THEJOKER

Kidding you man , what an experience! And who is the real king daddy of rough water? haha

vagrant

When you arrive in Bahama waters I believe you are supposed raise a yellow flag to identify you have not went through customs and then fly the Bahama flag after you have is that correct??

CBR

Interesting that the Bahamas let's you keep guns aboard the boat. Most countries make you surrender them when you check into customs. I stand corrected. Sorry for the misinformation.

There is a long post on sailnet about a cruising couple's misadventures with guns and customs in many caribeen nations. Lots of useful and funny stuff in there, but, I can't find the article just now.

THEJOKER

Guess OSO God didn't want to reply because we blew by them after leaving the inlet(HAHA). Not kidding when I say 10-12's in the Gulfstream. 38 Cig @ 13,000 lbs - 20 mph in the middle . I'll never do that again!

fandango

A couple of years ago, I took a 35 Cafe all through the Abacos (left Ft. Pierce to Walkers Cay, around the outer Abacos (Green Turtle, Marsh Harbour), around the Hole in Wall, up to the Berrie Islands to Bimini and on to Miami. I never experienced any hostilities from anyone. We were there in late December and literally the only powerboat running the area, so it was a little isolated, but not dangerous. We were approached by a plain clothes Bahamian police in the Berrie Islands and accused of running drugs (again remember we were in a Cigarette in the middle of winter and there was not ANYONE on the island). They literally made us take everything off the boat, open up every hatch and grilled my friend and I separately (to see if our story matched as to what we were doing and where we had been). They were very professional but I was scared to death as to what they could of done. Dam glad to hear the word "satisifactory". Anyway most of the advice here is good. Gas is around the middle to upper $4.00's. Over 35' the entrance fee (for six months now) is $300, double what it used to be. Wait for a weather window leaving US and returning to US. Never run with the wind out of the north as the stream is nasty. Be prepared to waint over there if necessary. I was not to impressed with Bimini (but it is the closest) after seeing the rest of the Abacos, but it might have changed since then. You can run the shallows to the Berrie Islands from Bimini and I have the coordinates for the route as it is not marked if anyone needs.

Ed

Anarchy Powerboats

No, you got 26 people with knives. You are good to go

Wardey

A few years back my buddy had a run in with a "so called" boat in distress. They wanted to board his boat to use his radio. He stayed a safe distance away and offered to make a call for them in which they protested that it would be easier if they just boarded and used his radio. He said last chance and powered up. He watched in a distance with binoc's and they soon started up and left !!! So he calls me the next day to go shopping, he wasn't a gun person at the time and wanted me to go with him to the candy store. We left with a .45 for close quarters, a .223 AR for long range, and a 12 guage for a no miss situation. This personally is my choice of weapons for a offshore crossing and would not even think of entering intl. waters or running a long ways offshore without them . Dave

Steamin Rice

My wife and I went to Freeport on vacation in early June and had a good time - we stayed at the Westin @ Lucaya and thought it was pretty nice. Ironically we both commented how we felt fairly safe during our trip, but we didn't go by boat and we didn't go too far from the resort and marina either....

camptappakeg69

2 years ago my wife and I went to nassua and stayed at the sandals royal boheimian, had a great time, but we flew in....

felt very safe at resort(gated and armed guards )
didn't go very far from resort either didn't have to everything was there....but really never left the swim up pool bar
best vacation we have had so far

bouyhunter

Thanks for the book suggestions on the first page of this - I've been looking for some good reads.

I already have "Turning the Tide" - great book.
But, The Island, and Betrayed are new to me.

Thanks.