Making the trip to Bimini
 

We will be making the trip for the first time over to Bimini and would like
Some info in doing so. Questions I have are:
Where to launch from, once over there where is the customs office
Marinas where accommodations for washing clothes, taking a shower etc..
Like I said it is the first time for us going over so any info will be a great help.
Thanks!

do it with the florida powerboat group or association they are going there this w-end i think!
i got to go there with my boat soon!!!

We went with the FPC a couple weekends ago, they made the process very easy. We had a amazing time and highly recommend the trip.

We went early August. Left on a Saturday and all the rooms at the Hilton were sold out. Stayed at Bimini Sands. Cheap rooms. Awesome floating docks in a protected area inside the compound. Amazing pool.

We cleared customs at Big Game Club. It was simple.

Make sure you take your flags - yellow, US, and Bahamas.

Do not take a gun unless you take a cruiser and are going to sleep with your gun. You can not have a gun on a center console - this is a new rule we learned about.

We departed from Miami Beach Marina and crossed in 2-3s. Ran about 40mph and it was comfortable.

When we do it again, I will not have to be in a hurry to get back. I will stay at the Hilton and arrange some fishing while I'm over there.

It's one of the coolest boating things I've ever done. Sitting in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight made this Kansas boy feel pretty tiny.

I would tell plenty of people when you are going to leave and make sure you tell them if you don't check in around a certain time to start getting worried. I have a sat phone and didn't bring it but I will from now on.

I think it's going to become pretty routine (already is for many) now that the Hilton is so popular.

I strongly prefer Bimini Sands......it is very nice and I like the marina exit directly to the ocean. Hilton is up that long channel and I don't like the "corporate" feel of that whole project. Locals and environmentalists both are outraged at the ecological damage that project caused also. Hilton might get a better clientele now that the "big red boat" filled with $99 cruise ship passengers has failed.

+1

We went Sep 18 in a 40' Formula, a very cool trip. A couple of notes:
We made sure everything, I mean everything was in working order on the boat, full fuel, fluids, ice, drinks and H2O. Nothing was left in question, I even brought my EPIRB.
Check the weather and sea forecast several days out watching tides to make sure all will be reasonably calm to cross the gulfstream. We were lucky and could run up to 50+ mph (but didn't to conserve fuel).
Leave early in the morning out of Haulover inlet, just in case you run into issues, as this from what I know is the closest point from A-to-B via GPS.
Once upon arrival, you can cut into the main inlet and head all the way back to the Hilton; or upon arrival, there is another small jetty and channel inlet to the south with small hotels (this could be Bimini Sands as pstori mentioned). We opted to sleep on the boat..it was easy and we had plenty of room.
Other than that, make sure you go south about 10mi to stingray bay/island, it's just past the large ship that ran aground (watch your depth!).
For return, do the same, be wise and all will turn out to be an excellent trip. I'm sure we'll go back in June, just PM me and we can make the cross.
Like recoverycharter said, it was one of the coolest trips I have made, water so crystal clear, sharks and stingrays were unbelievable, white white sand beaches........memories of the finest!
Let me know if you want pics....after seeing them, you'll definitely want to do it.

Definitely send some pics. so my better half won't be so chicken about the crossing.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/gallery/...rname=high-bid
I added pics to my photos or...this link may take you to all of them.

Bimini Sands is the hotel/condos on the right side of the main channel.
Sunken ship is the Sapona
Honeymoon harbor is where the stingrays are is at Gun Cay. Left side of Gun Cay is Cat Cay (private island) but they will allow you to come and shop in their supermarket and enjoy their restaurant/bar for a day......after a day you have to leave.

Well...I was getting irritated working up North in the cold this past winter so we planned another Bimini trip....this time on 2 See-Doos. Yea, call me crazy but after all the prep, I felt confident it would be an easy run. We pre-ran from Haulover to the Keys on the previous day to check seas and our fuel burn. On the day of, we had cooler full of food, ice, water, beer straped to the back pad of my ski and 5gal of fuel strapped to the other ski. Each ski held 18gal of fuel for the 40mi run. I had cell phone, 2 hand-held gps an EPIRB and a backpack w/clothes. On the morning of, we left out of Haulover with seas less than 2ft. At that point, I knew it was going to be fairly easy run. We stopped half way for gear check and to confirm 105* heading (the skis had a digital compass and fuel burn ratio). At about 1:20hr of run time, we began to see the Bimini Sands roof tops, 1:45 and we arrived. Aside from all the formalities and after taking a small break on the beach, we headed straight for the Sapona, snorkeled inside/out of the wreck and then went to Honeymoon harbor/beach for the rest of the day. At the end of the day headed to check-in at the Hilton for dinner, gambling fun and crashed. We woke up, checked the seas, endured a small rain shower and headed back to Haulover. We basically burned about 24gal fuel/per ski to get there and back (12 each way) and then maybe 5gal to/from running around. All-in-all, one very cool trip! I'll add some pics for proof....lol

Awesome!

Can't seem to get any photos uploaded.....

Interested in seeing your photos.

I'm planning a trip at the end of August, Spending Thursday the 31st in Miami , then crossing the gulf stream Friday morning the 1st of September, spending that night and Saturday night at the Bimini sands, coming back over Sunday, driving back home on Labor day. We're going in two boats. My 30' scarab and my nephew in my brothers 21' caravalle.

Couple questions...
Which places do you guys recommend to eat? Any good restaurants?
Can you get into customs with a passport card? (not the booklet)
Where do I go to clear customs coming back into the US?

Thanks for any info

double post

1. Easy trip but I would leave the 21 Caravalle at home. That boat is small and if it gets rough it will be a miserable ride for both of you (you will have to go slow also). The fees in the Bahamas/hassle of dragging it from Alabama won't be worth bringing it. The weather is going to determine your in/out dates and it is the height of hurricane season.
2. If you stay at Bimini Sands (I prefer it) you will be limited to breakfast/lunch at their cafe onsite and dinner at Mackeys Sand Bar at the south end of the island (you need a golf cart to get there by land). You can go by boat to Mackeys but I wouldn't attempt it at night.
3. The card will work but just keep in mind you cannot fly with that card like you can a real passport. So if someone gets sick, you need to fly home to buy parts whatever that card is a "no go." You need a US entry sticker ($25) and you simply call into US Customs, sometimes they want to see you in person and other times they tell you to have a nice day.

That is going to be a very busy weekend, be prepared to pay extra for everything from lodging to dockage right down to golf cart rentals and fuel. You might even get hit with 2-3 night minimums on everything. Consider staying at least another day in Bimini as you are spending a lot of time and money to get there/back to only stay 2 days.

Refuel the minute you arrive in Bimini as they will probably run out of fuel that weekend when everyone refuels to go home.

Agree with above... pm me with you email or ph# and I'll be glad to answer any questions

Thanks for the info guys. Appreciate it a lot.

How did the trip go! Saw you posted in General Discussion you were back

We had a good time. Was an adventure. Half the place is third world country, then you go to the Hilton. Wow. There's some money there! I put together a video. We had some drone footage too...

nice
 

cool video ........best regards from GERMANY .
I own a 1989 26 " Wellcraft NOVA II , 2 SB

currently i am not allowed to post pictures .....................

pics
 

could someone allow me to post pics , before i have 10 post s ?

ok
 

so i do it the hard way 10 post in total 4 more to go ......

three
 

more to come

sorry
 

i will be rady to show pics soon

3 to go
 

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1 more
 

only one more post and i can show you my boat

Email your photo to me [email protected] and I'll post it here for you.

I'll see what I can do with your photos tomorrow and I'll post them in the scarab forum for you. Photobucket is not working yet again.

Planning stages to make another run over to Bimini on jetskis from Baker Haulover, full loop around and maybe run south to other islands. Thinking June time frame but nothing set in stone just yet.
I see FPC is schd for 6/19... anyone else planning?

Bimini is getting weird........owner of Big John's bar was killed last year at his home in Bimini Bay, a local was killed a month later via the same means (multiple gun shots). Lots of media reports they took the bar owner (he was American) to the local hospital and authorities refused to allow him to get medivac'd out to Miami. Bimini and the Bahamas in general will surely get rough if the tourists don't come and fund their existence.

FPC has postponed their Bahamas 2020 trips due to Covid.

I made this trip a few years ago (Miami to Bimini). I took a 27' glasstream with a 496/Bravo1. The weather was supposed to be 2-3 footers. But as soon as we got to the gulf stream it was more like 4-5 footers. But that wasn't bad compared to our return from Bimini... On the way back to Miami we got 6-8 footers and lots of rain THE WHOLE WAY... instead of a 1 hour 30 minute trip... it took us almost 4 hours to get back. You know what they say... Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor... anyways, we launched from matheson and hammocks and shot out through stiltsville and shot up to Bimini. When we got to Bimini, we docked up at Big Game resort and did all our paper work there.

any updates on the Bahamas situation? wanting to go in the next year or so.....

Enjoyed the video. Who knows maybe one day ill make the trip.

Thanks, I'm just now seeing this. Me and boating to the bahamas don't get along too well. I've been there twice since '17 and broke down the other two times. In 2017 we got back to the boat ramp at dania beach and both motors died at the ramp. Found out later my fuel pickup straws inside tank had broken off. Dodged a bullet there.

In 2018 we planned to go all the way to staniel. Well, as soon as I got to bimini for gas my left motor died and wouldn't restart. I thought I had bent a valve or something from water intrusion through the exhaust. Found out later it was just fouled plugs from water intrusion. Towed back from bimini to dania beach. Not cheap.

In 2019 I was gonna redeem my past failures and make it to staniel. I flew my wife, daughter, daughter in law, grand kids to staniel from fort lauderdale. Me, my two sons, son in law, and a family friend left out of dania beach that morning to meet the ladies there later in the day. We were going to make it happen this time. Yessiree. We got to bimini, topped off fuel, pulled out onto the bahama bank headed to chubb, got about 1/3 of the way there, left u joint explodes. We crippled back to dania on one motor (after being boarded by the coast guard looking for drugs at 10pm). Me and the boys flew to staniel the next morning to join the ladies with zero sleep.

These bahamas adventures are more suited for later model outboard boats less likely to break your heart. I do have some pretty photos though. :)

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...dbc55a39c.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...8dee1418a.jpeg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...faf86ec74.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...5563e37e6.jpeg

Just to be clear, the first photo is close to bimini, the rest were in the exhumas, near staniel.

Great photos!