for the Abacos. I already have the Explorer Chartbook.

2. Are diesel and gas readily available in the northern Exumas? I don’t think I’ll make it to Georgetown on this trip.

3. Do you recommend carrying fuel jugs? I have a 50 gallon fuel tank. That gets me approximately 450 miles of motoring, minus recharging batteries since I have no solar.

4. Is water readily available as well? I carry 90 gallons in my water tanks for washing, deck shower etc. I usually carry approximately 30 (1) gallons for drinking. Any need to bring my 5 gallon jug?

5. I do plan on anchoring, or using the mooring balls I’ve been reading about, as well as checking into a marina occasionally so the crew can get a proper shower, etc. Any marina experience we must visit?

6. Same old question, but with technology always improving… Would you recommend I use AT&T international plan or did you have better success with a Batelco Sim Card?

7. Route from Stuart to Highbourne Cay or Norman Cay. I’m thinking we go down the coast to Miami to anchor, then to Bimini to anchor, then to Chub Cay Marina or anchor or Fraziers Hog Cay, then to West Bay to anchor instead of Rose Island, then to Highborne or Norman Cay. So 5-6 days to get there. Hoping to get south to Great Guana/Black Point before heading back on a reciprocal course except from Bimini where I’d ride the stream to Lake Worth or St. Lucie inlet.

I am definitely considering this a delivery to the Exumas so I’m not interested in spending any time in Bimini, Chub, or Nassau. I just want to get to the Exumas as fast as I can providing I have enough crew aboard. Already been to the Abacos and have good crew to work with. I am very open to other suggestions. Any reason I should consider Lake Worth to West End to Great Harbor in the Berries. I’ve heard the Berries are also a great cruising area but I would just be passing thru from this direction on my way to the Exumas.

8. If you have any additional information you’d care to share, favorite anchorages, bars, restaurants, etc. I welcome any feedback. I’ve heard provisioning is ok with small grocery stores along the way so I’m not too concerned about replenishing food. I like to keep ice aboard so I’m assuming that is also readily available at marinas and grocery stores.

Thank you to all you cruisers who enjoy even more time out on the water. Continue to sail safe.

Jesse

[Lowcountry]

Sounds like a fun trip. Last time I sailed to the Exumas, we went down to Ft. Lauderdale before crossing over. We sailed from Lauderdale and went onto the banks just north of Bimini (North Rocks). From there, we went over the north end of Mackie Shoal and into the Tongue of the Ocean at NW Channel Light (unlit), and straight to Nassau. Passage took 27 hours. Cleared in at Nassau and sailed down to Highbourne Cay.
As far as getting diesel is concerned, you can get it at Highbourne Cay Marina, Staniel Cay Marina, and I believe Compass Cay Marina as well. I usually carry two 5-gal diesel jerries just so I can top off in between marina visits if necessary. Same for water. Groceries will be few and far between in the Exumas, so stock up before crossing from Florida. Couple of small stores (houses) on Staniel, but that's pretty much it until George Town.

[Lowcountry]

Forgot to comment about cruising guides. I have never used anything in the Exumas other than the Explorer Chart book. I had a Pavlidis guide for Eleuthera, but can't remember if it had the Exumas in it or not. Regardless, the Explorer book was sufficient for me. You can get cellular internet at Highbourne down to about Normans, and then again down around Staniel Cay. As such, you can use Active Captain online as a guide.

[StuartSailor]

Thank you for that feedback Lowcountry. I like the idea of crossing at Ft. Lauderdale instead of Miami. Also would consider a direct passage to Nassau if I have the crew. No interest in stopping at Bimini other then quick rest and customs. I will be pulling out my charts momentarily to look at your passage suggestion. I've heard of North Rocks and Mackie Shoal but haven't looked them over.

Did you clear in at West Bay or somewhere else? I'm not sure there is a customs office near West Bay.

Thanks for the other info on fuel, food and cellular. Very helpful. Also thanks for the reminder that I'm not using Active Captain enough.

Curious what your cruising speed is/was to Nassau. Presuming you're motor sailing.

[Woodland Hills]

If you are going to clear in at Nassau be aware that you will probably be boarded by several different agencies. The Bahamian police as well as the Defense Force do a lot of training in Nassau and have lately been boarding and inspecting nearly every vessel. We left there a couple of weeks ago and many cruisers we met told us about being boarded by one agency as soon as another left. Perhaps there is a new class of cadets that need to be shown the ropes.

The officers were all polite and professional and nobody had any trouble. Just be aware that it may happen. If you clear in elsewhere you only need to contact the harbor patrol and give them your permit number on ch16 and you will be left alone.

If you need supplies Nassau is the place to stock up. The Solomon’s Fresh Market just off Bay Street is an excellent store with a good selection of organic produce but is expensive. The Solomon’s Supermarket 10 km away in the East End is just as good, but is 25% cheaper. Depending on how much you plan on buying it could be cheaper renting a car for $50 and driving there instead walking to Fresh Market.

Don’t forget that Kalik beer is $60 a case in Nassau and even more in the Exumas!

[StuartSailor]

Thanks Woodland.

I was not aware that I could be boarded but glad to hear that it’s been a pleasant experience.

Where did you anchor in Nassau or were you in a marina?

It’s good to know Kalik is even more expensive in the Exumas. I will make sure I supply well. It was an eye opener for sure when I saw the prices in the Abacos last year.

[Suijin]

If it were me and I wanted to maximize my time in the Exumas I would check in at Bimini and then go straight, motoring/sailing 24/7, to Highbourne. Nassau is a dump and you have no reason to stop there, nor at the tongue of the ocean when you pass through.

You can get fuel at Highbourne and and I think at Staniel which should cover your range. Water is expensive most places but widely available.

Your challenge is going to be weather windows. You could wait a week in Miami alone for a day to cross. Then you may find your self motoring to make tracks to Highbourne if the wind is not in your favor. As a result I would do what you can to maximize your time in the Exumas. And you could make Georgetown with a good long sail down the outside at the bottom 1/3 of the chain and not miss anything exceptional.

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by StuartSailor

Thanks Woodland.

I was not aware that I could be boarded but glad to hear that it’s been a pleasant experience.

Where did you anchor in Nassau or were you in a marina?

It’s good to know Kalik is even more expensive in the Exumas. I will make sure I supply well. It was an eye opener for sure when I saw the prices in the Abacos last year.

I have an important correction: Kalik is $46 a case in Georgetown! We stayed in Bay Street Marina and at Nassau Yacht Haven Marina. We needed easy access to stores and shopping for some repairs I was making. We liked both marinas, but will be staying at Yacht Haven if we go back: closer to groceries and restaurants.

[StuartSailor]

Thanks Woodland. I think I’ll still stock up on beer prior to my visit.

[zshipley]

1. Exuma Guide by Stephan Pavlidis used by many. I found Explorer Charts of Exumas (and other parts of Bahamas) were all I needed.


2. Diesel and gas available only at Highbourne Cay and Staniel Cay. None at Compass as far as I know. Further southeast: In the past, there has been gas & at Cave Cay, but don't count on it; cash only. Next reliable fuel stops are Emerald Bay (on Exuma Sound side of Great Exuma, about 15-20NM north of Georgetown) and Georgetown itself.

3. From Highbourne to Staniel is only about 40NM as the crow flies & somewhat longer if you allow for sailing around shoals on the SW (shallow bank) side of the Cays. Nassau to Highbourne is about 30-35NM as crow flies, and its a pretty straight run. With a range of 450NM, you should have no fuel problems due to range. An occasional issue is that fuel supplies get topped off at Highbourne and Staniel about once a week by the fuel barge (and sometimes the barge skips a week), so if a marina is out of diesel, you may have to wait for the next delivery. But it always seemed to me that they ran out of gas more often than diesel.

4. Highbourne Cay, Compass Cay and Staniel Cay offer reverse osmosis water. It may be 40 or 50 cents a gallon.


5. IMHO, Highbourne Cay has the most developed (i.e., like what you'd find in the U.S.) marina; it even has a relatively sophisticated (by Exumas standards) restaurant ("Xuma") with a nice view from the top of a bluff. IMHO, Compass is the best sop in the Bahamas and not to be missed: docks are very good, water is very good, no fuel, some beer but no other provisions, swim with nurse sharks, most picturesque white-sand crescent beach in the Bahamas; BUT ... not for the very budget-conscious. (Landing fee just to visit the Cay if not staying at marina). Staniel is the only marina in a settlement, so it has a bunch of local Bahamians hanging around the docks looking for boat cleaning, selling conch, offering to guide, etc. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is not exactly the New York Yacht Club, but it has a reliable bar and restaurant (burgers, conch dishes, even green salad sometimes); also a liquor store the size of a large closet with beer, wine and spirits docks are older; there are a couple of grocery stores--NOT supermarkets, but better than nothing--, a laundry service (you walk there and drop off, as I recall) and an airport, if crew transfers are in the plan.



6. I'm not up to date on the latest phone economics. Last time I was in Exumas was August 2017. It used to be that Batelco charged a few hundred dollars for a non-Bahamian to get a local Bahamian SIM; therefore, whether to get a local SIM depended very much on how much you need to use your phone. Cellular data used to be fabulously expensive ($20/megabyte), so, except for fairly compact and desperately needed weather (GRIB) files, I never used cellular for data. Even wi-fi in the out islands used to cost $10 for 100 megabtes, not unlimited data. I expect the price has come down in the last couple of years. There is no wi-fi between Highbourne and Compass Cay (Exuma Park used to offer some at Warderick Wells, but maybe not now, and it seldom worked anyway, so don't count on it.)



7. In a slow boat, the velocity vector of the Gulf Stream really makes a huge difference. Advantages of positioning the boat in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale are not only that you fight less with the Gulf Stream, but you can move the boat south the weekend before your departure, drive home to Start, and then use less of your 4 weeks in the crossing. If you will start from Stuart, then it is probably shorter, and certainly requires a shorter first leg, to go from Stuart to West End (of Grand Bahama) where you can clear in, then across to Northwest Channel. (Check that Old Bahama Bay marina in West End has reopened since Hurricane Dorian.) Whether West End of Bimini, the Northwest Channel is your best route, and Chub Cay is a good stop. The alternative, if you go by way of West End, is to skirt north of the Berry Islands and then south along the Berry Islands to Nassau; again, their are numerous good anchorages in the Berry Islands, but you will be on the weather side, so if the seas kick up, it can harder to get through a cut and into a calm anchorage. For purposes of getting to Highbourne, going west of Nassau works about as well as going east, although it means you miss anchoring off Rose Island; the west route isn't really any longer and avoids the close piloting required to get through the cays and rocks north of the east end of Nassau Harbour; I believe Lyford Cay Club's marina (but not the Club facilities) may be open to the public, and it's a very good marina, within 2 or 3 miles of the airport and a Solomon's fresh Market (a real, U.S-style supermarket). I agree that on the way home, with Gulf Stream behind you, you can make straight for Lake Worth Inlet or Stuart, depending on where in Bahamas you depart from.

8. Once you get past the Solomon's Fresh Market in Nassau, there is nothing that an American would call a grocery store. So take all the provisions (and medications, sunscreen & other health & beauty aids) you need. Also, when things break in the Bahamas, the challenge is getting parts. You can usually find somebody, even in remote spots like Black Point, who can fix what's broken IF you give him the parts. So carry plenty of spares. And don't forget that you will need to do a few oil changes on your engine while you are there, so take all the filters and oil you will need. You are probably going to cover 750-1,000 NM. Translate that into engine hours and allow an oil change every 100-200 hours, depending on manufacturer's recommendation.

[Auspicious]

Coronavirus makes lots of plans written on sand. You know that, I'm sure.

1. The Explorer Chartbooks are plenty.

2. & 3. Be prepared to jug fuel and your options expand remarkably.

4. Water is everywhere. You'll usually have to pay for it.

5. I'm not a marina guy. Fuel docks are most of my experience in the Bahamas. I like Conch Inn in the Abacos. Emotional reasons.

6. AT&T just works. A BTC card is cheaper. The best deal is MyIslandWiFi. VOIP over data when you need to call. For a short trip BTC probably makes the most sense so you can call locals. Alternative is Whatsapp to your US number connected over data. That works great if you can sort out the configuration.

7. Remember that the Gulf Stream will sweep a 6 kt boat North 25 nm. Both directions. Ft Lauderdale to West End works. Lake Worth is a stunningly silly place to leave for West End. Crabbing into the Gulf Stream is foolish. One good option leaving from Stuart is just aim straight East and get across the Gulf Stream as fast as you can and loop down the East side of the Bahamas. On a Tartan 37 you should be able to make Georgetown in 2-1/2 days. You can ease your way North through the Exumas and head home from wherever you end up (25 nm set again). Day or so to get home.

8. You should be able to provision in Stuart for your cruise. Fill in and impulse food as you go. If you need help planning that check theboatgalley.com, Lin Pardey's "The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew," or drop me a note.