New Fuel and Dockage Survey Posted (Explorer Chartbooks)

A new Fuel and Dockage Survey has been conducted and posted. 

The August 21, 2015, Fuel and Dockage Prices survey is available on the Explorer website at www.explorercharts.com.

Bimini Ocean Ship Pier Under Construction (Explorer Chartbooks)

Construction of an ocean ship pier has begun off the west coast of North Bimini near the Bimini Bay Resort.  The current offshore end of the construction site is near 25° 45.054′ N/79° 17.270′ W. The construction currently consists of large steel pilings, floating hawsers, and possible underwater obstructions. It is unknown at this time what characteristics of any lights in the area may be. Mariners traveling the area should use caution and steer well clear of the area. (Posted February 4, 2014)

Anchorage in North Bimini (Explorer Chartbooks)

Anchorage in North Bimini just south of Bimini Bay Resort (aka: Resorts World Bimini) is now a turning basin for seaplanes but area is not defined. There is a seaplane mooring with two red balls which is used when two planes are in at same time! On your own to figure out where planes will reach in their turn toward the dock. Dock master may or may not shout you out of the way!

Green Turtle Channel Dredged (Explorer Chartbooks)

The channel into White Sound at Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos has just been dredged. It is now 7 feet deep, able to accommodate yachts of deeper draft than before. The channel is the entrance to two marina/resorts–Bluff House and Green Turtle Club. The Green Turtle has announced that it will reopen for the season on October 25.

LIGHTS ON GRAND BAHAMA BANK via Explorer Chartbooks

LIGHTS ON GREAT BAHAMA BANK | Bahamas Chatter

On the Great Bahama Bank, both Russell Beacon and the Northwest Channel Light are missing. The structures are no longer standing, so these visual points are no longer available as navigational aids to yachtsmen traversing from Bimini to the Berry Islands. Although the Mackey Shoal Light pole is still standing, it is unknown whether it is lit, so it should be considered as unreliable.

Catamaran Wrecked Attempting to enter Elizabeth Harbour

Bahamas Chatter: Catamaran wrecked attempting to enter Elizabeth Harbour

This is the second year in a row that a boat tried to enter Elizabeth Harbour between Fowl Cay And Guana Cay and crashed on the coral reefs and rocky bar there.  Yesterday’s incident involved a 44′ Lagoon sail cat named “Next Life”….Looked like a new boat with French Canadian couple with a golden retriever and a black cat aboard.  The boat was reported to be partially submerged inside the bar in somewhat deeper water.  When we arrived it was beam to in the surf on a hard hump in about 2′ of water.  The keel stubs have broken off and attempts have been abandoned to pull to vessel seaward.  Instead now the attempts are to pull it off the bar into a small patch of deeper water on the inside on the almost high rising tide.  Some bagged valuables, the dog, the cat, and the couple in their swamped inflatable have been rescued from the vessel.

Overseas salvage vessel Amazing Grace from Sampson Cay is on the scene today and salvage operations have begun.

Reported by Peter Dawson

Shoaling in Bimini Channel

The entrance channel at North Bimini is shallower than charted on Chart BIM 3, p. 54 of Explorer Chartbook Near Bahamas, 5^th edition. A January 3, 2011, survey by the Explorer Team found the controlling depth to be 1.7 meters (5 2/3 feet) in the area of 25° 42.70’ N by 79° 18.25’ W. There was a little deeper water east of the dashed track. The sandbar west of this position has encroached on the entrance channel. Two larger buoys (red and green) are easily seen from well offshore, plus one smaller green buoy closer in to shore. The large red buoy is almost directly on the Explorer waypoint, so caution should be taken in approaching the waypoint. Channel buoys here have been unreliable in the past and the sand here is fluid and continually shifts. (Explorer Chartbooks)