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ISLAND
H © Stephen J. Pavlidis 2010 |
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PPING
Updates
and Corrections
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| Exuma Guide | On/Off Beaten Path | Abaco |
| Turks and Caicos | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands |
| Leeward Islands | Windward Islands | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Northwest Caribbean Guide | ||
I'd like to start by apologizing to Bob Smith of the S/V Defiant, currently located on the Rio Dulce. Bob allowed us to use several of his sketches in the Northwest Caribbean Guide and due to an oversight during the publication process, his name was not mentioned. Bob is an accomplished artist and one of his best works is a compilation of Key West scenes published by the Key West tourism board. Bob's sketches give a great view of various scenes of the Rio Dulce and her people, and I am honored to present his work in my guide. Thanks Bob!
Please note that the Port Antonio Marina in Port Antonio, Jamaica, is now called the Errol Flynn Marina. Dale Westin, the former manager of La Ceiba Shipyard and Marina, is now the General Manager of the Errol Flynn Marina.
Bill Kuypers (S/V Foreigner) pointed out to me that on page 73 of the Northwest Caribbean Guide, I have made several typos. In several instances I discuss the currents 50 miles east of Cabo San Antonio, Cuba...60-70 miles east of Cabo San Antonio...and 75-80 miles east of Cabo San Antonio. These should all read "west" of Cabo San Antonio.
At Cave Cay, the Cave Cay Marina is up and running although they rarely monitor the VHF. Be careful when entering the harbor as they are still dredging it. South of Steventon on Great Exuma, the Four Seasons Emerald Bay Resort is open and extremely pricey.
On Norman's Cay McDuff's is no more, what a loss for the cruising community. There's also a new American warden at Exuma Park. At Staniel Cay, the SCYC now has free Wifi. For those interested, Lady Muriel has a hole in her side, she fell off her stands in a storm and although people are talking about repairing here, as of this writing she is still sitting on her side.
In George Town there is talk of rebuilding the bridge over the entrance to Lake Victoria.
Berry Islands: The Berry Islands Club, located on the eastern shore of Frazer's Hog Cay is closed and up for sale.
Nassau: In Nassau, BASRA no longer has a dinghy dock, if you need to tie up you are welcome to use the dock at Crocodile's. If you need water you can get it from the faucet across the street from BASRA and if you need to dump a few bags of garbage you are welcome to use the dumpster at Crocodile's, please don't take your garbage to BASRA. Next door to BASRA the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has a small base with a dock using the infrastructure of the old Police station.
Bimini: At the northern end of North Bimini a huge new project is well underway. Called Bimini Bay, the complex is to include a 200-slip marina, hotel, 20,000 square foot casino, a golf course, and tons of condos and houses for sale. The configuration of the waters between North Bimini and East Bimini are being changed and the new changes will be included in the next edition of OOBP. Look for a new dredged channel to facilitate entrance to Bimini Bay as the old entrance is shoaling to 4' just off the jetties leading in to the Bimini Sands complex on South Bimini.
Cat Island: In Bennett's Harbour the
Ocean Spray Guest House, Beverage Restaurant, and
the Remanda Inn Restaurant are no more. On the road to the
Queen's Highway is Ducky's Bar and a small grocery
store at the intersection of the harbor road and the Queen's Highway.
In Orange Creek the Orange Creek Grocery has expanded and is
closed Friday nights and all day Saturdays. The only gas on the northern
end of Cat Island is to be found in the The Lot across from
Club Crystal's.
(Thanks to Bob Browning)
Jumentos: The old light on Flamingo Cay has been
replaced with a new one as of April 21, 2006.
Add the following to the section on internet websites in the chapter entitled The Basics.
http://www.oldbahamabay.com, Old Bahama Bay Marina
http://www.nippersbar.com, Nippers Bar
http://www.rmhyc.com, The Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club
http://www.arkwild.org Mimi Rehor’s Wild Horses of Abaco site
http://www.barometerbob.com, Bob Toler’s website for Abaco weather.
www.customs.ustreas.gov, Customs regs for U.S. citizens
www.open.gov.uk, Customs regs for British citizens
www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca, Customs regs for Canadian citizens
www.dfat.gov.au, Customs regs for Australian citizens
www.customs.govt.nz, Customs regs for New Zealand citizens.
From the same section delete the following two websites:
http://www.stanielcay.com and http://www.bahamasvg.com/paddlepedal.html
On page 59, under the heading Grand Lucayan Waterway, change the fourth paragraph to read:
“If you are seeking shelter a nice cove lies on the north side of the first canal that branches off to port (to the west as shown on Chart GB-9) as you head northward. Although the bottom was dredged when this area was built decades ago, the holding is very good in a sand/mud bottom and almost every little cove along the waterway offers a good anchorage in even the worst frontal passage. If you plan to anchor off the Waterway, remember; since the lots all are privately owned, never tie up to someone’s dock without permission.
On page. 83, under the heading Great Sale Cay, add the following paragraph to the end of the section:
"Vessels heading southward from Northwest Harbour on Great Sale Cay around the northern tip of Great Sale Cay via the Barracouta Rocks Channel (as shown on Chart AB-1), can head to a waypoint at 27° 04.00’ N, 78° 12.50’ W, which places you northwest of Great Sale Cay at the western end of Barracouta Rocks Channel 2 miles northwest of Little Sale Cay. From this position you can head to the eastern waypoint for the channel passing north of Great Sale Cay. A waypoint at 27° 03.00’ N, 78° 05.00’ W, will place you at the eastern end of Barracouta Rocks Channel about 1 mile northeast of Sale Cay Rocks. Vessels heading north from points south of here can head to this waypoint to transit the Barracouta Rocks Channel."
On page105, under the heading Coopers Town, change the 2nd paragraph, to read as follows:
“Ashore, Cooper’s Town has a large community clinic, a Batelco office, an office of Scotia Bank, and a large new government office building. Just across the street from Cooper’s Town Shell is a nice grocery store while just to the south is a small bar and restaurant perched above the water on Cooper’s Town beautiful new post-Hurricane Floyd seawall. About ¼ mile south of the Shell dock is Richie’s Restaurant, a good spot to grab a bite to eat. On the Bootle Highway at the southern edge of town is M&M’s Bar, Disco, and Guest House on the western side of the road. Visitors may wish to check out the Albert Bootle Museum where you’ll learn about the early settlers, the Bootles and Coopers, as well as sponging, sisal, and lumber.”
On page123-124, under the heading Marsh Harbour, the 1st–4th paragraphs should be changed to read:
"As shown on Chart AB-25, the entrance to Marsh Harbour is fairly easy, although with the construction of the marked channel leading to the Customs docks, newcomers are often confused, following the marked channel to the turning basin off the dock instead of entering the harbour proper. As shown on the chart, a waypoint at 26° 33.60’ N, 77° 04.40’ W, will place you approximately ¼ mile northwest of the shallow reef off Outer Point Cay. If you’re approaching from Great Guana Cay you’ll need to avoid the Fish Cays and Footes Cay as shown on Chart AB-20, and if you’re approaching from Treasure Cay or Leisure Lee you can parallel the shoreline of Great Abaco Island giving Water Cay and the reefs off the point southeast of Water Cay a wide berth as shown on Chart AB-20. Once clear of the reefs here you can put Inner Point Cay on your bow and head straight for it actually passing south of the waypoint. If you’re approaching form Man-O-War Cay you can head for the waypoint once you clear Garden Cay and Sandy Cay as shown on Chart AB-26. If you are approaching Marsh Harbour from Hope Town or the Bight of Abaco you must clear Matt Lowe’s Cay before heading southwesterly to clear the shoal lying northwest of Outer Point Cay as shown on Chart AB-26. If you are approaching Marsh Harbour at night (not recommended), don’t confuse the red-flashing Batelco tower in Marsh Harbour with the Batelco tower in Dundas Town, about 2 miles to the west and shows a fixed red light.
"From the waypoint you can head south until you clear Inner Point Cay and can parallel the shoreline eastward into Marsh Harbour, this is where newcomers often get confused. Since the last edition of this guide a new channel has been dredged leading into the Customs dock (which can now accommodate a 400’ vessel). The channel is well marked with buoys beginning just south of the waypoint given. Don’t follow the markers to the Customs dock; follow the course shown on the chart to your chosen anchorage or marina. Most of the harbour is only about 7’-8’ deep at MLW but there is a deeper trough where the water is 10’-14’ deep in places. This area lies to the east of the large shoal lying north of the Customs dock and just north of the Union Jack Dock, the large dock with all the dinghies tied to it, probably the place you’ll tie your dinghy as you explore Marsh Harbour (the Rainbow Rentals dock lies just west of the Union Jack Dock and sells gas)."
There are several new marinas under construction at West Caicos, on the western shore; and west of Cooper Jack Bight. Leeward Highway is now a 4-lane and quite a sight if you haven't seen it in a while, it's paved all the way to the Conch Farm. Plans are underway to construct a cruise ship dock at Grand Turk, dredging has already begun. The lights leading into South Caicos from the Turks Island Passage are now Red-Right-Returning.
In the DR, there's a new marina at Cofresi, Ocean World, about nine miles east of Luperón. The buoys haven't been installed yet and the channel is tricky, it's sort of a lightning bolt shape, use caution if you're trying to enter here.
In Luperon, Gina's Place is now called The Upper Deck.
Chart PRS-2, page 39, the waypoint off La Parguera should read 17° 55.30’ N, 67° 01.50’ W. The waypoint is listed correctly in Appendix D on page 138, but it is not correct in the text on page 38 in the section on La Parguera. Sorry folks, this was a stupid typo on my part that was not caught. The Navy base at Rosie Roads has closed and Vieques is no longer being bombarded, but be careful when you're swimming at Vieques, you're likely to see some unexploded ordinance, if you do, do not touch it!
On page 54, concerning the buoy off Cayo Mato, the text should read "Just to the east of Cayo Mata is.."
On Chart PRE-1, change the longitude mark to read 65° instead of 66°.
USVI: Charlotte Amalie, Safe Haven Marina is no more, and many of the regulars in the harbor not tend to anchor NW of Water Island, using the dock at Crown Bay Marina for landing. A block away is the Pueblo Supermarket and a Radio Shack. At St. John there are 20 moorings in Leinster Bay, and 28 in Francis Bay that I failed to mention.
St. Martin: In Marigot, La Creole, a economical bar/restaurant on the west side of the inner harbor has free wireless for their customers. The flea market is now on Sundays at 1100 at Shrimpie's who offer free beer and hot dogs (I wonder how long that will last!).
St. Barth's: There are free showers in the public restrooms next to the port office but there is no hot water available. You can purchase potable water at the docks, 10 gallons for 1 Euro (pay at the Post Office). There's free Wifi at the Open Your Heart Restaurant in the inner harbor, you can't miss it, there's a huge electric purple palm tree out front.
Nevis: Customs has moved to the Post Office, and if they are closed (they're open M-F, 0800-1500) you can head over to the Police station who will contact Customs for you (but you will be hit with an overtime charge). You'll have to go to the Police station anyway to get your passport stamped and they frown on waiting until Customs open before clearing, they want to know you're there when you arrive.
St. Kitts: An underwater hazard has been eeported in 7'-9' of water in the northeastern corner of Majors Bay at the southern end of St. Kitts. IT is an old concrete mooring approximately 8' square with only a reported 4'-5' over it. The reported location is 17° 13.460' N, 67° 38.997' W.
Nevis: One hundred new moorings have been installed along the western shore of Nevis. Apparently the Nevis Port Authority has banned anchoring in their waters. Vessels clearing in must pick up one of the five yellow quarantine buoys off the ferry dock in Charlestown. After clearing in the skipper must visit the Port Authority to arrange a mooring for his stay. The moorings are located in Charlestown, Tamarind Bay, Oualie Bay, Cade's Bay, Nelson's Spring, and at Pinney's Beach. Fees are
Up to 35': US$19 for up two days and US$15 for 3-7 days.
36'-60' US$ 15 for up to two days, and US$20 for 3-7 days.
61'-90': US#20 for up to two days, and US$25 for 3-7 days.
Please note that these fees are not per night but rather for the length of the stay as shown.
Antigua: There is a problem at the Maiden Island anchorage, it has lost much of its charm. The owners have razed the island digging basins in the shoreline and in general damaging the beauty of the island's shore.
There is a new Yamaha dealer in St. John's, Automotive Art, on Old Parham Road. Phone: 268-460-7211 email: automotive@candw.ag, website is www.automotiveart.com
Dominica: The Dominica Marine Center and the Anchorage Hotel now have fuel docks (with water) for visiting boaters. Approximately 1/2 mile south of the Anchorage Hotel you'll find moorings made available by Al Dive. Al Dive offers 24 hour monitoring of vessels and a dinghy dock for your convenience. A restaurant, showers, Wifi, and private diving services are all available to those on the moorings. fI'm told that these moorings are free for this first year. Moorings are also available in Portsmouth and you are still welcome to anchor just south of the mooring field. Prices range from US$10 per night to US$50 per week and US$170 per month.
Guadeloupe: The anchorage off the dive shop at Marina Riviere de Sens is currently unavailable due to someone installing buoys there with a submerged line just under the surface that links all the buoys. The dinghy dock in Deshaies has been removed, know one knows how long it will remain missing, so bear that in mind when coming ashore in Deshaies.
Martinique: In Fort d' France you can now clear out with Sea Services, a chandlery on Rue Deproge. I've also been told of a new dinghy dock near the ferry docks. The Customs (Doannes) office in St. Pierre has closed but it is possible to get clearance from L'Escapade, a small restaurant in town (open from 0900-1400, and 1700-1900 daily). L'Escapade has a couple of computers so you can surf the net and is also a Wifi hotspot.
At the Customs office in St. Pierre and Marin, entry is now do-it-yourself on a computer provided for visitors. When you are finished entering the data, print the form and have it stamped.
Use caution if staying in Chateuabelair, there have been 5 reports of theft and boardings in recent months.
St. Lucia: The Moorings has installed 20 moorings in Marigot Bay, the cost US$25 per night and with that you get free Wifi. Monohulls of approximately 40' or less can raft up (up to 3 monohulls), and anchorage is still possible if you can keep out of the way of the new moorings. The Moorings has also installed a hurricane chain for boater's safety as well as for the protection of the mangroves. The entrance channel to Marigot Bay is now marked with red and green buoys and look for a pump-out station to soon be installed.
The inner lagoon at Rodney Bay is currently off limits to cruisers due to construction of a new marina.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Since Hurricane Ivan most of the lights in SV&G have been reported as extinguished. There is anew dinghy dock in Rodney Bay Lagoon allowing access to the Super J Mall,; there is also a paved and well-lit walkway from the dock to the street..
Bequia: The email address for Fixman (Simpson Engineering) is now deewilliams@hotmail.co.uk. The Lenroc Internet Cafe (www.lenroc.com) has opened, with a second office in Camden Park in St. Vincent. Customs fees have changed: it now costs EC$35 per person per month, and there is now an EC$20,000 fine for not clearing in.
Union Island: There is now a daily cruiser's net, Monday through Friday, at 0900 on VHF ch. 68.
Barbados: The Boatyard Restaurant, located at the north end of Carlisle Bay, has a nice new dock that is better suited to bigger boats as opposed to dinghies. The Boatyard Restaurant no longer offers Internet access.
Carriacou: Arawak Divers in Tyrrel Bay has DSL available in their shop and also hosts Wifi for the anchorage.
Grenada: There is a lot of new construction at the old GYS site in Port Louis. Cruisers can still anchor nearby buy you will have to anchor to avoid the workboats.
The Ankh Internet Club no longer offers internet service but you can still purchase DVDs there.
YSATT has just instated five new moorings in Chaguaramas Bay that are specifically designed for heavier boats. The moorings can be identified by the letter "H" preceding the number on the mooring ball. Rates are TT$42 per day and TT$1,140 per month.
You can add the following to Appendix D: Caribel Electronics, San Fernando, 868-652-4982, sales@caribel.com, and Superb Sails & Canvas at Tardieu, Chaguaramas, 868-754-7531, superbcanvas@hotmail.com. Also at Tardieu is the Ankh Internet Club, 868-634-1360, ankh@tstt.net.tt. Besides Internet access, Ankh offers phone calls, typing, photo-copying, and DVD rentals. Stuart Electronics has closed, along with Coastal Machine Shop but a new metal shop run by Sean Duprey (868-620-5484, sduprey@wow.net) has opened up at Tardieu. Alle Wright Services offers stainless and aluminum in all sizes and shapes, and Maxwell Inflatables (868-755-8694, VHF ch. 68) sells and repairs inflatables as well as bicycles.
La Soufrière Maritime Ltd. is located on the Western Main Road in Chaguaramas, just south of TTSA. They offer hauling, storage, electrical and electronic installation, engine maintenance and replacement, boat building, wood working, fiberglass work, metal fabrication and welding, fishing charters. 868-634-1653. Carbbean Propellors has just moved their location to the La Soufriere compound.
Over at IMS, Ocean Sails has closed down and Trinidad Rigging has moved to Peake's. Trinidad Rigging will be taking over most of the work from Billy's Rigging as owner Billy Wray is confining his work to surveys, rig inspections, and traditional rigging. Dynamite Marine and Bay Island Yachts have moved to Skinner's in the old Budge Marine building.
Coral Cove Marina now fills propane bottles, leave it with the guard in the morning and the chances are fair you'll get it back the same day, if not, the next day. Also at Coral Cove is a new gourmet/mini mart called Kawaja's. Also at Coral Cove is Quality Support Specialists (868-634-1944) diesel mechanics.
Peake's is now home to Good Old Marine Equipment Specialsts, GOMES, (868-6332547/680-3525), which is run by Derek Gomes, and offers a good selection of second hand yacht gear. Also new to Peake's is AMMSCO, (868-634-2168, ammsco@tstt.net.tt), a welding and fabrication shop. Offshore Fishing Supplies (868-634-3474, albertb@wow.net) has opened up at Tropical Marine. Also located at Tropical Marine is the new office of Jesse James' Members Only, and Diesel Techonology Services, (868-634-1463/678-1959) specializing in Detroit Diesel and Allison transmissions. They also have a branch at Tropical Marine.
The Ocean Internet Cafes have closed so remove them from Appendix C. You can then include Intersurf Cafe, 868-634-1100, located at Peakes, and the Ankh Internet Club, 868-634-1360, ankh@tstt.net.tt, at Tardieu. The old Island Surf Cafe in Mariner's Haven is now the ITC Internet Cafe.
There are several new
marinas to be listed for Chaguaramas Bay, Caribbean Yacht Works
and Catamaran Village Marina, both of whom have haul out
facilities.
In Tobago, cruisers need to be aware that almost all
the buoys are missing! In Scarborough, the only remaining buoy is the one
on Bulldog Shoal, while in Store Bay all the yellow cable buoys are
missing. If you plan to anchor here you must drop the hook from a position
where you can look up the road from the beach or south of it to avoid the
submerged cable which lies north of this road. In Buccoo Bay, all the reef
buoys are missing
Cruisers will want to note that since the printing of the Trinidad and Tobago Guide, that Customs in Trinidad has raised the following fees. Vessel clearance is now TT$117.26, boarding a vessel is TT$136.79, and the examination and clearance of imported packages is TT$91.20. Customs in Chaguaramas is open from 0700-1600 Monday through Friday and if you clear during these hours you will not be charged overtime. However, you may be asked at what time you dropped anchor or tied up to the Customs dock, and if you arrived prior to 0600 you will be charged for overtime. It is entirely up to the officer's discretion as to whether you will be charged overtime for arriving between 0600 and 0700.
The immigration office at Charlottteville, on Tobago, unmanned for quite a while, is still open however if you are clearing out you need to take a taxi to Scarborough for clearance
In November of 2007, a drilling platform was erected approximately 16.5 miles north of Charlotteville, and is now being moved to another location (2008). Officials have announced a 500 meter exclusion zone around the rig.
If you can offer any corrections or updates please click here!
© Stephen J. Pavlidis 2010