Bimini 2014-June 22

[Tranio]

Is June 22nd considered in season?

No. Summer is off season here. I think the no-wake is Nov-April. There is a bit of no-wake as you leave Bahia Mar. But once you get a little north of Las Olas Bridge it's only no-wake near Sunrise bridge and Oaklnd bridge.

 

[Andy S]

No. Summer is off season here. I think the no-wake is Nov-April. There is a bit of no-wake as you leave Bahia Mar. But once you get a little north of Las Olas Bridge it's only no-wake near Sunrise bridge and Oaklnd bridge.

Thanks for the info, I trust you better than my source. The trip should only be about 15 minutes, much better.

 

[tim2808]

How secure is the Bahia Mar Dock area? Trying to plan where we are going to store our extra gas cans

 

[Andy S]

How secure is the Bahia Mar Dock area? Trying to plan where we are going to store our extra gas cans

@tim2808 The dock area at the Bahia Mar is pretty secure, it is not a public dock so minimal traffic. I would feel safe putting the gas cans on the floor inside the boat and cover them with a towel or blank. If you are coming to the captains meeting via boat you will probably want to dock outside of someone to get your boat farther from prying eyes along the dock and again put the cans inside the boat and cover with something.

 

[upperdeck]

No one in our groups have ever had a problem. But, I have also never seen an employee around the docks either. There are targets in the area that are far jucier than our little boats, but none are easier than our open boats either. Like Andy said, I never leave any valuables on me boat, including my lowrance, fishing equipment, etc.

 

[waterboy]

I am wondering the same thing. If the marine closes at 6 PM for fuel, will they be open at 6 AM ??? I don;t know the fuel burn on all the boats, but I looked up mine. I am at around 2-4 GPH at low RPM - no wake speeds. 2 hours of no wake getting from the ramp to Bahia Mar and over and back to Bokampers could burn up some reserves. Looks like the 230 burn at around the same rate.

Am I making too much of this???

 

[upperdeck]

Between the Bahia Mar and the ocean, there is a bait shop/fuel docks. We will refuel there before the crossing. Everyone will have a chance to top off before we depart.

 

[tim2808]

Ok cool. We will leave the cans on the boat in the middle, probably in the ski storage compartment with the door open (cans too tall to close, plus fumes, etc) but probably steel cable the handles up somehow just to be secure.

 

[xoomer]

Unfortunately, I will have to cancel our trip to Bimini this year . I waited until the last minute hoping things would change so we could go, but it didn't pan out. Just in case anyone needs a room at the Bimini Sands I just cancelled unit 21-I, I think it is the biggest one on the beach and able to sleep 6 or more. In any case, I will be following this thread and your trip with envy and hope everyone has a great time!

 

[Andy S]

Sorry to hear the bad news. Hope all is well and maybe next year you will be able to make the trip.

 

[Bruce]

@xoomer, we will post lots of "wish you were here" pics. Sorry you can't make it!

 

[BoaterGuy]

@xoomer Sorry to hear that! I have modified my post on pg. 18 to reflect the new numbers...

 

[waterboy]

Great to hear about the fuel and thanks for the info. I am stoked about Bokampers and getting out for a "pre-cruise" that evening.

The count down is on...

 

[Andy S]

Hoping this doesn't happen to any of us, http://news.yahoo.com/boat-accident...G04Z2o2BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--

Knowing where Turtle Rocks are and how big they are the boat driver was probably no paying attention what they were doing.

 

[upperdeck]

Hoping this doesn't happen to any of us, http://news.yahoo.com/boat-accident...G04Z2o2BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--

Knowing where Turtle Rocks are and how big they are the boat driver was probably no paying attention what they were doing.

Article also said it happened Sunday night. Darkness probably played a role. Give that area a wide berth!

 

[Andy S]

No the Bahia Mar will not be open, at least it hasn't been in the past. There is a gas dock/bait store/general store on the way out of Fort Lauderdale that we will all stop at, right near the 17th Street (A1A) bridge.

Between the Bahia Mar and the ocean, there is a bait shop/fuel docks. We will refuel there before the crossing. Everyone will have a chance to top off before we depart.

If you are curious here is a website for the gas dock that we will stop at on Monday morning to top off our fuel tanks and get any last items, http://lauderdalemarina.com/about-lauderdale-marina/fuel-dock/. They are open 7 days a week (except some holidays) 6:00 AM until 9:00 PM.

 

[PreciousMetals]

If this has been covered, my apologies. Is anyone taking extra fuel, and what are you carrying it in? Thanks in advance....

 

[Andy S]

Some of the 19 footers are taking gas cans. Typically gas cans are strapped down on the swim deck. Since you have a 24 footer with atleast 50 gallons of fuel you will be fine crossing, you will use about half a tank.

If you are thinking of bring fuel to save money, to me it is not worth the hassle of dealing with the gas cans to save a few dollars on gas in Bimini. Sure the gas in Bimini will probably be around $6 to $6.50 a gallon but you would have to bring a lot of gas cans to make it worth it, just my 2 cents.

 

[PreciousMetals]

Just really thinking about it from a safety standpoint. I am struggling to find the right can to take (a large one that holds 12-15 gallons, or three smaller ones that hold 5 gallons each). The smaller may be easier to handle should I need to refuel.....I am leaving a week early (the 14th) and going down through the Exuma chain, and will hook up with you guys for the crossing from Bimini back to the States.

 

[tim2808]

We are bringing VP racing 5 gal jugs used for dirt bike racing. They are easier the handle and pour, plus they have a nozzle to screw a longer hose to. This way one person can hold the line into the tank, covering the port from splashing water too, and another can a hold the can and pour it safely from inside the boat. We have about a 5 ft tube that connects to the nozzle and doesn't leak. The cans hold about 5.5-6 gals each and we are bringing 4 for my AR192.

Mounting them on the swim deck was the plan but there just isn't a good, solid, safe way to do it. So we are going to put them in the ski locker, with the door secured open (cans too tall to close it anyway). We tested this and it seems like our best bet except for losing some good storage space. Our next option is to make a wood crate for the cans to sit in which will ride on the floor from the bow to about the helm station. However this will allow the crate to slide back during the trip since there really isn't a good place to secure it. Which puts us back to the ski locker plan.