Explorer Chartbooks, A CRUISERS’ NET PARTNER, has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.
Bahamas Chatter: “Explorer Chart Course Lines/Garmin Active Captain” plus 1 more
Explorer Chart Course Lines/Garmin Active Captain
Posted: 04 Apr 2018 03:49 AM PDT
Can you please confirm that the current Garmin cartography and the Garmin Active Captain cartography is displaying the Explorer Chartbook course lines? Can you also let us know which other cartography choices have these lines embedded?
Stern anchors (another opinion)
Posted: 03 Apr 2018 08:34 AM PDT
Having cruised the Bahamas for the past ten years aboard a 42′ catamaran, I have only deployed a stern anchor once, in a narrow cut near Double Breasted Cay. We have a Rocna anchor for our primary (bow) anchor on 250′ of chain and a Fortress FX-85 anchor on 25′ of chain with a 150′ rope rode that I used as a stern anchor. My learning experience was to have enough rode (chain or line) to reach the opposite anchor when the current switches direction. When pulling off from the anchorage, you need to retrieve the down current anchor first so you have to let our enough rode to end up over the top of the downcurrent anchor. As it relates to scope, I would suggest using the maximum because of one anchor slides, you’re going to end up with a huge mess. My opinion is a single anchor is preferred over a double anchor and a strong mooring ball is preferred over a single anchor in some situations. I prefer to find an anchorage where a double anchor is not required. Good luck. Safe cruising! Blades R.
I’ve have heard anecdotally that with the transition from Garmin Blue Charts to Garmin Active Captain that they would be moving away from Explorer datum. I have no confirmation of this and will follow this thread.
News Release
U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Heartland
Contact: 8th District Public Affairs
Office: (504) 671-2020
After Hours: (618) 225-9008
Eighth District online newsroom
April 4, 2018
406 Day: National Campaign for Awareness of Emergency Locator Beacon Importance
Explorer Chartbooks, A CRUISERS’ NET PARTNER, has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.
Bahamas Chatter: Where to leave boat for 2 months?
Where to leave boat for 2 months?
Posted: 02 Apr 2018 03:28 AM PDT
We are planning a trip to the Bahamas but may need to leave the boat for one or two months. We would prefer to simply leave the boat there instead of sailing back and then returning to the Bahamas. Does anyone have any suggestions in the Andros, Berry Islands, Nassau, and or Eleuthera area which would be safe?
Also, if one does leave their boat in the Bahamas, what security measures should one take?
Thanks
s/v John Galt
As for security, if you leave the boat in Highbourne or Green Turtle, no worries, just lock it up as usual and don’t leave anything valuable on deck. Stay far away from Nassau…nothing is safe in Nassau. Last time in Nassau (2014) I was assaulted mid-day on a busy sidewalk by three thugs and anchored boats were broken into and ransacked when owners went ashore…crime is out of control. Weapons, cash, jewelry and electronics are the most likely targets, especially in Nassau. Most cruiser’s avoid Nassau and Freeport, otherwise most of the other areas in the Bahamas are relatively safe. Other relatively safe places to leave your boat would be Bimini and Treasure Cay (Abacos). Call ahead and make arrangements if poss.
Cannot recommend any of the above except maybe in or around Spanish Wells in Eleuthera. Your best bet would be Highbourne Cay in the Exumas or Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos.
Our thanks to Becky for sharing this link from her blog, dockwa.com.
I thought Cruisers’ Net readers might enjoy this little history on one of sailing’s cult-classic films.
Becky
http://blog.dockwa.com/america-s-cup-history-remembering-the-film-wind-with-actor-matthew-modine
With a fixed vertical clearance of 65ft, the John F. Limehouse Bridge crosses the Waterway/Stono River at mile 480. If you have local knowledge of the current in that area, please let John and Cruisers’ Net hear from you.
How fast do the tidal currents run on the Stono River at say the Limehouse Bridge?
Thanks.
John of Jacksonville
Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Bridge Directory Listing For Limehouse Bridge
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Limehouse Bridge
Maximum currents in the Charleston, SC area will be about 2 knots. Elliot Cut is an exception where currents can reach 5 knots.
Tagging onto this subject… For those transiting the ICW/Stono River in this region, PLEASE slow down approaching the floating docks at Ross Marine, just north of the Limehouse bridge. Many people fly by there with no regard for the vessels docked there and or the workers aboard them. Thank you!
It is officially spring and Coast Survey is busy providing commercial mariners and recreational boaters with top notch navigation products and services. Here are just a few things we have been up to.
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Atlantic Yacht Basin, A CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, is located just south of the Great Bridge lock and bridge at Mile Marker 12. Jan and Lee’s kind words are reprinted with permission from AGLCA’s Forum.
We started early out of Beaufort, NC. We’ve been in Atlantic Yacht Basin, Chesapeake VA waiting for the weather to calm down north of us. Can’t say enough about the team here at AYB. Every single member of their crew is polite and anxious to help out. We had Shangri-La hauled to paint her bottom and remove the trim tabs. All done in two days. Rates are fair, work is professional in every way. Topped off the fuel at $2.35/g (with volume nickel discount.) Their team helped Jan and I lower the mast so we could better understand what’s involved. Can’t say enough about them.
Jan and Lee
Aboard Shangri-La
42 GB Classic
Click Here To View the VA to NC Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Atlantic Yacht Basin
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Atlantic Yacht Basin
Explorer Chartbooks, A CRUISERS’ NET PARTNER, has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.
Bahamas Chatter: Stern anchors
Stern anchors
Posted: 26 Mar 2018 06:03 PM PDT
I am sailing a 40ft cat daft 1.35.
I would like to know how often stern anchors are deployed cruising in the Bahamas.
If they are used at all what setup? How much chain, rode, scope, and what techniques are used for deployment?
Cruised the Bahamas for 10 years on a Morgan 43 sailboat…never used a stern anchor once. Never had the need for it. Single Delta 44 with all chain rode was all we ever used and NEVER dragged once. Only place we ever heard them using stern anchors was in Pipe Creek, Exumas. Couldn’t get in there with our 6′ draft somit didnt matter. We visited nearly every other island in the Bahamas from the top of the Abacos to the Raggeds in the Exuma Cays.
We have cruised the Bahamas a number of times over many thousands of miles and have never used or had reason to use a stern anchor. We have rarely used the so-called Bahamian Moor where two anchors are deployed off the bow at 180 degrees and the boat will lie first to one and then the other as the strong tidal currents reverse. This will offer you a tighter swing circle and with both anchors well set, will not rely on just one anchor continually resetting as the current reverse. Usually, in our experience, this is an unnecessary complication.
Using an anchor deployed off the stern (in addition to the typical bow anchor) can keep you from swinging in tight quarters but can be risky. If the wind (or current) is strong from abeam, it will put tremendous strain on the ground tackle. If you wind up getting seas from astern, your transom, which on most boats is not designed to smoothly break waves, will take the brunt. Certain boats may also get water pumped backwards through the exhaust and risk flooding the engine.
There could be times when in protected conditions a stern anchor might come in handy. We have just never found it needed.
It’s rare and only in tight areas where you need to really limit your swing. Can’t think of a place where you’d need that. Never needed one during 11 seasons in the Bahamas.
sometimes…
Here is an interesting and attractive article by Tom Hale in Sail Magazine on the Intracoastal through Georgia. While informative, such articles may not be as up to date as Cruisers’ Net. Before embarking, please always check our Homepage for AICW Problem Stretches, as well as Nav Alerts and Local Notices for each state. Our thanks to Kim Russo of AGLCA for sharing this link.
Updates: The ICW North Bound from Sail Magazine via AGLCA’s Forum
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Jekyll Creek
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch
Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Little Mud River
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch
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