Captain's Notes on the Exumas   While some items are fresh in my head I wanted to note them for future reference, hopefully the Admiral will allow us to visit this beautiful place again! The Exumas have to be one of the top cruising grounds in the Western Hemisphere, a trip that cruisers must experience for themselves!   Customs:  We did customs at Sea Crest Marina in Bimini, it was very quick and painless. Just filled out the paperwork that the marina gave us, took the paperwork one block to the customs office, got the paperwork signed, gave them $300, and that was it. If I was not going through Bimini on the way to the Exumas I would have done customs in Nassau.   Fuel Notes-Dinghy. 9.9hp:  In the course of the trip I used 22 gallons. What worked well for us was a 2.5 gallon tank that we kept on the swim deck and then another 5 gallon tank we kept on the sundeck. The 2.5 gallon tank made it easier to fill the dinghy tank.  
Fuel Notes-Marina Locations

• When fuel is needed it's important to call ahead to make sure the marina has fuel and that they are open. Most businesses in the Exumas close down on Sunday, some fuel docks included. We also found out that the marinas can run out of fuel and will have to wait on the next fuel barge from Nassau, which may take a few days.
• Sampson Cay was the only place we purchased fuel, and that was just for the dinghy. I believe that Highborne, Sampson, and Staniel all have marinas with fuel. Sampson has a nice large fuel dock that is easy to get in & out of.
• Little Farmers Cay advertises they have fuel but it appears that is not true as of this writing. The folks on the cay told us that the owner of the "marina" just can't afford to fill his fuel tanks anymore.
• There is a new marina that is now open on Cave Cay which is located just a few miles south of Farmers Cay. We were told by other boaters that the marina has fuel, water, and elec., even though the marina is still under construction.
• Chub Cay (Berry Islands) has a marina that has become very snooty. We were told, and experienced, that boaters who used to purchase fuel there were turned down because they were not a marina guest. Folks were also turned down when they needed some dinghy gas and wanted to do laundry. Chub is a good anchorage after a long day but don't expect any services unless you plan on staying at the expensive marina.
• It is also important that you be very patient when it comes to contacting marinas and other businesses on the VHF. We Americans are used to instant contact when we radio a marina, not so down here. One must remember that everyone down here is on "Island Time" and it may take you 5 or 10 minuets to hear back from those folks you are trying to contact. Just be patient and try the marina every few minuets, don't be an impatient "Ugly American" when it comes to the VHF radio.

Fresh Water Usage:  We averaged 10-12 gallons per day. This is based on each of us having two freshwater showers a week. Water is $0.50 per gallon in most all marinas.

Dinghy Notes:  If you are coming to the Exumas, and you plan to explore this area in your dinghy, it is important that you have enough horsepower to navigate the strong currents that run through these cays. I would not attempt anything less than 8hp on a 10' inflatable. It is also important that your dinghy have a good anchor with plenty of anchor line (25') and 2' of chain. I would also carry a hand-held VHF radio on board.....just in case.

Glass-Bottom Bucket:  Don't leave home without it! It will be your best friend when you check your anchor to make sure it's set, which you should do all of the time down here!

Navigation Charts:  Explorer Charts, both electronic & paper. They are the only way to go down here, very informative and full of good local information. I will also let you know that, based on our experience, the depths shown in most all areas are 2' deeper than the charts show at low tides......YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

Tides:  For planning purposes tides run "about" 20 minuets later in the northern Exumas and up to an hour earlier in the central Exumas than what the tide charts show for Nassau. Our average tide range for April & May was around 2.5 feet........YMMV.

Weather Notes:

• Since we don't have SSB we used 2 different VHF weather broadcasts that happen daily here in the Exumas. 7:30am Channel 16 to hear the weather out of Highborne Cay. 8:00am on channel 16 to hear the weather out of Exuma Land & Sea Park. By far the best & most detailed weather forecast is out of Exuma Park. We found that they were accurate about 90% of the time......YMMV.
• Plenty of great anchorages on the west side of most cays as the prevailing winds are from the NE to the SE. If a good blow or storm is predicted out of the west plan ahead as eastern anchorages are harder to find and could be crowded during the busy boating season.

Anchoring:

• Life's2Short either anchored or tied to a mooring ball the entire 7 weeks we were in the Exumas. We found great holding in the sand and sand & light grassy areas. Don't be afraid to get off the beaten path, pretty easy to do down here!
• We only used one anchor (CQR) and tried to anchor in areas that didn't have much current. Areas like Exuma Park (North, South, and Cambridge anchorages) and Little Farmers Cay we chose to take a mooring ($10.00 to $15.00 per night) as these areas have some pretty substantial current and limited anchoring room.
• Don't forget to use your glass-bottom bucket or dive your anchor after it's set!

Phone & Internet Notes:

• Even though Cingular told us our cell phone would work here, it does not. We were able to receive calls but we were not able to call out. Two days after arriving in the Bahamas we just turned off the cell phone. What we did was purchase a couple of Batelco phone cards (.50 per minuet) in Bimini and have used them as we find a pay phone. Don't plan on finding many pay phones down here, we found working Batelco pay phones in Sampson Cay, Staniel Cay, and Black Point. You can also use the phone at Exuma Park but it's going to cost you $3.00 per minute. I'm sure there are other phones at other marinas, this is just where we went.
• We used Internet access at Sea Crest Marina in Bimini (free), Normans Cay (only available at the restaurant as a paying customer and often very slow), Exuma Park ($10.00 for 24 hours), Staniel Cay Yacht Club (free but not a very good signal), and Lorraine's Cafe in Black Point (wonderful computer room with good access, don't forget to donate $$$ for the use of the service). I believe that Sampson & Compass Cay marinas have access but we did not use their service. I would also suggest that a person get an external antenna for their computer. We didn't have one but other boaters who did were able, in some cases, to sit on their boat at anchor and surf the net in some anchorages.

Shopping Notes:

• Life's2Short loves to have their beverages ice cold! We paid as little as $3.00 per bag of cube ice up to $8.00 per bag (only did the $8.00 once!) You can find block ice down here but you have to ask for it. Our best deal on block ice was $7.00 for an 18# block, this was at the Black Point store. We were even so "thrifty" we used the melted ice to rinse out swimsuits, soak seashells, and do small batches of laundry! If you drink beer you will pay $4.00 to $5.00 per bottle or $40.00+ per case down here, bring your own beer if you can't afford these prices.
• The supply boat runs through the northern & central Exumas on Wednesday, your best bet for finding fresh bread & produce is Wednesday afternoon. It is very expensive to shop down here so bring everything you can from home!

Misc. Notes:

• Plan on bringing snorkeling equipment, the diving down here is sooooo beautiful!
• An underwater camera is a must!
• We brought down beach chairs & umbrella, it's a great way to spend happy-hour on a deserted beach!
• Laundry, while I'm sure there are other places to do it, you really should check out the "laundermat" at Black Point. It's as nice as any laundromat in the USA, though more expensieve.....$3.50 per wash & $3.50 per dryer.
• Polarized sunglasses are a must, if you can get a polarizing filter for your camera do so.

Please don't hesitate to send us an email, btlifes2short@aol.com , if you have any further questions.