I'm moving my boat to FL for the summer. Getting some stuff done in Stuart, and hope to cruise in the Bahamas this summer some if I can talk my wife into it. [emoji51]
Any marina recommendations in that area? Isn't WPB supposed to be a good crossing point to West End?
Would like something decent so the wife will like the marina and the surrounding area, but not too expensive because I'm kind of cheap.
A lot depends on what you and your wife like. West Palm itself is pretty much a no go right now between the restricted zone, the Presidential traffic, and other limitations that are severely limiting many local businesses every weekend. However, North Palm and Rivera Beach are great still. New Port Cove, Old Port Cove and North Palm Beach Marina, all under the same management, are excellent and are reasonably priced for the area.
The Palm Beach area has everything you could ever want in terms of amenities, from restaurants to art galleries to golf courses to shopping. However, it does have big city traffic issues and on weekends you may well find yourself delayed by the President's procession to the golf course.
While Fort Lauderdale is the center of all boating and has everything a boater could possibly want, Palm Beach marina prices are less expensive. I would still suggest treating yourself and your wife to a Miami and a Fort Lauderdale visit for a few days.
Just north of Palm Beach you get into Palm Beach Gardens and then Jupiter. Loggerhead Palm Beach Gardens is very accommodating for liveaboards. I note this since as you move further north to Stuart, Loggerhead Stuart, the last I knew, couldn't let anyone stay aboard beyond five days.
Stuart and St. Lucie area are hotbeds of boating activity. I don't know which marinas in the area have available space for an extended stay/liveaboard guest.
All the areas mentioned are convenient to West End and to the Bahamas as a whole with Palm Beach being closest, only about 60 nm from the Lake Worth Inlet to Old Bahama Bay. Miami is closest to Bimini. Fort Lauderdale in the middle and not quite as close but still close to both. I'd certainly recommend venturing beyond the closest points of the Bahamas though. Grand Bahama and Bimini are nice, but not the best the Bahamas have to offer. If going to Grand Bahama (West End), I would then try to go on to the Abacos from there. We just returned from a great time there. From Bimini I'd go on by Nassau to Harbour Island, North Eleuthera.