Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bimini has always been a loosely organized event with group crossings to and from and one or more group activities while in Bimini. This Gathering was pioneered by
@upperdeck,
@andy07sx230ho and, I believe, three other boats five trips ago. We owe those pioneers a debt of gratitude for paving the way for us.
Many requests have been made for a date for this years Bimini Fling. To set those dates we need to determine how long we want to go, when lodging is available and what date ranges are good for the participants. In 2014 we arrived just after the Boston Whaler group had emptied the island of supplies including fuel and were invaded by a much larger Guy Harvey group at the end of our stay. In 2015 we were able to time our trip to avoid these inconveniences.
The Registrants so far are;
Propless captained by
@Bruce from The Sandbar, Arkansas with 2 Adults and 2 Children
Crews Control captained by
@ACrews from Nahunta, GA with 2 Adults and 0 Children
Yes captained by
@veedubtek from Winston Salem, NC with 2 Adults and 0 Children
Per-Diem captained by
@Augusto David Rodriguez from Williamsburg, VA with 2 Adults and 2 Children
What Now What Next captained by
@andy07sx230ho from Chapin, SC with 1 Adults and 0 Children
YamaDog captained by ThatJeepGuy from Brooksville, FL with 3 Adults and 0 Children
La Yankee captained by
@Jr15g from Williamsburg, VA with 4 Adults and 0 Children
Geraldine captained by
@zedxmike from WINTER GARDEN, FL with 4 Adults and 0 Children
Indian Princess captained by
@shane hric from Hobart, IN with 5 Adults and 1 Children
Might as Well captained by
@BgTravis from Calvert City, KY with 4 Adults and 0 Children
FarFrumWerkn captained by
@DieselCamel from Winston-Salem, NC with 2 Adults and 0 Children
Enterprise 1 captained by
@JROD from Oak Island, NC with 2 Adults and 0 Children
You can register
using the form at
https://jetboaters.net/forms/bimini-2016-registration.6/respond . The registration process includes an opportunity to vote for the length of trip. So far the traditional Monday to Saturday trip is leading in the polls.
Completing the form will also create a new post with a little info about your boat and crew.
This linked post is an example #31
I have contacted Bimini Sands who have agreed to extend a discount to our group again this year. The amount of discount will depend on how many participants that we have but I am pushing for the same 15% that we had last year.
I am also working with Bimini Sands to identify potential dates. So far what I have learned is that they are fully booked June 10-13.
@robert843 was able to determine that is a group of 75 skis. The big unknown at this point is when the Boston Whaler group will be in Bimini. We need to avoid their dates and the week after. In 2014 we arrived a few days after they left. They had consumed all the fuel, supplies, resteraunts and fish in the area. The lack of fuel limited our activities for the first two days of our trip. The skies are unlikely to consume all of the fuel so we could plan for the Monday after their trip. I will report back as soon as I am able to determine the dates of the Whaler trip. Once we know their dates I will post a poll to choose the date for our trip.
Saying that we need to get some things out of the way up front....
The Bimini Crossing is more than 50 miles in length, crosses The Gulf Stream and is in The Bermuda Triangle. The weather for the crossing is unpredictable and can change rapidly. We have no idea what the weather will hold when we pick dates six months in advance. There is a real possibility of damaging or losing your boat on the crossing. Two Jet Boaters were swamped and disabled during the 2015 crossing. It is possible that lives could be lost.
Two experienced young men lost their lives last July. If your boat is disabled during the trip the cost to tow, salvage or repair your boat could be more than you planned to spend on the entire trip
There is added safety in numbers when we cross as a group. But as the Captain you are responsible for your boat and crew. Any boat or crew member that is not prepared to pound waves for six hours to spend a week in paradise should not attempt the trip. You need to have quality flotation, signaling, navigation and communications equipment on your boat. Boats should not be overloaded. For me that means that I would not want to transport anyone beyond my family of four to Bimini. All boats need to carry sufficient fuel to reach Bimini with a reasonable reserve. For most of our boats that is simply a full tank but for 192s that is perhaps an extra 25 gallons. All boats should maintain sufficient speed to keep up with the group. At minimum that speed will be planing speed. In decent water our speed will be around 30 MPH at which our boats are most efficient. All cargo in your boat needs to be secured. Any heavy cargo in the bow area needs to be secured in such a way that it can be quickly moved backward. All crew should be seated in the cockpit area with the windscreen passage closed.
Moving on to the fun stuff......
Bimini is an amazing place. My families trips there have been the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations that we have ever had. It is something that you will talk about all year long and be counting the days until you can go back again. The experience is similar to camping in a condo with the most amazing scenery and wildlife that you could imagine. You will want to bring everything that you need for the entire trip but also pack light. It is an adventure and will test your boating, navigational, communication, planning, camping, cooking and survival skills. It is a great learning opportunity for my children. You can find lots of info about the location and trip in the
Preparing For Bimini Thread https://jetboaters.net/threads/preparing-for-bimini.3800/ .
And now the organizational......
2015 was the biggest JetBoaters group to ever go to Bimini. We experienced much larger water than was forecast. Due to the water conditions we experienced two unexpected issues during the crossing to Bimini. Initially we had two boats that were swamped and had to be towed back into Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale). After refueling we set off again and were able to avoid the swamping problem by avoiding stopping but by that point we were nervous about water conditions and the entire group slowed to speeds that were not compatible with arriving in Bimini with the fuel onboard.
When we leave Port Everglades many Captains and Crew in our group will be entering the ocean for the first time. I have been there and understand that experience. Our boats are capable of way more than our bodies and minds are. For example;
View attachment 31934
Knowing that my boat and family had been in rougher water in the Gulf helped enormously with our 2015 crossing.
For 2016 I want to make changes that I believe will address past issues;
1. Focusing on the responsibility of individual Captains for their boat, equipment, crew, cargo, fuel and crossing.
a. Boat - our boats need to be in optimal condition. Everything on the boat needs to be tested. I would recommend having a free
US Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check and will do so myself.
b. Equipment - at a very minimum you need to add a handheld VHF and flares. Even though you are crossing in a group you may venture out on your own once in Bimini. Please consider what safety equipment you will have. In 2014 we added
Type 1 Life Vests, a fixed VHF radio (up to 20 mile range), two handheld VHF radios (up to 5 mile range), a chart plotter for navigation with a tablet for backup and a second bilge pump. In 2015 planning for a single boar return crossing we added a Delorme inReach satellite tracker and messaging device.
c. Crew - if any of your crew has back or medical issues it would be a good idea to fly them over. On the relatively smooth return portion of the 2015 Fling an experienced Captain hit a rogue wave and suffered a back injury. There is plenty of fun to be had once we get to Bimini. If they are not suited for a long rough crossing of pounding waves please fly them over. I have been in the drivers seat with a screaming passenger where I had to make the decision to ignore that passenger rather than take on water. I would prefer not to experience that again.
d. Cargo - In 2014 we had much better water than 2015 but we had a number of stops to secure cargo. We pack our boat so that the only cargo that is not inside of storage areas is limited to ice chest(s) and an inflatable SUP in the bow. Everything else is inside a door or under a seat. The ice chests are secured so that they can be easily moved into the cockpit without needing to stop the boat. If you have other cargo outside of the storage areas your boat is likely too heavy. If you have to stop to secure cargo in good water you impeding the progress of the group, in rough water you are creating risk for your boat and any others that stop with you.
e. Fuel - Any four stroke Yamaha except for a 192 should be able to cross with the fuel in the tank. Many members have done this for years. Even though his crew were the saints at the back of the pack taking care of the slower boats during the 2015 crossing
@andy07sx230ho's SX230 made it to Bimini without refueling. In comparison I accelerated to planing speeds around the 20 mile mark and burned 38 gallons with my family, two weeks of food and ham for the group in our SX230. My perspective is that carrying fuel cans increases your boats weight and fuel consumption. It is your decision if you want to carry extra fuel. If you do please do not place the fuel cans where they make clean out ports difficult to use.
f. Crossing - It is your decision if you want to take your boat out of Port Everglades and attempt the crossing. I am sure that we will all be monitoring the weather and wave forecasts but we learned in 2015 that the forecast may be wrong. If you do venture out of Port Everglades it is your responsibility to get your crew safely to Bimini or return them to Port Everglades. If you experience difficulties other boats will attempt to help but in conditions such as those experienced in 2015 there is very little that another boat of our size and type can do. If you do take on water please keep your crew on your boat. Last year a crew member was injured exiting the stern of a swamped boat. Once in the water your crew will be moving at an average of 4 mph in the Gulf Stream. It is much safer to stay in the boat and wait for rescue. You need to monitor your fuel consumption. If fuel consumption becomes an issue you need to travel at a more efficient speed.
2. Splitting into smaller groups departing at ten minute intervals. The most experienced boaters making the crossing will each lead a small group of four to six boats. I believe this addresses several potential issues;
a. Inaccurate Forecasts - the first group will be several miles out of Port Everglades before the second group exits the port. This lead group will report back about the water conditions. This will avoid the other groups being surprised.
b. Leadership - Each member of the small group will have a leader running immediately ahead. They will be able to see how the leader is taking the waves. This should allow members of the group to emulate the leader and have confidence that they also can handle the upcoming waves.
c. Stopping - each group will handle any issues that occur within that group. If a boat needs to stop the others in the group will either circle or stop depending on the conditions.
d. Communications - it is difficult to hear radio calls with all of the water, wind and engine noise. Each group will use a specific VHF frequency for the group. That way any call on that frequency will be relevant.
e. Observation - After we exit Port Everglades the group members should fan out into a line running beside each other at safe, perhaps 100', intervals at a safe distance behind the leader. This will allow a spotter from the lead boat to observe all of the boats in that group.
3. We will not have tail. In past years a specific boat has volunteered to be the last and watch for any boats to fall behind. It is unreasonable to ask any boat to take this position. In 2015 the tail spent hours of extra time suffering through rough and dangerous waves. We will not need a tail with small groups that stay together. Our leaders will not travel at unsafe speeds or above the speed that the slowest boat in his group is capable of. Unless the water is very smooth this will be a top speed of 25 to 30 mph. It is the responsibility of the individual Captains to keep up with their leader.
Tagging those that have expressed interest;
@Chris-MS,
@MrMoose,
@Mike Coultas,
@sstegh,
@swatski,
@swatski,
@shane hric,
@Greg M,
@Glen,
@Augusto David Rodriguez,
@Jr15g,
@blacksapphirez,
@robert843,
@2nazt,
@Bimini
.
