Here is the start of an agenda for a our trip.....
Please hold off on booking reservations until I have the discounts agreed with Bimini Sands and Bahia Mar Yacht Club.
June 19th before 4:00 PM. This is the time to stock up on supplies and food for the trip, pack everything in your boat and launch.
My family will spend the night of the 18th in Fort Pierce, FL which is a little under 2 hours from Fort Lauderdale. Being close will give us more time for final preparations on the 19th.
Last minute supplies - There is a very large
Bass Pro Shop with a nice aquarium and restaurant that is likely on your way to launch. A
Divers Direct is also located in the same parking lot.
Groceries - We shop at the
Publix Grocery Store near the Harbor Towne Marina and load the groceries directly into the boat. There is a Winn Dixie a few blocks to the West.
Launch - I recommend launching your boat and leaving your tow vehicle and trailer at
Harbour Towne Marina on the Dania Cutoff Canal. They have 24 hour security and have charged $8 per day cash for parking in the past. Harbor Towne is 5 miles by water from the
Bahia Mar Yachting Center. You will be boating through slow speed areas. I was pulled over for 7 MPH last year so it will take approximately an hour to boat from Harbor Towne to Bahia Mar. You can view the route at
http://tinyurl.com/zpzh8yu or download it from
http://tinyurl.com/hu8r32u .
June 19th before 5:30 PM. Please have your boat docked in a slip at Bahia Mar with a full tank of fuel. We will not stop for fuel on the way to Bimini on the 20th. The fuel dock that is open at that time has asked us to fuel up during the day on Sunday as they had difficulty handling our group in 2014. So please fuel up on the 19th. I will do so at Bahia Mar's fuel dock which closes at 5:30 PM.
Lauderdale Marina which is NW of the 17th Street Draw Bridge is another option which offers bait and tackle as well as fuel.
June 19th 6:00 PM Captains meeting(s) at
Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. I would like to break captains meetings up into groups that will be making the crossing together. So we will have three or four smaller captains meetings at locations to be determined. The group leaders and I will work out the split of confirmed participants into groups in April.
June 20th 6:00 AM Departure from the
Bahia Mar Yachting Center for Bimini Bahamas. I will update the times for departure as we get closer. Current intentions are to have groups leaving at 6:00, 6:10 and 6:20. Please have your boat loaded with all cargo secured before your departure time. Your group will conduct a combination radio check and roll call ten minutes before departure. You can view the route at
http://tinyurl.com/zlatnzu or download it from
http://tinyurl.com/jo45osd .
June 21st ~ Noon Pot Luck / Party at Honeymoon Harbor, Gun Cay Bahamas. This beautiful location is 9.1 miles south of Bimini Sands. There are many locations to explore along the way including an airplane wreck, the Sapona, Turtle Rocks and a lighthouse a little further south. The rays are friendly so be sure to bring squid or other suitable food to feed them. You can view the route at
http://tinyurl.com/hb556av or download it from
http://tinyurl.com/jaaggpl . If water conditions or fuel availability make this destination undesirable we will change the location to the beaches on the North East or North West sides of North Bimini Island.
June 23rd ~Noon Exploration of the East Side of North Bimini followed by an evening dolphin cruise. My family has enjoyed this long deserted beach in 2014 and 2015.
@JROD has explored the mangroves and
@waterboy has found some amazing starfish at the southern end. This is an area of shallow water and shifting sand so we will need to be careful but should be a great time. If anyone is really adventurous the wreck of the Hesperus is perhaps 10 miles further west and is covered up in sharks and barracuda. There are many reef areas West of North Bimini that you will pass on the 12.6 mile route to this location. I recommend visiting the Three Sisters rocks where you will find mooring buoys to tie off to, amazing scenery for snorkeling and smaller but hungry reef fish are an easy catch. You can view the route at
http://tinyurl.com/zy75fsb or download it from
http://tinyurl.com/h5ufatb .
June 25th ~ 6:00 AM Departure for Fort Lauderdale. You can view the route at
http://tinyurl.com/j8gu5ng or download it from
http://tinyurl.com/zwuw56q .
