Excellent info on the Exumas. Thanks.
When checking in at Bimini, do you enter the harbor or anchor and dinghy in? I was looking at the chart and some Active Captain comments about the channel markers being all out of place.
We were thinking of crossing over from somewhere in the Fl Keys to Bimini to take advantage of the GS current, then exploring from there.
We've left from the Keys, we've left a couple times from NoName Harbor, Lauderdale, and Baker's Haulover. Despite Baker's rep for getting nasty, it's moot if you're crossing because you're generally doing it in settled weather. RE leaving from the Keys, yes, helpful if you're already there, but is it worth traveling the extra days all the way down there to gain a couple hours' advantage of current for a 45 mile run? Your call. In interesting aside in that regard, my AP is limited to 30 deg set, I must manually set a compass heading to about +42 deg. to compensate for the cross current! Can tell when we're in the strongest part of the stream! Still, leave at 1st light, arrive in ample time to get a slip, get checked in and enjoy a cocktail.
We like checking in at Bimini, we call a day ahead or so to get a slip arranged. We've crossed with short windows and waited WX in Bimini, there are worse places to be weathered in! (Nassau!) There's plenty to do in Bimini. They have a good BaTelCo facility there, so we check in, get cell phones set up and plan the jump to the Exumas from there.
BTW, the AC comments are probably correct, take them with a grain of salt; the channel into the harbor is well used, and the water is clear so you can read it easily enough. So many of the AC comments are fraught with alarmist "missing marker" type warnings from NOOB's who feel compelled to post anxiety-inducing drama. Really, the markers in most of the Bahamas are sketchy at best, trust the Explorer charts, and you'll gain proficiency and confidence in reading the water with experience. I'd be happy to forward my tracks from the past couple of visits to give you a feel for how things shake out recently. It does change, but it's readable. Stay in the "deeper darker water...."
For getting from Bimini to the Exumas, we've done the cross from Gun to Chubb then to Highborne. Long 2 days, but all daylight for a 6-7 kt trawler. Another option is to leave Bimini before noon, head north around North Rock, then across the bank. Head around Mackie shoal, then down Northwest channel after dark and down the Tongue overnight. Puts you heading across the bank south of NP/ Conch Split/White Bank just at sunup, so daylight to cross the bank. Not much issue there with coral heads, but better in daylight just to be comfortable. Get into Highborne in the afternoon. An overnight, but it puts you in the Exumas where you can then go further south even if the WX is less than ideal.
