We are looking to trailer down to Ft Laud. late May of this year to navigate over to the Grand Bahamas, stay for a week and come home. We plan to troll, bottom fish, and dive during the trip. If anyone has any helpful information, guidance on where I can find information, past experience, best place to launch, best navigation headings, etc… I would very much appreciate it.
We will be buddy boating, 22 Pioneer, 25 Grady WA.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
191 Bay Scout
Lots of good info on Hull Truth about this trip.
I’ve taken the boat from the Boynton\LWI area to West End several times.
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=136187
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=142104
No need to go to THT, a lot of people here have been to the Bahamas. I’ve taken my little 18’ skiff there 3 times. Been there dozens. It’s closer from Lauderdale to the Bahamas than it is from Charleston to good fishing grounds one way. Or about the same. Easy trip in good weather. 2 or 3 hours maybe for most boats.
Where are you planning on staying? Grand Bahama would not be my choice, pure tourist and very expensive. About fished out too.
You have to enter at a customs entry port, have passports for everyone, all boat papers, firearms are fine but they will count your ammunition coming and going. Unless you are clever 
Fly a yellow quarantine flag on stbd side when first entering Bahama waters. Only the Capt can go ashore with the ship documents and passports, everybody else stays on board until cleared with customs and immigration. Take down the Q flag and replace it with a Bahama courtesy flag. They may search the boat, or not. An offer of cold drinks and sandwiches helps things go smoother, as does an extra few $ and a happy attitude.
You will need to buy fishing permits before dropping a hook in Bahama waters and you don’t want to go to jail there. Bahama rules and limits are much different from US, so when you come back you can only be in possession of a US limit of whatever you have when you enter US waters. So eat a lot of fish and lobster while there:smiley:
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best navigation headings, etc.
If you really need navigational headings with today’s chart plotters and weather information, you might want to re-think this trip No offense meant. Headings depend on where you are leaving from, where you are going, current direction and speed (gulf stream), how long you are in it, boat speed, wind direction and other factors. But with a GPS plotter it’s easy on a calm day. We used to do it with com
2X on Cracker’s advice. Navigation now days is a piece of cake. In the old days I had magnetic headings written in my ball cap. If I changed the boat speed all I had to do to lift my cap and find the new magnetic. West End is the closest to Boynton Beach but You don’t need to clear customs in West End. As long as you are flying the yellow flag, you can go north of West End, cut around Great Sail Kay and go on to Green Turtle and clear customs there. Lots of places to stay. I recommend you get your hands on a book called “Bahamas Cruising Guide” (Amazon.com) also lots of good info on THT. Don’t expect the same markers you expect in the states! Often times a “marker” is just a stick in the sand, if the chart sez 6’ don’t trust it! It’s not dangerous navigation, you just need to be much more cautious than back home. Also, take your beer with you. Rum is cheap but beer is expensive compared to the states. One last thing, if you meet a lady in George town named Sally , tell her I said hi.
ZX
One more thing to add. Allow some extra time. A few days of bad weather can make you very late for work on Monday:smiley:
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Also, take your beer with you. Rum is cheap but beer is expensive compared to the states.
That’s a fact. When we did a lot of sailing there we always loaded the bilge with cheap beer and traded the beer for lobster and conch. Rum was cheaper than water at marinas.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
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Originally posted by Cracker LarryNo need to go to THT, a lot of people here have been to the Bahamas. I’ve taken my little 18’ skiff there 3 times. Been there dozens. It’s closer from Lauderdale to the Bahamas than it is from Charleston to good fishing grounds one way. Or about the same. Easy trip in good weather. 2 or 3 hours maybe for most boats.
Where are you planning on staying? Grand Bahama would not be my choice, pure tourist and very expensive. About fished out too.
You have to enter at a customs entry port, have passports for everyone, all boat papers, firearms are fine but they will count your ammunition coming and going. Unless you are clever
You will need to buy fishing permits before dropping a hook in Bahama waters and you don’t want to go to jail there. Bahama rules and limits are much different from US, so when you come back you can only be in possession of a US limit of whatever you have when you enter US waters. So eat a lot of fish and lobster while there:smiley:
quote:
best navigation headings, etc.
If you really need navigational headings with today’s chart plotters and weather information, you might want to re-think this trip
While Larry is spot on, I will say Port Luycaya on GBI has some good to very good fishing right off the beach. My son’s very first big game fish was a white Marlin caught there. Good lobstering off of there as well. I believe the area around West End, would be much more heavily fished.
quote:Port Lucaya is way more developed than West End. There is nothing in West End.
Originally posted by RedstripeWhile Larry is spot on, I will say Port Luycaya on GBI has some good to very good fishing right off the beach. My son’s very first big game fish was a white Marlin caught there. Good lobstering off of there as well. I believe the area around West End, would be much more heavily fished.
Yes, a lot more developed. West End does have customs clearance and the Bahama Bay resort, marina, and an airstrip. Good place to clear customs and keep moving up the Abacos.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:I agree. We always crossed over to West End. I thought the fishing was pretty good. But we were targeting wahoo and pole spearing, bottom fishing. We caught ceros, sailfish, dolphin, blackfins as well. I think if you want to target the yellowfins, supposedly the better area is south of Lucaya.
Originally posted by Cracker LarryYes, a lot more developed. West End does have customs clearance and the Bahama Bay resort, marina, and an airstrip. Good place to clear customs and keep moving up the Abacos.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
But if you want to bottom fish, there are tons of grouper, snapper, etc up north of West End towards memory rock. We caught\saw yellowtail snapper, schoolmaster snapper, black grouper, gag grouper, nassau grouper, tiger grouper, hogfish, horseye jacks, mutton snapper, tons of tropicals, etc. Lot’s to see up that way.
The information SkineeJ gave us was accurate and helpful. I see he reposted the link. We had a blast. Just make sure to park in a very visible area in the marina lot. We left from West Palm, a few cars in the back were broken into.
2660 Sailfish
Just curious. What’s the fuel costs on the water compared to our costs here?
I’d love to make that trip someday.
Mako 1901 Inshore-Honda 130
1975 13’ Boston Whaler
1977 23 Mako-project
10% of the people catch 90% of the fish.
I’d love to make that trip one day. Make sure to take plenty of well documented pics. Port Lucaya is one of my favorite spots in the Bahamas.
my boyfriend and I took his boat down there a few months ago. He has 3 houses in the Keys and and we rent them out, do you want to rent one?