Bahamas 2024 prep

[rsmith]

Unless your running a cruise ship like Pascal it’s cheaper and easier to buy the water. Water makers have a high initial cost plus if anyone is really honest the cost of disposables membrane and high electrical consumption of the pressure pump at Bahamian electric rates puts the realistic cost at .30 +. Put shutoffs on the shower heads and get your crew used to conserving water. It goes a long way if you don’t let the spigots run and shut water off between washing
West end is a good place to get your feet wet. Fishing is good and if you get yourself a deep drop setup to get to 600’ the snapper and grouper are fantastic. Walkers and Grand could be a next stop if you get bored of West end but the rest of the Abacos is still pretty much wiped. And crime has become a factor. I subscribe to the Bahamian news and there are constant murders over there especially GBI and Nassau. There is an ongoing race war between local Bahamians and the Haitians that were stranded there when human smuggling thing went south a few years ago. Now they have kind of settled there and live in their own settlements. Desperate people in desperate times do desperate things. Remember as a fat cat American your a target.

[Pascal]

Seawaterpro has 40GPH water maker for $4500. Membranes last around 5 years, pre filters are cheap and they last a long time in the Bahamas anyway

https://seawaterpro.com/products/24-...42043244249321

I installed one as a back up a year ago. Very simple, no fancy electronics and very reliable.

It s not about saving money but not having to go a dock every couple of days. It’s about being able to rinse the boat after a run. It s about comfort.

[Dan Mapes]

It's also about your health. If you blindly trust the supplied water, it could be a mistake. Bring a TDS meter and check the water before you put it in your tank.

[Fanfare]

Many years ago, before reverse osmosis watermakers, we were forced to get whatever fresh water was available. Then, even in Nassau, my testing showed there was no chlorine in city water. The out islands were worse. Bahama Belly was common. We would add Clorox in measured quantities to our tanks. We became really good at conserving water. Our kids all had bright white teeth. But once the grandchildren began arriving I decided we needed a better source of reliable water. Our first early watermaker did not last long but our second, by Watermakers, Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale, has been great. While anchored out I run the watermaker at night when the generator doesn't have much to do other than run the AC. The only drawback is that similar to a home water softener our RO water is so soft that it takes twice as much water to rinse the soap off. Go a size up in selecting your watermaker. We do 40 gallons an hour for our 280 gallon tanks. A few gallons are wasted at shutdown each day rinsing the salt brine out of the membranes. If you decide to spend much time in the Bahamas it's worth the investment.

[Passages]

If you are on Facebook, there is a group called Bahamas cruising and Sailing. I’ve found members to be very helpful. There is also a member sharing their digital book “ Cruising the Bahamas with the Lucky Me” free of charge . It’s a great reference and planning guide for the first time Bahama cruiser.

[madhatter1]

Putting more thought and daydreaming into this we are now thinking about doing the mini loop. Mad Beach-Marathon-Bimini-West End-Stuart-Okeechobee-and back. Can add stops in between. To make my wife more comfortable with thunderstorms each day we we run anywhere it will be exiting marinas just as it gets light. We got beat up off Marco returning from the Keys a few years ago even in a 46. Sky was black. What were we supposed to do, turn around and go back to the Keys? Anyway with this strategy and extra time in case of WX we don't want to run in I think we should be good.

Question on the Gulf stream. Does it help with speed at all running with the stream or is that a narrow area that won't help much.

Again, all we want is the super clear water and layed back fun. Not interested in other areas of the Bahamas. But definitely interested in any rec's on stops in the Keys or even Miami area. Marathon is the furthest we have been from the nest.

[Dan Mapes]

We traveled at around 8 or 9 knots in Freedom. When we left Lauderdale for West End we always picked up a good shove. It varied but it was certainly there. Could have been at least 2 knots.
When crossing straight over from West Palm to West End we had to steer into it.

if you want super clear, the Exumas are where you want to be. We could see the bottom pulling into West End or Bimini but with all of the traffic it gets stirred up. With a small light weight dink going in and out of West End is not the most pleasant.
Depending on where you tie up in Bimini, getting over to the Sapona is doable but you want good weather and low traffic. We did this in an 11 foot Avon with 18 HP.

[madhatter1]

Posted on THT and got this response searching for Starlink facts. Anyone here know if the $150 regional plan works in the Bahamas? We are not looking for service running, only at the dock or on the hook.

Quote:
Originally Posted by madhatter1
I have a few questions maybe some could answer here. So hard to find info on the Starlink site. Next year we are planning a trip to West end and Bimini areas. For business I need to stay connected and have phone service. Also we have an RV that we want to use it for so for hardware looking at the portable unit. Most of the time we will be docked when using it so figure that will be stable.

Questions
Will it work anchored (but close to shore) in the Bahamas?
Looks like from coverage map it will work well anchored coastal US areas. Can anyone verify this?
The 3 mobile plans are regional (what I mostly need), Global (think this is what I need for Bahamas), and priority (may need this on the hook).
Can I switch plans (1 month at a time) to upgrade for the Bahamas trip and then back down to regional when we return?

Thanks if anyone can answer this or point me in the right direction.
Mobile regional will work just fine for US and Bahamas. (Regional plan is within same continent and Caribbean is considered N. America) $150/month currently. If you look at the coverage map on the starlink site everywhere you see a black hexagon will be considered ocean. If you are in the ocean you will need to enable priority data in the app and pay $2/gb. As long as you are close to land it usually works. We spent 6 weeks in Abacos & Exumas, Bahamas in June/July and only turned on priority running in open areas away from land. And yes you can change plans month to month.

Scott

[Pascal]

Things have changed a bit since my original reply on this thread, both plans and hardware.

Plans are easy. You need the $150 a month Mobile Regional plan. Which works thruout North America and the Caribbean. When offshore you need to toggle OIPD (opt in priority data) in the app. We do that when crossing the gulf stream and on the banks away from islands. Coat is $2 a gig

Where it gets tricky is the hardware. We started with the standard residential dish which worked fine underway for a few months. The about a year ago, it would disconnect underway even at only 9kts. We upgraded to the $2500 HP dish which is the only one approved for in motion use. What is odd is that some users report that their standard dish works fine underway even on plane. Some say that Starlink has stopped enforcing the restriction on the standard dish working at speed. Unclear.

If you need reliable internet and phone, then rhe HP dish is the way to go.

[madhatter1]

Pascal, we don't need service underway. Just for when we get there, hop around, and anchor overnight. Will have a brand new portable receiver. So that should be it, right? If so I'll order now to start using it locally and in the RV so we are used to it.