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JetBoaters.net Bimini Fling July 10th to 15th 2017

2nazt said:
I don't want to side track this thread but yes I would do spark plugs and since I'm an outboard I plan on buying a second prob to keep on hand also as you never know what can happen. But I think it has been discussed on what you should have on board for a trip of this magnitude.
Click to expand...

A wise captain taught me "If you have 2, you have 1. If you have 1, you have none."

This as my bilge burnt out about a month after Bimini.
 
Speedling said:
Do you feel most discounts will be within reason of the prices last year?
Click to expand...

Yes, the rates will be similar to last year. House cleaning and slip rates have increased a little. Two bedroom units are less this year. The staff is all new and US based so it is taking time to work things out. I got a $1,000 surprise when I made my reservation and want that issue worked out before you guys experience it.
 
2nazt said:
I don't want to side track this thread but yes I would do spark plugs and since I'm an outboard I plan on buying a second prob to keep on hand also as you never know what can happen. But I think it has been discussed on what you should have on board for a trip of this magnitude.
Click to expand...

I carry a full set of spark plugs, a few quarts of oil, lots of hose clamps, fuses, etc as spares.
 
Speedling said:
Our impatience is really just excitement @Bruce !
Do you feel most discounts will be within reason of the prices last year?
Oh, and is anyone else jumping to this thread every time Bruce posts here? Lol!
Click to expand...
Nope not just you I-HAVE-PINS.jpg
 
Andy S said:
It is a Hydra Sport 5300 Suenos, http://www.hydrasports.com/5300suenos.aspx

This is the first boat I have ever seen that the horsepower rating says "NO MAX". One of the power options offered is quad Seven Marine 627 for a total of 2,508 hp, holly hell batman even at 53' long that boat will fly.
Click to expand...
Seems under powered and defiantly need more speakers..... HAHA
 
chris24 has registered to captain Miss Scarlett with a crew of 4 or 5 adults and 0 children. They hail from the home port of Spring Hill Florida.

The crew is described as: Wife, Beth. Will be driving 2002 Yamaha ski
Nephew, Devon and his girlfriend Christy

You can register for the event using the form at https://jetboaters.net/forms/bimini-2017-registration.6/respond
 
I will post reservation instructions along with a lot of caveats in the morning.
 
Do you hear that? It's the sound of a hundred computers refreshing the browser over and over and over....
keep-calm-and-prepare-yourself-1.png
 
Drift Away said:
Is that what that sound is? I thought it was the echo of my soon-to-be empty bank account
Click to expand...
Not yet it ain't! Thats less of a clickity clack of a keyboard and more of a fading air horn i think.
*edit*
 
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noticed the date july 10th... no ones leaving on sunday 9th?
 
blacksapphirez said:
noticed the date july 10th... no ones leaving on sunday 9th?
Click to expand...
Not yet, but keep in mind that @Bruce may move the departure date up or down at the last minute due to weather as we enter the reliable forecast window. Last year we left a day earlier than initially planned.
 
Ladies and Gentelmen,

It is that fun time of the year to open our wallets to reserve our piece of paradise. First I will start with some caveats and an explanation of changes from previous years.

@Glen, @Kevin, @MrMoose, @swatski and I have been working with Bimini Sands to negotiate our stay and determine the viability of the property for this years trip. We believe that despite issues Bimini Sands is our best option.

My family has experienced six crossings to or from Bimini. One of those was an extremely smooth. Three were variations of the roughest days on a lake. The other two were far beyond anything you would ever experience on a lake. Even on the smoothest of the rough crossings boaters without salt water experience were in shock when we arrived in Bimini. Four crossings have gone to plan. One resulted in an aborted attempt after two boats were swamped followed by a successful crossing. Another had to be moved forward 24 hours to catch the only crossable water for several days. On each trip the new salt water boaters who had been shocked by the crossing to Bimini were adjusted to the conditions and were well prepared for the return crossing.

This year we have strong group of experienced boaters returning from past Bimini trips. This gives us experienced leaders for our crossing to Bimini and excellent tour guides while we are there. Last year we started what I hope will be a tradition of appointing new leaders for the return trip. This spreads experience and confidence wider into the group increasing the likelihood of having experienced leaders return for future trips. Many of our likely group leaders, including myself, have decided to stay longer than five nights. Based on my previous experience I am confident that there will be plenty of knowledge within the group to safely cross back to the US. We will be listening to our radios and monitoring your satellite trackers as you return. If there is an issue on your return crossing we will respond.

Bimini Sands is transitioning from being operated by the developer to by the property owners association. At the beginning of this year the POA formed Florida based Rentals at Bimini Sands, Inc. which is currently handling reservations for condos. In March the POA is due to take over the marina, slips, fuel dock, ship store, The Petite Conch Cafe and Infinity Pool Snack Bar. Many of these facilities are currently closed but are scheduled to reopen before May. The reservations staff is new. They have to check with the owner of each condo before booking us into it so the process will be slow. I expect mistakes to occur in the booking process. Unfortunately this is no different than what has occurred with the previous Bimini based management. In the past we have been asked to pay 50% of our rental as a deposit. This year we have agreed upon a single nights rent plus tax deposit which seems appropriate considering the transitional nature of the resort.

The reservation process consists of emailing or faxing the attached reservation form to Beth@TheBiminiSands.com, Fax: (954) 462-4100, Phone: (954) 463-4829 who should identify the closest available condo to what you have requested, charge you for one night plus tax then send a confirmation email. Please include "JetBoaters.net 2017 Bimini Fling Reservation Request - (Your Name)" in the subject of your email with the completed form. Some are uncomfortable sending the form with a credit card number. In that case I suggest sending the form without the number then calling in your payment. Once you have your confirmation email please post your condo number here so that we can know that you are booked and make sure there are no double bookings. The remainder of the payment will be due 14 days before our trip. Slip numbers will be assigned before we depart for Bimini. There is a possibility that if the marina is full some of us may need to share slip space by mooring two boats to the same 50' slip finger. Bimini Sands staff are due to meet us in Bimini to pass out keys to allow us to access to our condos. The check out process will simply be to leave our keys in our condos.

The condo rates have changed slightly this year. The main difference is a $40 to $50 per night reduction in the cost of two bedroom units. The one time cleaning fee has increased by $12.50 and varies by unit size. The slip fee has increased from $35 per night to $50. @Kevin and I have prepared the attached spreadsheet listing rates and identifying what we expect your cost at Bimini Sands to be.

@MrMoose will be working on our discount with Bahia Mar Yacht Club and will post reservation info for your slip for the night of the 9th when that process completes. We have plenty of time so no rush there.

You will want to make a reservation for the night of July 9th at the Double Tree Bahia Mar. Currently I see rates around $159. I have seen discounted rates as low as $99 in the past.

Unfortunately Bimini Sands has a limited number of each type of unit in the rental pool. That means that many of us will not get the exactly the unit they want. In fact I was the first to book and my family did not get exactly what we wanted. On the positive side once we arrive in paradise this will be remembered as a minor issue. The condos start with one bedroom units which have one bathroom with a shower, a small kitchen, an american sized refrigerator, microwave, range with oven, washer, dryer and living room with a television, a couch and likely a love seat, futon or other large seating item. My family of four with two small children has fit into a one bedroom with the children sleeping in the living room in the past and will do so again this year. The next step up is an inexpensive upgrade to a one bedroom with a loft. The loft is a semi private bedroom with an attached bathroom. We find the additional bathroom to be very nice to have. Some lofts have stair access while others have a tall PVC ladder running up the wall. I do not recommend the ladder lofts for small children. From there the units go up in size by bedroom count. Each additional bedroom includes an additional bathroom. I have attached floor plans for one bedroom and two bedroom units. Beyond unit size your choices expand to view. Ocean view units are a little more expensive but provide amazing sunset views which you may catch at the pool instead of your condo. Marina view condos allow for an reassuring glance at your boat. We have enjoyed both options. The infinity pool will be a gather spot in the evenings. It is roughly an 8/10th mile walk from building 21 which is on the opposite side of the resort. This may be an issue for some while others will be attracted to the four very nice one bed with loft ocean view units in building 21 with a private beach. My family chose to spend 2014 and 2015 in building 21. This year we chose to squeeze into a small unit to be close to the pool.

Here is a map of the Resort to allow you to see where your assigned condo is located.

Bimini-Sands-Marina-map.jpg

If you have questions about a specific condo you may be able to see who had it last year at https://jetboaters.net/threads/jetboaters-net-bimini-fling-june-19-to-25-2016.8074/.

Good luck everyone. I hope you all get exactly the unit your want and look forward to meeting you all in Fort Lauderdale.
 

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