Abacos Marinas

[Boatsb]

Fly over and check them out yourself. That way you can see with your own eyes what they are like.

 

[BOATER BOB]

If I may comment on your planed trip to Abaco it might be worth taking a 3 day trip to see first hand ahead of time to nail down all the details that way you can see for yourself by riding the ferry to different islands and visiting marinas.
Bob

 

[JLR]

Good suggestions.

 

[Dan Mapes]

We are fans of both HT and SS and have spent time at both of them. The rentals at SS are a bit worn. However, some of them have an outstanding ocean view. You can park a cart by the door and BTW I think something is brewing about having a cart included for premium slips and cottages.
This would certainly be a plus. Don't forget to ask.

 

[JLR]

Thanks Dan. Much appreciated.

 

[JLR]

I have just returned from a week at Sea Spray in the Abacos. Thanks to all here, and especially Dan, for the help and suggestions. The marina was very nice, the restaurant and bar lively, and the entire experience was terrific.

 

[Dan Mapes]

You are most welcome. So how was the slip you were in? T head or backed into the fuel dock?

Any trouble getting a cart and did Sea Spray provide one?

We spent quite a bit of time there and miss it. You never know, perhaps some day we'll get back there but for the time being we have some other adventures lined up.

 

[JLR]

Dan - we had the T head at the fuel dock. The slip was just fine for us but a little intense watching everyone else trying to squeeze on to the remainder of the T Head to get fuel. Some close calls in the windy conditions especially for the catamaran charters that go in and out. No, Sea Spray did not provide a golf cart for us but it was cheap enough through Island Cart Rentals. Kevin, who runs it, was very nice and dropped it off and picked it up at Sea Spray. We did lose power every day and even one day for about 16 hours when I am told an underwater cable was cut. I guess it happens all of the time as nobody on the dock seemed to notice. The outdoor restaurant and bar area were very lively and made the stay worthwhile for our twenty something daughter and boyfriend. All in all, it was great place to stay. I do have one little niggle with Sea Spray. We never hooked up to water. The only water used was when our Captain added 50 gallons on departure and when the boat was washed by a Sea Spray guy on arrival. Nevertheless, we were charged for 390 gallons of water. That's simply not possible. I think the problem was that the hose bib assigned to us was on the fuel dock. And, every boat that went to the fuel dock, especially the catamarans, took on water. Live and learn. A cheap lesson indeed. I was also surprised that downtown Hopetown really has nothing there. But, with that said, we had great meals in Firefly, Captain Jack's, Harbor's Edge and of course, Cracker P's. One last positive. I was able to have the boat chug there and back from Jupiter using a little over 1,000 gallons of fuel but did NOT have to take on any fuel either at Sea Spray (over $5 gallon) or anywhere else in the Bahamas. Filled up at Admiral's Cove in Jupiter for $2.18 gallon. Now that's a savings. I also decided to charter a ferry each way to take us directly to Sea Spray and back to the Ferry dock. It was also pretty inexpensive to have private charter. The airline (Silver) changed our departure three times and I was uncomfortable relying on the Ferry schedule to make our flight. Now, we need to plan our next trip. Any ideas?

 

[Dan Mapes]

I guess I forgot to tell you to bring a smaller kind of padlock for the water valve. We always removed their lock and put our own on. If Edly washed your boat he probably used your water and that could explain some of the excess use.

Good deal on the fuel. Our boat didn't hold enough to make the round trip. 5 bucks a gallon! Ludicrous. That's why we fueled up at Old Bahama Bay on the way over.

How about Turks and Caicos?

 

[JLR]

Edly did wash the boat. Turks and Caicos is a possibility but I imagine a long way away. Any thoughts on Bimini for a quick trip. Nassau is too busy for us and the Exumas are not in the cards until I retire next year. We've been to Grand Bahama with our other boat. Cozumel/Cancun is also a long haul. I'll be noodling about this for a bit.

 

[pizzazsdaddy]

Hey JLR...was this your boat I spotted at Sea Spray the other day?
I'm helping a friend on his 76 Lazzara YOLO thru mid July. We're docked at Conch Inn Marina at Marsh Harbor. And the rates are fairly reasonable here. 75 cents for dockage. $125 a week for water and a surprisingly low (for the Bahamas) $35 a day for electric. Just glad it's not on my nickel!

 

[JLR]

You bet. That was my boat.

 

[Westfield 11]

Can I ask how you handle black tanks at the dock for a week? Are there pump outs at the slips or do you have to move the boat periodically?

 

[Dan Mapes]

We normally went a couple of weeks and then "moved about". There are no such facilities in the Bahamas.

 

[Fanfare]

There are very few pump-out stations in the Bahamas. I feel you need a certain critical mass of boaters to make the sewage problem apparent--which means visual! I understand that Georgetown, Great Exuma, now has a mobile pump-out boat due to the large number of sail boats wintering there. Romora Bay Marina in Harbour I., Eleuthera, also has one. I have not been to Nassau lately so can't say there. Did not see any in the Exumas or Abacos.

Since Fanfare was built long before holding tanks were envisioned and we spend most winters in the Bahamas we use LectraSan sewage processors by Raritan Engineering. These meet the USA requirements of no visible floating solids and also kill all of the coliform bacteria which are the markers for disinfection. When I re-engined years ago I had to remove one LectraSan to fit my new 10" exhaust. I added a 25 gallon holding tank to the generator room for no-discharge areas but this fills up pretty quickly. This has limited my visits to the Florida Keys because often the pump-out machines are broken or inaccessible. Additionally this week I received an email saying that Florida's boating funds are exhausted and the state may begin charging boaters for pump-outs!