I want to go to Bimini 2017

[Bruce]

I've had the boat out in the gulf in some weather, and hadn't had issues but I wonder if I am missing out or a much better ride with them?

Trim tabs will not increase the size of waves that your boat can handle but they are very likely to decrease the amount of impact experienced by the boat, captain and crew.

Crossing waves at speed your boat likely jumps out of water then lands stern first. This is like a motorcycle jumping a ramp and coming down on its rear wheel. depending on how sharply the stern area of your boat is angled this can be similar to a belly flop. Boats that are designed to handle rough seas often have sharply angled V shaped sterns.

Trim tabs can be used to push the bow down. My experience is that they allow my bow to start dropping as soon as it crests a wave. This improves rough water handling in two ways; the more sharply shaped bow cuts through the water instead of belly flopping and since the bow drops while the stern is rising the height of the fall is reduced.

I decided to install trim tabs after experiencing some really rough water in the Gulf. I have used them on three Bimini trips and been glad I had them each time. On the lake they are great for crossing other boats wake. I enjoy being able to trim down instead of slowing down while maintaining passenger comfort.

 

[Bryan L]

I will send you the link from where i got them . They were cheap as well

@1948Isaac Could you send that link as well? Been looking for a similar rod holder set up.

 

[1948Isaac]

@1948Isaac Could you send that link as well? Been looking for a similar rod holder set up.

Sorry i didn't reply sooner. Here is the link of them on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Stryker-T-To...26&sr=8-1&keywords=stryker+t+tops+rod+holders

 

[Bryan L]

Thanks, Isaac! Whenever we move back east, I'll be sure to make the Bimini Fling, on year! Good luck with the tabs as well. Great addition!

 

[Bruce]

There is now a weather camera operating at Bimini Sands. You can view the current weather and an image of the beach near the infinity pool at https://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-camera/?cam=BSRMA

 

[Glen]

There is now a weather camera operating at Bimini Sands. You can view the current weather and an image of the beach near the infinity pool at https://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-camera/?cam=BSRMA

Right where our Bimini '16 adhoc boat/beach party was.

 

[MrMoose]

There is now a weather camera operating at Bimini Sands. You can view the current weather and an image of the beach near the infinity pool at https://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-camera/?cam=BSRMA

Awesome!

 

[Bruce]

Now for some bad news, Mackeys and Bimini Twist at the South Bimini Beach Club have both closed. They are not expected to reopen under Bimini Sands management.

On the positive side the snack bar at the infinity pool is open, there is talk of a new restaurant by the pool and it is possible that the South Bimini Beach Club will be sold to new owners who would reopen it. But the last two possibilities seem very distant and are likely to happen on island time schedules.

So in 2017 we should have drinks available at the pool but will likely be heading to North Bimini for pizza and lobster.

 

[ACrews]

Now for some bad news, Mackeys and Bimini Twist at the South Bimini Beach Club have both closed. They are not expected to reopen under Bimini Sands management.

On the positive side the snack bar at the infinity pool is open, there is talk of a new restaurant by the pool and it is possible that the South Bimini Beach Club will be sold to new owners who would reopen it. But the last two possibilities seem very distant and are likely to happen on island time schedules.

So in 2017 we should have drinks available at the pool but will likely be heading to North Bimini for pizza and lobster.

That's bad especially for the loss of the pizza. On another bright side, the Big Game Club is alive & well. We really enjoyed that place. I could definitely see my group staying there in the future. By no means was I disappointed with Bimini Sands, but was really impressed with the BGC.

 

[Bruce]

That's bad especially for the loss of the pizza. On another bright side, the Big Game Club is alive & well. We really enjoyed that place. I could definitely see my group staying there in the future. By no means was I disappointed with Bimini Sands, but was really impressed with the BGC.

In the short term the closures are bad for Bimini Sands. Over the long term it may work out for the best.

The HOA group certainly knows that the loss of restaurants will be harmful to their revenue and their Bimini experience so they will push for the new one.

Another party reopening the South Bimini Beach Club will likely result in the harbor being remodeled and lodging becoming available as well as the restaurants. Originally there was a multistory hotel on that site but it was destroyed by a hurricane.

The other news is that the Ships Store is being converted into a "mini market". In 2015 the owner of the largest grocery chain in the Bahamas took over Bimini Sands.

Big Game Club does seem to be on the way up. Their restaurant / bar is nice and the live bands are great. What they lack is condo type facilities and floating docks. If the group stayed there most of us would be dependent on the resort for most meals which would increase costs quite a bit.

 

[MrMoose]

Although I really don't know if we'll be going again for sure, one thing that Mrs. Moose wants is some variety in the meals while we're in Bimini. I'm seriously considering packing a bunch of frozen pizzas if we go again. I know that the kids would dig it, and I wouldn't be dependent on how well the condo kitchen is stocked with respect to cooking utensils. All I need is an oven.

 

[Bruce]

Although I really don't know if we'll be going again for sure, one thing that Mrs. Moose wants is some variety in the meals while we're in Bimini. I'm seriously considering packing a bunch of frozen pizzas if we go again. I know that the kids would dig it, and I wouldn't be dependent on how well the condo kitchen is stocked with respect to cooking utensils. All I need is an oven.

You have commented about Mrs. Moose desiring better food before. I am curious what you guys take? Do you have sausages for every meal?

We have always taken a wide variety of food. We generally have eggs with bacon, sausage, ham or spam for breakfast. We take meats, salami, cheeses, hot dogs, etc for lunch. We take steak, lamb, burgers, etc for dinner. We take lots of fresh fruit, humus, pita chips, yogurt, nuts, chocolate, dried fruits, etc for snacks. We take edamame olives and fresh corn for veggies. We bring tortillas, burger and hot dog buns and buy local Bimini bread. We also take favorites like peanut butter and jelly, canned soup, chicken noodle or ramen in case someone gets sick. I take some extra food that we do not plan to eat such as mac and cheese, spam and ramen in case the weather keeps us there longer than we had planned. We typically leave this and the condiments we brought in the condo. We also enjoy having local fish for a few meals.

I have never found a shortage of supplies for cooking any of this in the condo. I typically use my grill on the balcony for grilling in the room. I carry a spatula, tongs and knives in the grill bag that often get used in the room as well as on the boat.

I should not forget, we also bring lots of juice for mixing with local rum and making virgin Pina Coladas for the kids.

 

[MrMoose]

I guess that there's room for improvement from cereal/peanut butter toast for breakfast, brats for lunch, and chicken/noodles/carrots for supper... every day... yup, room for improvement. Milk is boxed milk that doesn't need refrigerating, orange juice is the same. Wine is also boxed, but the boxes disintegrated from getting wet. Mrs. Moose is raising the bar to bring pancake mix if we go again.

 

[Bruce]

I guess that there's room for improvement from cereal/peanut butter toast for breakfast, brats for lunch, and chicken/noodles/carrots for supper... every day... yup, room for improvement. Milk is boxed milk that doesn't need refrigerating, orange juice is the same. Wine is also boxed, but the boxes disintegrated from getting wet. Mrs. Moose is raising the bar to bring pancake mix if we go again.

We take a gallon, maybe two of fresh milk in a normal carton. We take canned juice. We do take a box of cereal. We pack one large ice chest of cold stuff for the condo fridge. Some food items have issues with getting wet in the melting ice. I may look into dry ice this year.

Another thing we take is gatorade powder in the plastic bulk containers in a variety of flavors. We take two 18 packs of bottled gatorade. After we drink them we wash and refill the bottles in the condo. This significantly reduces the weight and bulk of our food supply.

 

[MrMoose]

Sounds like @Bruce has a good food plan... if we go again, I'll plan accordingly.

 

[veedubtek]

Sounds like @Bruce has a good food plan... *when* we go again, I'll plan accordingly.

FTFY

 

[Bruce]

Don't worry @MrMoose we will all make sure she is seeing lots of Bimini photos on Facebook when it is time to commit.

The foods we have a bad issues with are;

Mangoes, we had approximately 40 on board in 2015. Many were bruised on the crossing. We passed out mango at the pot luck.

Yogurt, some of the packages have punctured on the crossing. This makes a mess as it spreads to other food. It needs to be stored in zip lock type bag.

Meat, if you are staying more than a week you need to refreeze meat that you do not plan to eat in the first week. My experience is that it will go bad in around 10 days.

Something that worked really well with my family is that in 2015 we took fresh key lime pies from Terry's along with the mangoes that we had picked there. I am not huge fan of key lime pie but the rest of the family is. It was a nice treat for them and added excitement to every meal. We stayed 12 nights that year. We had taken two pies and finished the second one back in the US. Due to the accelerated schedule we did not make it to Terry's in 2016. We did bring mangoes from grocery store which reminded us of the fresh picked mangoes in 2014 and 2015.

I think @MrMoose is on to something, bringing food that our crews will enjoy and remember helps the less adventurous amongst our crews enjoy the trip.

 

[Speedling]

So i take it water is good at the condo?
I have a little paranoia because my mother went on a service project and was given a refilled water bottle and came home with E-coli.
They called over the intercom of the plane to see if there was a doctor and luckily for her she/they procrastinated enough that they were nearest the airport they were headed to. They were going to land at the next closest no matter where it was once the doctor knew it was and found out how long she had the symptoms. There was an ambulence on the tarmac and they rushed fluids into her and got her to the hospital. Within about 36 hours of drinking the water the E-coli killed the nerves in her ears and she now has vertigo, which means she has no balance. She doesn't know up from down so much that we can't let her swim by herself or she tries to swim downwards. I know, i was there to save her when we found that one out!
So....
Water safe?

 

[Bruce]

So i take it water is good at the condo?

Water safe?

Bimini Sand's has their own water system. It is fine to drink. It is primarily what we drink. It is free to use in the condo but all the yachts in the marina are paying $0.35 per gallon for the safe drinking water.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

I don't think the water is unsafe but IMO it doesn't taste well. I tried the flavor water packets and I still couldn't mask the saltwater. This year we purchased bottled waters and a gallon of water from the resort. It was well worth it.