Bahamas to Open June 15, 2020 post COVID19

I got REALLY sick January 17, for about 2 weeks, I think I had it. First day I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open, this is after sleeping 9 hours....next day had a horrible dry cough, that night got a 103.5 fever in a matter of 2 hours.....next day went to doctor and prescribed z-pack and prednisone.....was super sick for at least 10 days afterwards. Wasn't in exumas though. Saw Chinese tourists somewhere here wearing masks and gloves, and gloves eating (back then) and was thinking this is really odd.

You were one of the lucky ones. Glad you survived intact. Fun, eh? My wife got in March. Yeah, seems like the whole world got the word before us.

It was like NO FLU I've ever had. Horrible for 2 weeks. Nobody knew what it was when I got it. Mate got it too but is late 20's and got through it pretty quick. It seems like the over 65 crowd are the ones that have a horrible time fighting it.

Us old folk are the most vulnerable to everything. Goes with age, but nobody's safe. An 11 y.o. died the other day in Miami I believe, and a lot of young and middle aged folks who survive are ending up with what may be permanent heart, lung and neurological problems. Also heard of people losing limbs to blood clots. Serious business.

$500 if not a member of Cat Cay?
As in being an owner of a house on the island, or did they start some kind of yacht club with expensive membership?
It has been convenient at Cat for sure, bars, restaurants, grocery store, fuel dock, customs and immigration, all good, but not for $500.
Hopefully Bimini Sands gets out of the doldrums and put a custom/immigration officer at the docks.

Bimini Sands is routinely too shallow at the entrance generally for a yacht to get into. Cat has always had a membership yacht club since it's inception. You have to be a member to buy property there, but many members that aren't property owners. In the past transients could stay at the marina and go to the restaurant, but no further. I think that's not even allowed there. Customs used to charge $100 extra to clear there, but pascal mentions it's now $500. They'll sell fuel to anyone.

https://www.catcayyachtclub.com/club/scripts/section/section.asp?GRP=22819&NS=MEM

same with us. Neither of us ever get sick... and it was so bad that despite 25kts wind I moved the boat from Staniel to blackpoint, launched the tender to get naomi to the clinic (Staniel clinic was closed). Even in the blackpoint anchorage we were soaked in the tender... Then I got it and My cough took 6 weeks to go away.

well the whole island is a private club. including the marina. Their house their rule.

problem with Bimini Sands is that it is a bit shallow coming in for bigger boat. From now on we ll probably clear at chin staying the night. I didn’t like in the past but now it s really nice.

Been there with a sailboat a few times, 5’,6” draft, but at high tide.
No problem with current boat, 3’,2”, pulled in there last year and watched a sailboat get stuck halfway in the entrance channel.

Was not aware of the yacht club, been there numerous times and never paid the extra fee, usually because we also got a slip, or sometimes anchored out and pulled the dink up on the beach, then checked in paying the regular $150 price, no extra “non member fee”.

We could also go to the grocery store, but no further than that.
Hence it was darn convenient.

Yup, but I sure liked their old rules better, see above.

The whole island is a private club not just the marina

customs did Not charge the $100 fee, the marina did unless you spent the night ($4/ft)

still the $100 fee was worth it. I ve cleared there 8 to 10 times a year, it would usually been 30 Minutes or less between the time I turned into the entrance and left.

Bimini is a detour... and a s—thole these days

Yes, obviously.
We never paid the extra fee, not much more to spend the night with a small boat.
The bar/restaurant staff sure appreciated us running up tabs for food and drinks while the place was empty.
With the $500 fee we probably will go somewhere else, although Bimini can be a pain in the rear with strong currents at the docks and occasionally long lines at the custom counter.
At Bimini Sands we took a cab to the airport and back, fairly efficient.
(Got eaten by no-see ums in the evening however, had to escape to the cabin and lock up.)
Wish the Bahamians could do some kind of online check-in like in the US: Thrusted Traveler, Frequent Boater or some such program where you show the credentials once, then come and go with less paperwork.
Pipe dream obviously, the Bahamians learned bureaucracy from the Brits, then perfected it.

Finally a piece of good news around here.

Well, at least there is hope..

The customs agents will never allow it. They love all of the tips that yachters give them.

It reminds me of a time when AT&T had cable and was expanding. There was one area they had worked on and the cable was in working condition. In fact, an employee who lived there had it and used it. However, they couldn't offer it to others yet, they would say it wasn't in yet. So, what was the hold up? They had to have it signed off on and they only had one person in the entire country who could do that. So waited a year or so.

Bimini Sands changed owners and name, now Bimini Cove Resort.

http://www.biminicoveresort.com/

Gad, The last time I was in Bimini, rite before the big fire, they were just cutting that out. Chalks was landing in the inside bay anchorage.
Frack I feel old...

Agreed. The bureaucratic system allows them full control of all steps and cash flow, keeping some of it on the island. An online system would shift all of that to Nassau and make it more challenging to keep the personnel in place in these islands outside of the government center. No, they love bureaucracy, and you see it everywhere. The redundancy, papers preferred over anything electronic, and gratuities encouraged. Just passed through customs at an airport with my hands and arms completely occupied, and I was scowled at by the agent who recognized my hands were unable to get to my pockets. Took more than 30 minutes for 5 people to get through an empty airport...