Explorer Update from SARANADE

9/17/08 As of July 1, 2008, customs duty is now payable on ALL items shipped to the Bahamas.  Items such as printed matter, original artwork, and replacement parts for pleasure vessels are no longer duty free.  For printed matter and original artwork, there is now a $10 stamp tax per shipment, plus a 10% duty.  For boat replacement parts, the duty is 15% on engine parts and an average of 45% on anything else, plus the $10 stamp (or document) tax on each shipment.  For more information, call the Comptroller of Customs in Nassau at 242-326-4401.

7/26/08 Marsh Harbour, Abaco--Vintage Props & Jets have ceased operations and canceled its flights between Daytona Beach and the Bahamas.

Lionfish have invaded Bahamian waters and are a hazard to humans as well as to marine life. Their poisonous spines cause redness and swelling around the wound as well as headaches and seizures. They are reportedly diminishing the grouper and lobster population.

Four American sportsfishermen were arrested for poaching in the Berry Islands. They were charged with having illegal equipment (air compressor and hose) and undersized crawfish. They were released with $2,000 bail each and summoned to Magistrate's Court on July 30, 2008. The Department of Fisheries is closely monitoring violation of the Fishing Regulations. (See below.)

7/22/08 Marsh Harbour, Abaco--Maxwell's Supermarket burned overnight.

Drought conditions reported in the Bahamas for summer 2008.

2/7/08 South Bimini—Bimini Sands Marina and Resort offers a guided nature tour with a walking path showing local flora and fauna with an iguana and boa constrictor.  There are also kayaking tours and shark feedings.  It is an easy stop to clear Customs as well before proceeding across the Bank.

North Bimini—Brown’s Marina (the first one on the left) is now open with dockage.  Also the newly rebuilt straw market is in full operation.

Chub Cay—The Chub Cay Marina and Resort is in full operation though some marina construction remains to be completed.  Overnight dockage is currently $2.80/ft until all construction is finished; then it will go up to $3.50/ft.  There is now a “guest services” fee of $100 for tying up to clear Customs (waived if vessel docks overnight at marina), go to the Ship’s Store (purchases applied to fee) or use any of the facilities.

Frazer-Hog Cay—The Berry Islands Club is once again fully operational, offering a full-service marina with electricity, R/O water, restaurant, wireless internet and fuel.  Gas and diesel are available at competitive prices.  New moorings will be placed in the 2008 winter season.

Downed Airplane Near Chub Cay

There has been a report of a downed airplane near Chub Cay. It is at
location 25° 33.815N by 078° 18.720W in 10'-15' of water. It sticks
out at low tide but isn't visible at high tide. Heard it was 2
missionaries who ditched the plane and were rescued by sail boat named
Impetuous.

Also earlier this season a 60' power boat was stolen from Nassau and
sunk 4.1 miles from Porgee at 25° 00.84N by 077° 12.81W in 25' of water.

Amendment to the Sportfishing Regulations Bahamas Information Services 10/19/2007

The general public is informed of the following:

1. Regulation 46 relating to the conduct of sportfishing tournaments or events has been amended to give rise to:

a) the requirement for the completion and submission of an official application form and the issue of an official permit to persons desirous of hosting a sportfishing tournament or event;

b) the payment of a $500.00 licence fee upon the issuance of the approved permit to host the tournament or event; and

c) the requirement for decals which will be issued to each approved tournament holder for subsequent distribution to each participant in the event.

2. Regulation 47 has been amended to give rise to:

a) The prohibition of the sale of, or attempting to sell fishery products derived from sportfishing; and

b) The requirement that issued decals to be attached to the bottom of the sportfishing permit wihc must be obtained by each vessel participating in an approved sportfishing tournament or event.

3. Regulation 48 has been amended to establish new catch limits for persons fishing under the provisions of a sportfishing permit.

a) No more than eighteen individual fish of the migratory species (Kingfish, Dolphin, Tuna or Wahoo) is to be found aboard the vessel at any time;

b) All Billfish (Marlins, Sailfish, or Swordfish) caught must be returned to the sea unharmed, except where they are landed under the provisions of an approved sportfishing tournament or event;

c) No vessel shall have on board at any time:

i. Turtle;
ii. Conch, exceeding six;
iii. Crawfish, exceeding ten; or
iv. Other demersal fisheries resources (grouper, snappers, grunts, etc) exceeding sixty pounds or twenty fish, which ever is the lesser.

d) Persons enjoying Permanent Resident status in The Bahamas are permitted to land similar quantities of marine resources as a Bahamian citizen, when engaged in sportfishing or recreational fishing activities.

4. Regulation 70 has been amended to permit vessels engaged in sportfishing to legally export the amount of fishery resources indicated in the catch limits upon departure from the country.

The general public is further informed that the changes to the Sportsfishing Rules may be found in the Gazette SI. No. 67 of 2007 dated 19th October, 2007.

For more information, contact:

Department of Marine Resources
Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources
P.O. Box N-3028
Nassau, The Bahamas
Email: fisheries@bahamas.gov.bs

Explorer® notes:

• Up to six conch may be taken.
• When clearing in, request permission to spear fish or crawfish when applying for fishing license and the permit will be so endorsed.

11/7/2007 Flooding from Storm

9/2007 New International Travel Check-in Procedures as Mandated by Department of Homeland Security and TSA

Traveling Outside the United States:

You must arrive 90 minutes prior to flight departure. You must be checked in and at the gate at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

If you are checking in bags, your baggage must be checked in at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

Effective September 1st, 2007 all flights will be closed 30 minutes prior to departure time. Once the flight is closed no passengers will be added to the flight. Any passenger arriving after the flight is closed can be reaccomodate to the next available flight with a $50.00 change fee which must be paid at the time of booking.

All Non US Citizens and Residents must supply a local address in the US where they will be staying while in the US. This information is mandatory to board the aircraft.

If you hold a United States Passport you must use this passport to enter and exit the United States. Dual citizenship is not recognized by TSA or DHS. (You may use your Bahaman passport to enter the Bahamas and fill out the Bahamian immigration form. If you leave the Bahamas on a Bahamian passport you must enter the US on the same passport). NO EXCEPTIONS!

1/2007 New Fishing Regulations for the Bahamas

The general public is informed that Regulation 48 now reads:

48. (1) In sportsfishing the following rules apply-

a. A person shall fish by the traditional method of angling with a hook or lure attached to a line held in the hand or attached to a pole, rod or reel;

b. A person, unless otherwise authorized by the respective permit, shall not use a spear, a fish trap, or a net other than a landing net;

c. Each vessel shall use not more than six (6) rods or reels unless the operator is in possession of a permit authorizing the use of more rods or reels;

d. Any migratory fishery resource that is caught shall not in total consist of more than six (6) Kingfish, Dolphin, Tuna or Wahoo per vessel and any resource not intended to be used shall not be injured unnecessarily but be returned to the sea alive;

e. No vessel shall have on board any conch, turtle or more than twenty pounds of any demersal fishery resources (groupers, snappers, etc.) per vessel at any time and excluding not more than six crawfish per vessel.

(2) The limitations specified in (1)(d) and (e) shall also apply to a Bahamian vessel engaged in fishing for purposes other than commercial by persons who are not Bahamians;

3.Subject to paragraph (1) no vessel shall have on board any fish unless its head and tail is intact.

The general public is advised that the Queen Conch (conch) is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of its range within the wider Caribbean area, including The Bahamas. The Government, in an effort to ensure the continued sustainability of local conch stocks, has decided to prohibit the harvesting of the species by foreign boaters.

The general public is further informed that the changes to the Sportsfishing Rules may be found in the Gazette SI 79 of 2006 dated 28 December 2006.

For more information, contact:

1/2006 Department of State to Introduce Passport Card

To meet the documentary requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the Department of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), today announced and submitted for public comment a federal rule proposing the development of a card-format passport for international travel by U.S. citizens through land and sea ports of entry between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

The limited-use passport card will be adjudicated to the same standards as a traditional passport book. The rule published today proposes a wallet-sized card that would cost $10 for children and $20 for adults, plus a $25 execution fee.

To facilitate the frequent travel of those living in U.S. border communities and those traveling on commercial maritime vessels, the Department of State has committed to producing a passport card that incorporates cutting-edge technology. The technology incorporated in the proposed card was designed in coordination with DHS specifically to address the operational needs of land border-crossings. The proposed passport card would use long-range, or vicinity, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to link the card to a secure U.S. government database containing biographical data and a photograph. The card itself will not contain any personal information, and DHS will implement protections to keep the database secure.

The passport card is the core element of the PASS (People Access Security Service) System announced by Secretaries Rice and Chertoff in January 2006, and will secure and expedite travel to and from the United States.

The proposed rule is available for public viewing and comment at www.regulations.gov. For more information, visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov.

9/2006 Grand Bahama Yacht Club Acquires Port Lucaya Marina

New Hope Holding Co., LTD, owner of the luxurious Grand Bahama Yacht Club (formerly Lucayan Marina Village) has announced the acquisition of Port Lucaya Marina as part of the company’s $500 million, 70-acre waterfront expansion surrounding Bell Channel Bay. The project, which is well underway, includes 300 yacht slips (available by the day, week, month, year or even a 99-year lease) and 300 new luxurious waterfront condominiums, townhouses and private residences. Port Lucaya Marina is situated just across the bay from Grand Bahama Yacht Club and with easy access to these two facilities, yachtsmen will have every conceivable amenity at their fingertips.

For more information, contact Noel Clarke, (242) 373-9090/242-373-8888.

6/2006 Outbreak Notice Update: Malaria, Great Exuma, Bahamas: Recommendations Rescinded

(click here to go to the CDC web site)

Updated: September 19, August 1 and June 30, 2006 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has rescinded recommendations for malaria preventive medication (prophylaxis) for travel to Great Exuma, Bahamas, because no new malaria cases in travelers have been reported from the area since June 19, 2006. Travelers are advised to follow standard CDC health recommendations for travel to the Caribbean and no longer need to take an antimalarial drug when they visit the Bahamas.

In mid-June 2006, the CDC received official reports of confirmed malaria cases in Great Exuma, Bahamas, an area where malaria transmission does not normally occur and for which antimalarial drugs have not previously been recommended. A total of 19 cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria were reported, of which 4 occurred in travelers visiting the island. Most of the patients reported no recent travel to malaria-endemic areas, but some of the Bahamas residents may have recently traveled to Haiti, where P. falciparum is endemic.

The Ministry of Health in the Bahamas responded to the outbreak with heightened surveillance for and treatment of malaria cases, mosquito control measures, and education of the local population. The Caribbean Epidemiology Center and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization assisted the Ministry of Health with these response measures.

For information about health recommendations for travel to the Caribbean, see the CDC's Travelers' Health website (www.cdc.gov/travel)

For information about malaria, visit the CDC Malaria homepage.

Notice Malaria, Great Exuma, Bahamas CDC Travelers' Health

5/2006 Chub Cay Update

Marina Press Release

June 2006 -- Chub Cay Club re-opened on the 15th of June, 2006 with just over 90 slips. There will be navigation aids put in the main channel; i.e. two mid channel markers and two outer markers. We do not have the GPS coordinates yet for these (they have not been put in yet) and additionally, the previous range markers will be removed (as they do not line up with the mid channel and outer markers).

5/2006 Bimini Channel Update

May 2006 -- Bimini has dredged a new channel into the north Bimini harbor. We were there over the memorial day weekend. The new channel is at least 11' deep at low water (they're advertising it at 15') and has green and red buoys along its length. The outer buoys are lit, and the others have reflective stripes on them. The entrance to the channel is about in line with the Bimini Sands hotel and then the channel curves to the north (left) as you enter. Entrance is now pretty trivial and can even be taken at night, as long as one pays attention to the cross current. 100' yachts are reportedly using this entrance now. The ranger markers on South Bimini are still there, but there isn't any reason to use them.

For Updated Customs Information go to:
Explorer Customs Update

NOAA Data Buoys off Lee Stocking Island

3/2004 MUSHA CAY ANCHORING UPDATE

ATTENTION BIGHT OF ABACO CRUISERS

Cruisers Mailbox Established

"Duffy's Rock" first appeared in Scuttlebutt, Summer 2002, which is the news letter of the Waterway Radio and Cruising Club serving amateur radio operators afloat since 1963.

from: Tom "Duffy" McMurray WP2V

Several years ago while bumping around in the BIGHT of ABACO I came upon an uncharted small cay (rock) and gave the GPS Waypoint for it to Monty and Sara Lewis of the Explorer Chartbooks. They confirmed that it was uncharted also. Well, about two months later they sent me one of their new Chartbooks, THE NEAR BAHAMAS the newest addition of their EXPLORER CHARTSBOOKS. While going over it right there on a chart in the North part of the Bight of Abaco was a marked small cay named "DUFFY'S ROCK" Hard to believe but I now had an island named after me.

Later on last winter I gave some important waypoints for Bob Cooley on how to get out of the Bight to avoid a large strong front that was coming. He made it from Basin Harbour to Crown Haven via the Patton Cays, an unpublished route that I had scoped out a couple of years before. He made it just in time before the front hit in full force. He was towing his dinghy and was surfing the last bit while still in deep water and lost his oars from the dinghy it had gotten so rough. He was really happy to get anchored off Crown Haven. In a couple of days he also went to Duffy's Rock and added some more rocks to the Cairn. Fun stuff.

About a month later on 15 March 2002 I took my 25' Albin "THUMPER" into the Bight via the N.W. Passage and went to Duffy's Rock and added a couple of rocks to the Cairn but mainly left a Rubbermaid container under the Cairn containing my name and Call Sign, a signed US $20.00 bill, a double shot of Mango Rum, a Pepsi and a couple of large lead egg fishing sinkers. Didn't think about leaving a log book for other visitors to sign in. So.......

A couple of months later while I was now back on Hilton Head, my home, I got a radio call from Bob Monroe and Caroline off the Ketch "Caroline" and he needed some info about the Bight so I Faxed him some waypoints and a couple of charts via Earl Russell at GreenTurtle Cay. He took the info and went to Fox Town but didn't take the main boat into the Bight but did go to Duffy's Rock through the HAULOVER CROSSING the narrow and shallow cut blasted through skinny part of Little Abaco for local fishermen to use just a little N.W. of Foxtown in his fast dinghy. I asked him if he would take a larger Rubbermaid container, a LOG BOOK and some more small rocks to build up the CAIRN some more. I received a radio call from him one morning saying "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" So with the log book there a CRUISERS MAILBOX had been officially established. I encourage anyone drawing up to 5 1/2 feet to visit the Bight and go to Duffy's Rock and please sign the Log Book. Even leave letters to be mailed by other visitors.

Anyone seeking more information about anything to do with The Bight Of Abaci please contact me, Duffy at 1-843-689-5178 or WP2V1@hargray.com Enjoy,
Duffy

Duffy's Rock waypoint. Right on top is 26º 53.803' N by 77º 52.760' W