JetBoaters.net Bimini Fling July 9th to 14th 2018

[Betik]

I took the a week ago and I saw people paying for language. The check in lady looked at my backup and said that was free.

Is 7 everyone that is taking the ferry ?
Don’t you need to be there at least 2 hours prior to departure ?

PS as we are getting closer I will know for sure but I might be able to take at least 4 people ( seatbelts) at the Miami port.

 

[Speedling]

So fair warning to the July group make sure your clean out plugs are in good working order. The coast off Ft Lauderdale looks like a mine field with seaweed and stuff floating even as far as 15 miles out. It was worse then I ever have seen also the bugs were way worse then either of my prior trips make sure to have bug spray around you as once it starts to cool off they begin to attack. We had a great trip and great weather I hope you guys have the same great fortune.

Thanks for chopping up some of that seaweed!

 

[Ryuc14911]

Bruce, One of my unregistered members and his wife will be in Unit 4K. Joe and Michelle. As for the pot luck, I will have a grill and stove combo as well as a stove in the cabin. Ill help anyway i can.Ill be bring something as well. Just dont know what yet

 

[Bruce]

Forecast is improving, down to 1' waves, but the wind will go up to 16mph around lunchtime.

Unfortunately, 1 foot waves and 16 mile an hour wind do not correlate.

 

[Berrie]

Unfortunately, 1 foot waves and 16 mile an hour wind do not correlate.

I know, especially since the wind is also turning from SWS to SE, with wave direction heading north.
Either the wind needs to stabilize or the waves will be higher.

The wind forecast is 8mph in the morning, rapidly increasing around 11, so hopefully we can take advantage of the early morning window.

 

[Bruce]

The forecast will likely change many times between now and our crossing. There is a slack tide at 6:01 which would be very nice for exiting Port Everglades. My intention is to take advantage of that slack tide unless there is some overwhelming argument against doing so. I am hoping to have all the boats at the turning basin to exit in groups as soon as there is sufficient light.

 

[AbuAyd]

So fair warning to the July group make sure your clean out plugs are in good working order. The coast off Ft Lauderdale looks like a mine field with seaweed and stuff floating even as far as 15 miles out. It was worse then I ever have seen also the bugs were way worse then either of my prior trips make sure to have bug spray around you as once it starts to cool off they begin to attack. We had a great trip and great weather I hope you guys have the same great fortune.

So fair warning to the July group make sure your clean out plugs are in good working order. The coast off Ft Lauderdale looks like a mine field with seaweed and stuff floating even as far as 15 miles out. It was worse then I ever have seen also the bugs were way worse then either of my prior trips make sure to have bug spray around you as once it starts to cool off they begin to attack. We had a great trip and great weather I hope you guys have the same great fortune.

Really Concerned about this as the Glastron has no clean out ports. How can I better prepare? Any way to navigate around it?

 

[bronze_10]

No way to navigate around all of it.. U just try to go around the large floating islands of seaweed but there is plenty of it spread around to suck up. It was everywhere!

 

[DieselCamel]

Really Concerned about this as the Glastron has no clean out ports. How can I better prepare? Any way to navigate around it?

All you can really do is have a dive mask ready Incase you need to clear. Disadvantage of a non Yamaha. You going to get wet clearing a bad jam.

 

[Speedling]

Really Concerned about this as the Glastron has no clean out ports. How can I better prepare? Any way to navigate around it?

The sleeve will help from keeping you from getting completely stuck.
The reverse maneuver will help get loose things out.
I can't speak to their seaweed but the little stuff we get up in great lakes chops up quick. I am guessing since it waa even mentioned that this stuff doesn't!

 

[Berrie]

Time to spruce up this thread, we're more than 100 pages behind on the June group with only 1 week to go...

 

[Berrie]

I have a truck full of stuff, and I haven't even gone shopping yet....
Dinghy, tool box, bottle jack, shop jack, weight distributing hitch, 65qt ARTIC cooler, small Igloo cooler, Magma grill, box with snorkeling gear, cameras, life vests, handheld VHF, handheld CB (always handy while driving), handheld UHF, passports, grilling utensils.
EPIRB will be delivered Tuesday.
We're getting ready!

 

[robert843]

The sleeve will help from keeping you from getting completely stuck.
The reverse maneuver will help get loose things out.
I can't speak to their seaweed but the little stuff we get up in great lakes chops up quick. I am guessing since it waa even mentioned that this stuff doesn't!

The best way to describe this stuff is it’s kind like fishing line I never became disabled reverse trick worked once didn’t the second time but I was only 5 miles out so I didn’t pull the plugs as it was just going to clog again it was so heavy. I was running wide open throttle to try and clear but top speed I could hit with the intakes clogged was 38 mph.

 

[bronze_10]

Before the seaweed I was at 8100 rpms on both motors and doing approximately 30 mph . After seaweed I was at 9300 rpms on the good motor and 8100 on the bad motor and was doing 24 mph.. I didn't want to stop and clean it out afraid the bad engine would give up..

 

[veedubtek]

It's not seaweed, it's sargasso. And it's possible to avoid most if the water is good, but everyone on board needs to be holding on at all times, lol. Julian did an excellent job avoiding most of it, never pulled a plug on the return trip.

The sleeve will help, but the biggest issue with sargasso is it blocks the intake grate. The reverse trick will work wonders most of the time. If not, a quick dip and pull it out.

 

[Betik]

@Bruce are we considering a Sunday departure or are there too many boats ?

 

[Betik]

All you can really do is have a dive mask ready Incase you need to clear. Disadvantage of a non Yamaha. You going to get wet clearing a bad jam.

I really hope he does have to get in the water in the middle of the Gulf Stream

 

[AbuAyd]

Just got the raymarine installed with their new sensor. Spent the day on lake Travis. It was windy and choppy and this is how the sensor came out. Not sure they will warranty it or if I even have time to replace it before we start driving to Florida. The design is super weak with a tiny junction holding the thing close to the boat. There is no way it survives any rough water out there.

 

[AbuAyd]

I really hope he does have to get in the water in the middle of the Gulf Stream

If water is calm I have no problem. Will do that anyway. Once in a lifetime opportunity I worry when the boat is pointing to the sky and I have to dive to clean the intake.

 

[Betik]

@AbuAyd I worry about that myself. Especially given that you have kids with you.