Bahamas Cat’n Around Bimini with C-Ya

[C-Ya]

I’ll give more detailed info when I get back home.

The crossing to Bimini was not flat. Lol

Here are the first round of random pics……..

 

[Shlbyntro]

I guess you're glad you went on the 32 then.?

 

[C-Ya]

I am bumping this thread so I can load up some pics…….

I will do this later today………

Here are a few pics in the meantime.

 

[C-Ya]

 

[C-Ya]

 

[C-Ya]

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

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Seas are a lil sporty eh...... love youir posts so thanks for bumping thread!

BTW... water temps?

 

[C-Ya]

 

[hallett21]

Looks awful out there

 

[Hammer]

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Man...... I love Florida boating! Bimini run is still on the bucket list..... Thanks for sharing C-YA!

 

[C-Ya]

Trip Report……..

The trip really started on Sunday June 11th, at Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale. This is where we had the Captains meeting for those leaving from Port Everglades the next morning. This is also when we got our first, of many, Swag Bags. In this bag we got WorldCat boat flags, laminated event schedules, WC coozies, WC key chains, more. I’ll take a pic of my WorldCat swag when I am done writing this. I got a lot. I also won a raffle prize which I will show later.

Our friends who we went to Bimini with, we met shortly after purchasing our World Cat. My wife and I joined a WC Facebook group. J&P reached out to us through Facebook. We soon discovered that they only live 5 canals from us. Approx 1 mile. In the past few months, we have been to dinner, out on the town, boating, and teamed up for local trivia at our favorite sports bar. We get along great!

J&P invited us early on to go to Bimini on their 32’ dual console WC. We kept declining, since I really wanted to take my own boat. However, as the date neared, I could tell the weather wasn’t going to favor my smaller 230sd WC. So we decided to just go with them. I am glad we did. We had great conversation and it was just funner with them.

We loaded the majority of their boat Sunday, so that on Monday, we just needed our ice and clothes. We had plenty of room. We both had Yeti ice chests which are truly the best coolers money can buy. I was shocked how long the ice lasted. Multiple Days! Our alcohol bag was so heavy that we had to use a bag with wheels. Lol

The ride to Bimini was not flat. It was actually less than ideal. It was ruff, but not ridiculous. However, we did enclose Pilothouse windshield in order to stay dry. We were able to maintain a cruising speed of 28mph. This is where the 23’ WorldCats got left in back group. They could only maintain 20mph. We got there in approx 2 hours, while it took the 23’s almost 3 hours. (The ride home was almost flat, comparatively.)

Once in Bimini, the World Cat party started! So did the swag. The immigration check in was done at the docks, which was set up by WorldCat Boats. It was easy. Then, we were showered with swag from not only WC, but all of the event sponsors. (Yamaha, Mercury, Garmin, more) My favorite being a WorldCat door mat that I am going to put at my boatlift. We left for our room check-in with our luggage doubled, due to all the swag. Shirts, Cups, Scarfs, Fans, Flags, Mouse Pads, Boat Cleaning towels, Towels, Floats, Hats, Totes, more. It was a lot! Lol

The first nights event was sponsored by Yamaha. Lots of prizes were raffled off. We had a tent that is in the pics This was a fun way to get to know everyone. The booze flowed! Lol Lots of interesting speeches and general boating fun stuff.

The next day, everyone met up at Honeymoon Harbor for the WorldCat raft up. What you don’t see in the pics is the ocean swells that kept coming through the cove. That, along with a heavy current, made the raftup a little difficult. We did have a never ending group of rays and nurse sharks constantly seeking attention. Sure, it’s fun at first, but after a while, you kinda want them to go bother someone else! Lol The WorldCat video should have a lot of footage of this.

While we were rafting up at HH, there was another group that went fishing, to catch that nights fish fry. They caught a lot of fish, since there was almost too much fish at fish fry. That night I won a 100 watt solar battery charger. A $300 prize. Lol But I really wanted one of the YetI coolers. Over the event, they gave away more than 100 prizes. You admission ticket number was also your raffle number. Would any of you like to buy a solar charger from me? Lol

One day we did a golf cart scavenger hunt. This turned into a pub crawl. Lol In order to win the scavenger hunt, you had to take the golf cart to some hard to find places, this made it a great time. One item was to purchase cinnamon bread at this bakery……… boy was it tasty! We actually bought a bunch. We just finished it last night. We didn’t wi the scavenger hunt but we did catch a healthy buzz. Drunken golf cart driving is hardly against the law in Bimini. You just have to remember to drive on left while drinking…….. that’s the hard part. Lol

The pics I took of Radio Beach was our funnest day. The water was almost too warm. We anchored in 2’ of sand and hung out there all day. You could swim to beach bar for coconut drinks. We ate shrimp cocktails and had a ton of great food. It looked like a postcard. We snorkeled, laid out on floats, and played with rays.

The Bimini Hilton was nice. We had a great view. We did watch the Miami Heat lose their game while watching at Casino Bar. It was packed with a fun crowd.

The ride home was uneventful. We just chatted the entire way home. The time flew by. Autopilot made it almost too easy.

Anyways……… There’s my trip report.

I am sure I left a lot out, but maybe those detail will still come, if you guys have questions.

 

[C-Ya]

Here is a pic of some of the swag. All the clothing is missing from pic.

 

[69hondo]

Trip Report……..

The trip really started on Sunday June 11th, at Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale. This is where we had the Captains meeting for those leaving from Port Everglades the next morning. This is also when we got our first, of many, Swag Bags. In this bag we got WorldCat boat flags, laminated event schedules, WC coozies, WC key chains, more. I’ll take a pic of my WorldCat swag when I am done writing this. I got a lot. I also won a raffle prize which I will show later.

Our friends who we went to Bimini with, we met shortly after purchasing our World Cat. My wife and I joined a WC Facebook group. J&P reached out to us through Facebook. We soon discovered that they only live 5 canals from us. Approx 1 mile. In the past few months, we have been to dinner, out on the town, boating, and teamed up for local trivia at our favorite sports bar. We get along great!

J&P invited us early on to go to Bimini on their 32’ dual console WC. We kept declining, since I really wanted to take my own boat. However, as the date neared, I could tell the weather wasn’t going to favor my smaller 230sd WC. So we decided to just go with them. I am glad we did. We had great conversation and it was just funner with them.

We loaded the majority of their boat Sunday, so that on Monday, we just needed our ice and clothes. We had plenty of room. We both had Yeti ice chests which are truly the best coolers money can buy. I was shocked how long the ice lasted. Multiple Days! Our alcohol bag was so heavy that we had to use a bag with wheels. Lol

The ride to Bimini was not flat. It was actually less than ideal. It was ruff, but not ridiculous. However, we did enclose Pilothouse windshield in order to stay dry. We were able to maintain a cruising speed of 28mph. This is where the 23’ WorldCats got left in back group. They could only maintain 20mph. We got there in approx 2 hours, while it took the 23’s almost 3 hours. (The ride home was almost flat, comparatively.)

Once in Bimini, the World Cat party started! So did the swag. The immigration check in was done at the docks, which was set up by WorldCat Boats. It was easy. Then, we were showered with swag from not only WC, but all of the event sponsors. (Yamaha, Mercury, Garmin, more) My favorite being a WorldCat door mat that I am going to put at my boatlift. We left for our room check-in with our luggage doubled, due to all the swag. Shirts, Cups, Scarfs, Fans, Flags, Mouse Pads, Boat Cleaning towels, Towels, Floats, Hats, Totes, more. It was a lot! Lol

The first nights event was sponsored by Yamaha. Lots of prizes were raffled off. We had a tent that is in the pics This was a fun way to get to know everyone. The booze flowed! Lol Lots of interesting speeches and general boating fun stuff.

The next day, everyone met up at Honeymoon Harbor for the WorldCat raft up. What you don’t see in the pics is the ocean swells that kept coming through the cove. That, along with a heavy current, made the raftup a little difficult. We did have a never ending group of rays and nurse sharks constantly seeking attention. Sure, it’s fun at first, but after a while, you kinda want them to go bother someone else! Lol The WorldCat video should have a lot of footage of this.

While we were rafting up at HH, there was another group that went fishing, to catch that nights fish fry. They caught a lot of fish, since there was almost too much fish at fish fry. That night I won a 100 watt solar battery charger. A $300 prize. Lol But I really wanted one of the YetI coolers. Over the event, they gave away more than 100 prizes. You admission ticket number was also your raffle number. Would any of you like to buy a solar charger from me? Lol

One day we did a golf cart scavenger hunt. This turned into a pub crawl. Lol In order to win the scavenger hunt, you had to take the golf cart to some hard to find places, this made it a great time. One item was to purchase cinnamon bread at this bakery……… boy was it tasty! We actually bought a bunch. We just finished it last night. We didn’t wi the scavenger hunt but we did catch a healthy buzz. Drunken golf cart driving is hardly against the law in Bimini. You just have to remember to drive on left while drinking…….. that’s the hard part. Lol

The pics I took of Radio Beach was our funnest day. The water was almost too warm. We anchored in 2’ of sand and hung out there all day. You could swim to beach bar for coconut drinks. We ate shrimp cocktails and had a ton of great food. It looked like a postcard. We snorkeled, laid out on floats, and played with rays.

The Bimini Hilton was nice. We had a great view. We did watch the Miami Heat lose their game while watching at Casino Bar. It was packed with a fun crowd.

The ride home was uneventful. We just chatted the entire way home. The time flew by. Autopilot made it almost too easy.

Anyways……… There’s my trip report.

I am sure I left a lot out, but maybe those detail will still come, if you guys have questions.

This looks/sounds like a great trip.

 

[C-Ya]

Here is more Radio Beach pics

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

How do you play with a stingray? Doesn’t the thing want to sting you? Or is that just if you step on one?

 

[JBS]

What a great trip. Thank you so much for sharing

 

[hallett21]

@C-Ya

Is this a trip anyone can do over the weekend?

 

[hman442]

That water...Man oh man. Thanks for the pics @C-Ya

 

[C-Ya]

How do you play with a stingray? Doesn’t the thing want to sting you? Or is that just if you step on one?

The first rule of playing with rays is don’t step on it………

Other than that, it’s kinda like playing with a swimming puppy. Lol They just want attention. Feeding it, will keep them from leaving. Lol The nurse sharks are the same. However, we only played with sharks at Honeymoon Harbor. At Radio Beach, it was all rays.

Playing with rays is fun. I have never seen anyone get stung. BUT……. The rays in the Caribbean are different than the rays in SoCal. I have never played with rays off California like I have all over the Caribbean. They are just a more docile and friendly creature in the Caribbeans waters. It’s kinda like feeding the animals in a petting zoo. They will eat right out of your hand. It’s a fun experience.

 

[C-Ya]

@C-Ya

Is this a trip anyone can do over the weekend?

That is actually a tough question.

Sure, there are a lot of people that go for the weekend. The key part is having the proper boat, safety equipment, and knowledge.

I certainly don’t want to make a light of a dangerous possibility. For instance, a spear gun diver went missing while we were there. He is still missing. My point, a couple of stupid decisions can easily cost you your life. All you can do is mitigate those possibilities by making good decisions. Like waiting out bad weather.

On our way home, 2 people called out a May Day because their boat was taking on water. They sunk. They were rescued by a Good Samaritan that heard their mayday. They were on their capsized boat, when rescued. We boated by approx 15 minutes after their rescue. We altered our course when the first May Day went out. But we were too far away.

Most of the boats at Lake Havasu are not the proper boat. Sure, they can make it on those days when it’s flat, but that actually is a rare occurrence. When the gulfstream whips up, it can get very serious…….. very fast. Many boaters have died over the years. Just last year, 4 firemen never came home. Boat never found.

 

[Music to my Ears]

How do you play with a stingray? Doesn’t the thing want to sting you? Or is that just if you step on one?

They are generally pretty docile and as C-Ya said, they just want attention, especially food.

 

[Taboma]

View attachment 1244445 View attachment 1244446 View attachment 1244447 View attachment 1244448 View attachment 1244449 Here is more Radio Beach pics

So this beach is on the oceanside of Alice Town ? Since I haven't been to AT since '68, should I assume it's not where I'm seeing the high rise hotel, but in the other set of pics where you're in the that channel following channel markers ?

You guys going to run out past the cement ship out to Gun Cay and Cat Cay ?
When we were there Cat Cay was an abandoned settlement of really typical old English houses. One harbor master guy lived on the island with occasional mail service who'd check your papers.
The golf course was covered in thorns that left our bare feet a bloody mess. The old club house along the windward side was in shambles and the pool had a large crack running through it.
Looking at the google map, it appears they've really cleaned the joint up, and there's some nice homes and a runway.

Thanks for the update !!

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

They are generally pretty docile and as C-Ya said, they just want attention, especially food.
View attachment 1244469

Wow that thing is huge!

 

[Joker]

What a life.

 

[clarence]

You thinking about a 32' now, C-Ya?

 

[C-Ya]

You thinking about a 32' now, C-Ya?

Hmmm……..

I like the 32’ for the Bahamas. But I am not sure if I want it to be my daily driver.

Here is what my wife and I are talking about………

Possibly having a 28’ DC-X custom built to our specs. Features would include, taking the double passenger seat set-up that comes with the 32, and having those exact same seats installed in the 28. We would want the sink cabinet made without ice chest holder, so that we could put drawers and trash can inside cabinet. We don’t need to electric bbq either. By modifying this cabinet, we could also get a pop up tv, for the sandbar.

It would be nice if we could get a starboard side door installed, like the one on the 32.

We would also order boat without power. This way, we could install a pair of Mercury 225’s withMercury joystick controller. I know you guys would want the biggest motors possible, but I like the 225 mercs, because of their easy access, and stellar gas mileage. The 32 gets 1 mile to the gallon at cruising speed. The 28 should get 2 miles to the gallon at cruising speed. The top speed of the 28 with 450hp should be around 50, which is faster than I need for the way I boat. I mostly go at cruising speed anyways.

The first step will be coming soon. I anticipate that I will be submitting an application to install an elevator boatlift at my dock, in the next few months. Most likely a 20,000lb lift. This will lift anything I might buy in the future. Currently, my floating boatlift would have to have more tanks installed underneath, in order to get it to 8800lb’s (it’s currently a 6600lb lift). A 28 DCX is 7200lb’s dry. Which means that with a full tank and gear, it would be very close to my maximum boatlift capacity. A new elevator lift just solves the problem, once and for all. It also keeps the 32 on the possibility list. I am also sick and tired of watching my boat violently rock on lift, Everytime someone blows through the no wake zone.

No matter what……… if I sell my boat, my next boat will be a WorldCat.

One last nugget that I learned in Bimini. The manufacturer and dealers could not believe that I had a joystick controller on my 23. They told me that I have the only one they have ever even heard of. I should be able to sell mine at a premium when the time comes, because of it. My custom ladder will be installed next month.

 

[Shlbyntro]

joysticks destroy clutches

Hmmm……..

I like the 32’ for the Bahamas. But I am not sure if I want it to be my daily driver.

Here is what my wife and I are talking about………

Possibly having a 28’ DC-X custom built to our specs. Features would include, taking the double passenger seat set-up that comes with the 32, and having those exact same seats installed in the 28. We would want the sink cabinet made without ice chest holder, so that we could put drawers and trash can inside cabinet. We don’t need to electric bbq either. By modifying this cabinet, we could also get a pop up tv, for the sandbar.

It would be nice if we could get a starboard side door installed, like the one on the 32.

We would also order boat without power. This way, we could install a pair of Mercury 225’s withMercury joystick controller. I know you guys would want the biggest motors possible, but I like the 225 mercs, because of their easy access, and stellar gas mileage. The 32 gets 1 mile to the gallon at cruising speed. The 28 should get 2 miles to the gallon at cruising speed. The top speed of the 28 with 450hp should be around 50, which is faster than I need for the way I boat. I mostly go at cruising speed anyways.

The first step will be coming soon. I anticipate that I will be submitting an application to install an elevator boatlift at my dock, in the next few months. Most likely a 20,000lb lift. This will lift anything I might buy in the future. Currently, my floating boatlift would have to have more tanks installed underneath, in order to get it to 8800lb’s (it’s currently a 6600lb lift). A 28 DCX is 7200lb’s dry. Which means that with a full tank and gear, it would be very close to my maximum boatlift capacity. A new elevator lift just solves the problem, once and for all. It also keeps the 32 on the possibility list. I am also sick and tired of watching my boat violently rock on lift, Everytime someone blows through the no wake zone.

No matter what……… if I sell my boat, my next boat will be a WorldCat.

One last nugget that I learned in Bimini. The manufacturer and dealers could not believe that I had a joystick controller on my 23. They told me that I have the only one they have ever even heard of. I should be able to sell mine at a premium when the time comes, because of it. My custom ladder will be installed next month.

I like all of this except for the joystick part. I've been doing a lot of clutches these last couple years in boats with under 300hrs because the joysticks are overworking the clutches in the drives.

 

[stephenkatsea]

South Florida and the Bahamas are definitely boaters bucket list items. As said, the right kind of boat is vital for the Bahama run. Great post. Thanks, C-ya.

So FL and the Bahamas are a whole lot nicer than the remnants of the Titanic.

 

[C-Ya]

joysticks destroy clutches

I like all of this except for the joystick part. I've been doing a lot of clutches these last couple years in boats with under 300hrs because the joysticks are overworking the clutches in the drives.

I hear you, but the joystick ads to the resale value.

Truth is, even though I have this feature, I rarely use it. Mainly because I just don’t need it. I can make a boat do just about anything I want with the sticks.

 

[stephenkatsea]

I can only imagine the very Bahama capable boat that can be purchased for $250 K. But, some prefer trying to visit the remains of the Titanic. ? Oh well . . . .

 

[C-Ya]

So this beach is on the oceanside of Alice Town ? Since I haven't been to AT since '68, should I assume it's not where I'm seeing the high rise hotel, but in the other set of pics where you're in the that channel following channel markers ?

You guys going to run out past the cement ship out to Gun Cay and Cat Cay ?
When we were there Cat Cay was an abandoned settlement of really typical old English houses. One harbor master guy lived on the island with occasional mail service who'd check your papers.
The golf course was covered in thorns that left our bare feet a bloody mess. The old club house along the windward side was in shambles and the pool had a large crack running through it.
Looking at the google map, it appears they've really cleaned the joint up, and there's some nice homes and a runway.

Thanks for the update !!

I am guessing Alice Town still looks like it did, when you last saw it. It reminds me of the land that time forgot.

You are correct. Radio Beach is on ocean side of Alice Town. The Hilton is on the other end of island. It is the Hilton end that has all the new development and docking. It’s a real contrast from one side of the island to the other.

It been a few years since I went to Cat Cay. It still looked abandoned back then. Lol

 

[clarence]

We would also order boat without power.

500Rs!

 

[DaveC]

Bitchen boat……what other size world cat would work for those ocean crossings

 

[Shlbyntro]

I hear you, but the joystick ads to the resale value.

Truth is, even though I have this feature, I rarely use it. Mainly because I just don’t need it. I can make a boat do just about anything I want with the sticks.

I am digging the almost Express Cruiser feel of the cockpit on that 32 tho. Would be a must for me!

 

[Mandelon]

That looks like an awesome trip. 2 hours is a long boat ride... out of sight of land. Going with a group would definitely make it less stressful.

Your friend, owner of the 32 was much happier to have Captain C-Ya along I am sure.

 

[ChumpChange]

Amazing.

 

[rivermobster]

That water...Man oh man. Thanks for the pics @C-Ya

X1000

 

[steamin rice]

That sounds like an epic trip.

 

[RVRKID]

Trip Report……..

The trip really started on Sunday June 11th, at Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale. This is where we had the Captains meeting for those leaving from Port Everglades the next morning. This is also when we got our first, of many, Swag Bags. In this bag we got WorldCat boat flags, laminated event schedules, WC coozies, WC key chains, more. I’ll take a pic of my WorldCat swag when I am done writing this. I got a lot. I also won a raffle prize which I will show later.

Our friends who we went to Bimini with, we met shortly after purchasing our World Cat. My wife and I joined a WC Facebook group. J&P reached out to us through Facebook. We soon discovered that they only live 5 canals from us. Approx 1 mile. In the past few months, we have been to dinner, out on the town, boating, and teamed up for local trivia at our favorite sports bar. We get along great!

J&P invited us early on to go to Bimini on their 32’ dual console WC. We kept declining, since I really wanted to take my own boat. However, as the date neared, I could tell the weather wasn’t going to favor my smaller 230sd WC. So we decided to just go with them. I am glad we did. We had great conversation and it was just funner with them.

We loaded the majority of their boat Sunday, so that on Monday, we just needed our ice and clothes. We had plenty of room. We both had Yeti ice chests which are truly the best coolers money can buy. I was shocked how long the ice lasted. Multiple Days! Our alcohol bag was so heavy that we had to use a bag with wheels. Lol

The ride to Bimini was not flat. It was actually less than ideal. It was ruff, but not ridiculous. However, we did enclose Pilothouse windshield in order to stay dry. We were able to maintain a cruising speed of 28mph. This is where the 23’ WorldCats got left in back group. They could only maintain 20mph. We got there in approx 2 hours, while it took the 23’s almost 3 hours. (The ride home was almost flat, comparatively.)

Once in Bimini, the World Cat party started! So did the swag. The immigration check in was done at the docks, which was set up by WorldCat Boats. It was easy. Then, we were showered with swag from not only WC, but all of the event sponsors. (Yamaha, Mercury, Garmin, more) My favorite being a WorldCat door mat that I am going to put at my boatlift. We left for our room check-in with our luggage doubled, due to all the swag. Shirts, Cups, Scarfs, Fans, Flags, Mouse Pads, Boat Cleaning towels, Towels, Floats, Hats, Totes, more. It was a lot! Lol

The first nights event was sponsored by Yamaha. Lots of prizes were raffled off. We had a tent that is in the pics This was a fun way to get to know everyone. The booze flowed! Lol Lots of interesting speeches and general boating fun stuff.

The next day, everyone met up at Honeymoon Harbor for the WorldCat raft up. What you don’t see in the pics is the ocean swells that kept coming through the cove. That, along with a heavy current, made the raftup a little difficult. We did have a never ending group of rays and nurse sharks constantly seeking attention. Sure, it’s fun at first, but after a while, you kinda want them to go bother someone else! Lol The WorldCat video should have a lot of footage of this.

While we were rafting up at HH, there was another group that went fishing, to catch that nights fish fry. They caught a lot of fish, since there was almost too much fish at fish fry. That night I won a 100 watt solar battery charger. A $300 prize. Lol But I really wanted one of the YetI coolers. Over the event, they gave away more than 100 prizes. You admission ticket number was also your raffle number. Would any of you like to buy a solar charger from me? Lol

One day we did a golf cart scavenger hunt. This turned into a pub crawl. Lol In order to win the scavenger hunt, you had to take the golf cart to some hard to find places, this made it a great time. One item was to purchase cinnamon bread at this bakery……… boy was it tasty! We actually bought a bunch. We just finished it last night. We didn’t wi the scavenger hunt but we did catch a healthy buzz. Drunken golf cart driving is hardly against the law in Bimini. You just have to remember to drive on left while drinking…….. that’s the hard part. Lol

The pics I took of Radio Beach was our funnest day. The water was almost too warm. We anchored in 2’ of sand and hung out there all day. You could swim to beach bar for coconut drinks. We ate shrimp cocktails and had a ton of great food. It looked like a postcard. We snorkeled, laid out on floats, and played with rays.

The Bimini Hilton was nice. We had a great view. We did watch the Miami Heat lose their game while watching at Casino Bar. It was packed with a fun crowd.

The ride home was uneventful. We just chatted the entire way home. The time flew by. Autopilot made it almost too easy.

Anyways……… There’s my trip report.

I am sure I left a lot out, but maybe those detail will still come, if you guys have questions.

Wow that sounds like an awesome trip, thanks for the write up and pics!

 

[C-Ya]

That looks like an awesome trip. 2 hours is a long boat ride... out of sight of land. Going with a group would definitely make it less stressful.

Your friend, owner of the 32 was much happier to have Captain C-Ya along I am sure.

If I had to choose between going with group or going alone…….. I’d rather do crossing alone.

Here is why.

Unless you are the lead boat, you really can’t use the autopilot while clustered together. The boating by group always takes longer. It is not nearly as relaxing as it sounds because every time somebody slows down for whatever reason, the entire group slows down. Or you are constantly watching to make sure others don’t get too close. For instance, I’ve had someone so close into my wake, I felt if I let off throttle even slightly, they would come over my motors. I had to give a deep sea boating lesson when that happened.

If any of you goes back and looks at my pics. You will see that I took a pic of a group coming into Bimini in a cluster together.

On our way back from Bimini, we declined to be buddy boats with anybody. Mainly because I did not want to. Also because I did not want to go to Port Everglades. I set autopilot for Hillsboro Inlet.

I get that it is a safer feeling to be with group. But for me, I’d rather depend on my own skills and equipment. Sure, in the future I’ll probably lead many flotillas to the Bahamas, but given the choice, I’d rather be by myself. Less stress. Lol

 

[Shlbyntro]

If I had to choose between going with group or going alone…….. I’d rather do crossing alone.

Here is why.

Unless you are the lead boat, you really can’t use the autopilot while clustered together. The boating by group always takes longer. It is not nearly as relaxing as it sounds because every time somebody slows down for whatever reason, the entire group slows down. Or you are constantly watching to make sure others don’t get too close. For instance, I’ve had someone so close into my wake, I felt if I let off throttle even slightly, they would come over my motors. I had to give a deep sea boating lesson when that happened.

If any of you goes back and looks at my pics. You will see that I took a pic of a group coming into Bimini in a cluster together.

On our way back from Bimini, we declined to be buddy boats with anybody. Mainly because I did not want to. Also because I did not want to go to Port Everglades. I set autopilot for Hillsboro Inlet.

I get that it is a safer feeling to be with group. But for me, I’d rather depend on my own skills and equipment. Sure, in the future I’ll probably lead many flotillas to the Bahamas, but given the choice, I’d rather be by myself. Less stress. Lol

Get off my lawn!

I think going in a group of 2 boats is where I'd like to be. not having to worry about a whole bunch of persons but there's somebody still there in case anything happens

 

[havasuhusker]

Thank you for sharing the trip report and pics, @C-Ya . Looks like you had a blast.

 

[Badchoices03]

These are the kind of trips that I can only dream of....thanks for sharing!

 

[Devilman]

Awesome thread and pics, appreciate ya taking the time to share it here