2020 Exumas trip

[jaburt]

So I have had 2 successful Bimini trips thanks to the awesome information and help from this forum. Now I’m thinking of going further next year. What are the major obstacles for doing a Exumas trip?
I know vacation time and fuel consumption is a major deal. I would plan on 2 weeks of vacation so that would give me 16-18 days being I work 4 day weeks. My 242x run out of fuel right at the cut for Bimini sands on the 17 crossing and I had 20% left this year with 8 people. So I’m sure I would need extra fuel. Is anyone else planning a
Exumas trip next year? I would love to go around mid July

 

[Dean P]

There are members that do that trip. I thought about it but it's too far and takes a little while to get there. Check these threads out.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/our-2019-exumas-trip.23240/ and https://jetboaters.net/threads/exumas-2019-teaser.22983/

 

[Boat~R~US]

We are talking about taking two jet skis to the exumas next year also. Trying to figure out all the logistics to safely complete this trip and we would like to team up with a group of people to with support each other getting there. Let me know what you find... Thanks

 

[Andy S]

Be flexible for the unexpected. Both times I've made the trip things have come up to force a deviation from the original plan.

For fuel planning here are the rough run lengths. Very limited options other than these stops to get fuel.

Fort Lauderdale to Bimini 60 miles
Bimini to Chub Cay 90 miles
Chub Cay to Palm Cay, Nassau 40 miles
Palm Cay to Staniel Cay 90 miles

Once in Staniel Cay, about the farthest you might run is 25 miles one way to Copperfield's underwater sculpture.

 

[Cparker2]

Be flexible for the unexpected. Both times I've made the trip things have come up to force a deviation from the original plan.

For fuel planning here are the rough run lengths. Very limited options other than these stops to get fuel.

Fort Lauderdale to Bimini 60 miles
Bimini to Chub Cay 90 miles
Chub Cay to Palm Cay, Nassau 40 miles
Palm Cay to Staniel Cay 90 miles

Once in Staniel Cay, about the farthest you might run is 25 miles one way to Copperfield's underwater sculpture.

I believe Highbourne Cay Marina, although North Exuma, is certainly closer to Nassau than Staniel Cay. I just made the trip in July, it's about 30 miles if I remember correctly.

 

[Andy S]

I believe Highbourne Cay Marina, although North Exuma, is certainly closer to Nassau than Staniel Cay. I just made the trip in July, it's about 30 miles if I remember correctly.

True, I mentioned Staniel Cay because that is were most people stay when boating to the Exumas, we did in June 2016 and June 2019. Highbourne Cay is the only place north of Staniel Cay that I know of that has fuel and with only a 90 mile run from Nassau to Staniel Cay most boats that carry 50 gallons of fuel can easily make it to Staniel Cay without refueling. The first island in the Exuma chain that we get to is Norman's Cay (about 10 miles south of Highbourne Cay) this is were a DC-3 plane is in bay east of the airport.

 

[Cparker2]

True, I mentioned Staniel Cay because that is were most people stay when boating to the Exumas, we did in June 2016 and June 2019. Highbourne Cay is the only place north of Staniel Cay that I know of that has fuel and with only a 90 mile run from Nassau to Staniel Cay most boats that carry 50 gallons of fuel can easily make it to Staniel Cay without refueling. The first island in the Exuma chain that we get to is Norman's Cay (about 10 miles south of Highbourne Cay) this is were a DC-3 plane is in bay east of the airport.

Yah, we went to the DC-3 in July too - hard to believe that it's still there and in as good of shape as it is! We also went to the back of Shroud Cay in the 'wash tub'. Absolutely love Exuma!

 

[Kevin Sargent]

So I have had 2 successful Bimini trips thanks to the awesome information and help from this forum. Now I’m thinking of going further next year. What are the major obstacles for doing a Exumas trip?
I know vacation time and fuel consumption is a major deal. I would plan on 2 weeks of vacation so that would give me 16-18 days being I work 4 day weeks. My 242x run out of fuel right at the cut for Bimini sands on the 17 crossing and I had 20% left this year with 8 people. So I’m sure I would need extra fuel. Is anyone else planning a
Exumas trip next year? I would love to go around mid July

My family and I have made several Bimini crossings in a 24 foot jet boat. I recently purchased a 26.5 twin engine center console for the purpose of making an Exuma run. I might be interested in making the run this year. I will know more by the end of January.

 

[Kevin Sargent]

Be flexible for the unexpected. Both times I've made the trip things have come up to force a deviation from the original plan.

For fuel planning here are the rough run lengths. Very limited options other than these stops to get fuel.

Fort Lauderdale to Bimini 60 miles
Bimini to Chub Cay 90 miles
Chub Cay to Palm Cay, Nassau 40 miles
Palm Cay to Staniel Cay 90 miles

Once in Staniel Cay, about the farthest you might run is 25 miles one way to Copperfield's underwater sculpture.

Andy, my family and I ran into you guys in Bimini on your return trip I think in 2016. I sold my 242 and bought a twin engine center for the purpose on making a run to the exumas. Would you be willing to help me plan out a trip to lead? I understand the logistics of the crossing... I need assistance with the best places to stay/book and dock my boat along the way. I have a 147 gallon fuel tank and can get 2.6-3 MPG in the right conditions running 26-30 mph. Logistically, I could run from Lauderdale to Nassau in one shot, 189 long miles. I assume you made it in to days?

 

[Andy S]

Andy, my family and I ran into you guys in Bimini on your return trip I think in 2016. I sold my 242 and bought a twin engine center for the purpose on making a run to the exumas. Would you be willing to help me plan out a trip to lead? I understand the logistics of the crossing... I need assistance with the best places to stay/book and dock my boat along the way. I have a 147 gallon fuel tank and can get 2.6-3 MPG in the right conditions running 26-30 mph. Logistically, I could run from Lauderdale to Nassau in one shot, 189 long miles. I assume you made it in to days?

Hey Kevin, I remember talking with you in 2016. I would be more than happy to share my knowledge with you, ask away. To get things started here are a few tid bits of information.

For boats with about 100 mile range, my Cobalt and the Yamaha's, we would go to Bimini to clear customs and refuel, then onto Chub Cay (about 90 miles from Bimini) to refuel, and then to Nassau to spend the night. As long as you don't have weather delays, Florida to Nassau is easily done in one day even with my low fuel range. In 2016 we got stuck in Chub Cay for the night because they weren't pumping fuel until the next morning, otherwise we would have made it to Nassau in one day and that was with a crazy amount of time to clear customs (Isaac had a hand gun with him on his AR240) and that Blue Water was the only place to get fuel (thanks Whaler group).

In Nassau our favorite place for fuel and to get breakfast/lunch is Palm Cay on the southeast corner of the island, great spot for heading to Exuma and returning back to the states. As where to stay, in 2019 we stayed at Courtyard by Marriott Nassau Downtown/Junkanoo Beach, docked our boat at the Nassau Yacht Haven Marina and took a cab over to the hotel. We choose Nassau Yacht Haven Marina because they mentioned they have good security, which they actually did. The hotel is in a nice location because at night we walked over to Junkanoo Beach to find a place to eat and checkout all the vendors.

On our return trip in 2019 the seas were perfectly flat and I was set to make it back to the states in one day, should have been to Florida by late-afternoon but instead I decided to hangout on sandbar for 12 hours. When you and I meet in 2016 in Bimini, I could have made it from Exuma back to the states in one day, might have been between 6 or 7 pm but that wasn't bad because the first part of the day we had some really nasty weather to navigate.

Like I said, I am more than happy to share any information I have to help you in your trip, just ask.

 

[Kevin Sargent]

Andy,

thanks for the info....I read your post regarding your extended stay at the sandbar Inn..lol....I noticed you are in a group going to Bimini June 21st crossing. After talking to my wife, I think we are going join that group crossing. Tim H is a super cool dude and I want to see if he can teach me how to catch fish in Bimini. How much fuel did you burn on your exhume trip. I have a 332 mile range with a 10% reserve. I plan on taking an additional 20 gallons to Bimini. I shouldn't need fuel the entire 7 day trip. I am struggling to find a place to stay in Bimini Cove. Not a lot of options out there this year. I really like Bimini cove so I hope to find something soon.

 

[MattFX4]

Andy, my family and I ran into you guys in Bimini on your return trip I think in 2016. I sold my 242 and bought a twin engine center for the purpose on making a run to the exumas. Would you be willing to help me plan out a trip to lead? I understand the logistics of the crossing... I need assistance with the best places to stay/book and dock my boat along the way. I have a 147 gallon fuel tank and can get 2.6-3 MPG in the right conditions running 26-30 mph. Logistically, I could run from Lauderdale to Nassau in one shot, 189 long miles. I assume you made it in to days?

You going to bring that new boat out on Allatoona? We’ve met in Flamingo cove before. I had the black 242. I sold it late 2018 and just purchased a Supra SL the other day. Hope to see you out there!

 

[Kevin Sargent]

Heck yeah I am. Can’t wait

 

[MattFX4]

Heck yeah I am. Can’t wait

Cool will give you guys a shout if we see you out there.

 

[Kevin Sargent]

10 4 you got a wake boat right. What color?

 

[MattFX4]

10 4 you got a wake boat right. What color?

I had a black Yamaha 242 limited S. I sold and just bought a red and white wake boat.

 

[Andy S]

Andy,

thanks for the info....I read your post regarding your extended stay at the sandbar Inn..lol....I noticed you are in a group going to Bimini June 21st crossing. After talking to my wife, I think we are going join that group crossing. Tim H is a super cool dude and I want to see if he can teach me how to catch fish in Bimini. How much fuel did you burn on your exhume trip. I have a 332 mile range with a 10% reserve. I plan on taking an additional 20 gallons to Bimini. I shouldn't need fuel the entire 7 day trip. I am struggling to find a place to stay in Bimini Cove. Not a lot of options out there this year. I really like Bimini cove so I hope to find something soon.

On the Exuma trips I burn around 440 gallons, 280 gallons to get there and back and 160 gallons exploring, like the Yamaha's in my Cobalt I get about 2 mpg.

That is a big change it trip plans for this year, Exuma to Bimini, but it will be fun to have you guys there.

The summer is a tough time to catch fish in the Bahamas, the decent size fish have migrated to cooler waters. During all the trips I have been on, @tim h and @upperdeck are the only ones that I know that have caught any substantial fish, some black tail tuna and a wahoo. @Julian and his brother have caught the best group of reef fish, a number of red snapper. The rest of us have caught a decent amount of smaller reef fish, yellow tail and trigger fish, getting the fish to the boat before the reef sharks get them is the biggest challenge. @robert843, @1948Isaac, and I have done some night fishing and pulled a small shark to the boat and Isaac hooked something he/we battled for 30 minutes but was never able to get it to the boat before the line broke.

With all the uncertainty of what is actually going on with Bimini Cove, we have decided to stay somewhere else this year. Not staying at Bimini Cove will be weird and might make us feel a little disconnected because we won't be running into folks as we walk around the complex.

 

[Julian]

The summer is a tough time to catch fish in the Bahamas, the decent size fish have migrated to cooler waters. During all the trips I have been on, @tim h and @upperdeck are the only ones that I know that have caught any substantial fish, some black tail tuna and a wahoo. @Julian and his brother have caught the best group of reef fish, a number of red snapper. The rest of us have caught a decent amount of smaller reef fish, yellow tail and trigger fish, getting the fish to the boat before the reef sharks get them is the biggest challenge. @robert843, @1948Isaac, and I have done some night fishing and pulled a small shark to the boat and Isaac hooked something he/we battled for 30 minutes but was never able to get it to the boat before the line broke.

My brother is the serious fishing guy....I just drive the boat! LOL We've been deep drop fishing offshore at bimini each time we go. My brother has been increasing his investment in tackle each time we go because he's been researching how to catch the big edible fish, and you need to go deep for them. By deep we are talking 800-1000 feet deep!!! So the fish we've caught so far have probably cost us $300/fish! He now has two deep drop rods/reels. They are power reels ($1000 each) and connect directly to the battery. Then we needed a fish finder that can reliably reach 800-1200 feet deep....that wasn't cheap ($900) and actually show fish. Then you need min 6lb weights....we've moved up to 10lbs now because the current pulls 800 feet of line away from you amazingly quickly even with 10lbs of lead! Then the cheapest part is making the 5 hook rigs (or buying them) at $15-20 per rig.

The result of this is you can catch some REALLY tasty red snapper!!!! Here is Walk (@veedubtek ) and my brother Alistair with some (see the small 6lb weight we used to use):

 

[Kevin Sargent]

On the Exuma trips I burn around 440 gallons, 280 gallons to get there and back and 160 gallons exploring, like the Yamaha's in my Cobalt I get about 2 mpg.

That is a big change it trip plans for this year, Exuma to Bimini, but it will be fun to have you guys there.

The summer is a tough time to catch fish in the Bahamas, the decent size fish have migrated to cooler waters. During all the trips I have been on, @tim h and @upperdeck are the only ones that I know that have caught any substantial fish, some black tail tuna and a wahoo. @Julian and his brother have caught the best group of reef fish, a number of red snapper. The rest of us have caught a decent amount of smaller reef fish, yellow tail and trigger fish, getting the fish to the boat before the reef sharks get them is the biggest challenge. @robert843, @1948Isaac, and I have done some night fishing and pulled a small shark to the boat and Isaac hooked something he/we battled for 30 minutes but was never able to get it to the boat before the line broke.

With all the uncertainty of what is actually going on with Bimini Cove, we have decided to stay somewhere else this year. Not staying at Bimini Cove will be weird and might make us feel a little disconnected because we won't be running into folks as we walk around the complex.

Nice, as we get closer I will hit you up on tackle I need to bring. I fish a lot in fresh water but zero experience in the deep blue

 

[Yam e-series]

Be flexible for the unexpected. Both times I've made the trip things have come up to force a deviation from the original plan.

For fuel planning here are the rough run lengths. Very limited options other than these stops to get fuel.

Fort Lauderdale to Bimini 60 miles
Bimini to Chub Cay 90 miles
Chub Cay to Palm Cay, Nassau 40 miles
Palm Cay to Staniel Cay 90 miles

Once in Staniel Cay, about the farthest you might run is 25 miles one way to Copperfield's underwater sculpture.