Preparing For The Bahamas

 

Well, we made the decision to cross the Straights of Florida and visit the beautiful islands of the Bahamas. 

The first thing we did was make a list of everything we thought we needed to do. 

1.      Purchase an InReach
2.      Purchase SIM cards for the BTC phone service
3.      Purchase snorkel gear
4.      Propane
5.      Additional filters and spare parts
6.      Maintenance 
7.      DTOPS decal \ update CBP Roam App
8.      Zero base inventory
9.      Engel freezer
10.  Water tester
11.  Chris Parker weather
12.  Explorer charts
13.  Insurance\Credit card
14.  Address prescription
15.  GoPro
16.  Covid test\Health visa
17.  Cruising permit
18.  Cash 💸 
19.  Provisions 
20.  Laundry 

We headed to West Marine to purchase an InReach.  An InReach is a device for satellite communication.  It will allow us to receive weather updates, send and receive messages (texts), track our route, share our location, and most important, in case of an emergency, trigger an interactive SOS.  For all this to work we also will need to purchase a monthly service plan.

Rob researched phone\internet service for the Bahamas, the service that was most talked about in the boating community was no longer available. Rob found a service that allows the purchase of a SIM card that can be used with our current phones as long your phone is unlocked.  Off to the local Verizon store so we could ensure our phones were unlocked (internet said they already were) and to inquire about using our Verizon service.  We determined our best solution was to purchase a Bahama Sim card.  The cards were mailed to us at our current marina, along with a new phone number.

Since we are going to the Bahamas, we need to have snorkel gear.  A trip into Key West to the Divers Direct store.  A very nice young lady helped us with our masks (must fit correctly to enjoy snorkeling), a dry snorkel (no water in the tube), and fins.  We also purchased anti fog spray and a mask strap (supposedly to help with my hair).

We use propane for our cooking which includes our stove and our grill.  We have one propane tank that is connected to our stove and a second tank that we use to fill the smaller one pound cans for the grill.  Off to the Shell Station right here on Stock Island to refill both tanks. Note: we also use the one pound cans for our Buddy heater when necessary.

We inventoried our filters and spare parts and determined what needed to be ordered.  We have fuel and oil filters for engine and generator, impellers, zincs, belts, hoses, etc.  We also have filters for our water. Of course, we probably will not have the one item that is needed while in the Bahamas.

Maintenance needed to be completed prior to us leaving which included changing the oil and oil filters on both the engine and the generator. Along with impellers, zincs, checking coolant, etc. We also feel pretty confident with the engine considering all the work that was recently done to resolve an 'issue'. Rob cleaned out the strainers to make sure there were no jelly fish or debris.  We have the life jackets with hydrostatic inflators so we needed to make sure the canisters were still green. 

DTOPS, is the Decal and Transponder Online Procurement System.  It allows vessels and vehicles to cross the border into the United States whether from the Bahamas or Canada. You have to have a decal or if you are in the commercial vehicle industry a transponder (brought back work memories).  We had purchased one last year and renewed by paying an annual fee.  We also have the CBP ROAM app that allows us to electronically report our entry back into the US instead of visiting a Customs facility. 

I currently keep lists of all items on the boat using Google Drive.  I have several folders called Storage (Boat, Engine room, Fly bridge, & Galley) I also have a Library (books on board) and an Off Site (not on the boat).  The Boat folder includes pretty much everything but is mostly for the GARAGE (our forward stateroom).  As items have been used and purchased I had not kept up with my inventory recently.  It was time to do a zero base inventory of everything. In order to do the inventory the bar, pantry, and the bins had to be emptied and rearranged.   

Rearranged garage with full bins

We thought it may be a good idea to look into the Engel freezer for additional freezer space, so we could take more meat (chicken, steaks, etc.) with us.  The Engel can be used as a fridge or freezer with AC or DC power.   Our decision was to not purchase the Engel due to price, space and availability (sold out).  This means we will need to provision for meats while in the Bahamas. 

There were mixed reviews on the quality of the water in the Bahamas, some people said they purchased water testers and would perform the test before filling their water tanks.  You can purchase them on Amazon and they are inexpensive but, we decided that as many filters as we have, we should be fine. 

Marine Weather Center Service also known as Chris Parker weather.  The Marine Weather Center provides custom daily weather via single side band radio (SSB), email, fax, or phone.  You decide on the service(s) you would like to receive then you receive detailed vessel specific weather forecast and routing advice.  A lot of boaters will not go to the Bahamas until Chris Parker gives the good weather window go ahead. We purchased daily weather reports along with a phone call to talk to Chris right before we feel it's safe to cross.

In our Library we have the Waterway Guide for the Bahamas but, we also think it is necessary to have Explorer charts for the Bahamas along with Navionics charts.  The Explorer charts are electronic and allow us to navigate the Bahamian waterways.

For insurance we needed to make sure our boat insurance covered cruising the Bahamas and there were no restrictions. We are clear to explore the Bahamas without purchasing additional insurance.  We still have the restriction of being north of Hatteras by June 15^th.  For the credit card we checked to make sure there were no foreign transactions fees and notified the companies of our planned travel.  

One of us has a prescription that is currently on a 90 day mail service. I have to contact the insurance company every three months to give them an address to send to. The current supply will take us through the time we will be abroad. However, it is due to refill in the middle of our trip.  Had to contact the insurance company to provide a temporary address ahead of time so am not calling from the Bahamas.  The plan is to ship them to my sister in law in North Carolina. We should be there to visit by the time my current supply is depleted.

In the past we thought it would be nice to have a GoPro but, we never purchased one.  Now with making this trip we thought it would be a good purchase.  Well, our son Nick had one that he was not using and offered to send it to us for our trip.  Guess what? You will be seeing videos and under water pictures.

A negative Covid-19 RT-PCR (swab test) taken no more than 5 days prior to the date of our arrival must be taken and results submitted.  In addition, we have to apply for the Bahamas Travel Health Visa.  The Visa is applied for online, you must submit a copy of your negative test result, submit a copy of passport with expiration date, and pay the fee based upon the length of your stay. Whatever you do, do not submit your covid results until absolutely sure of your travel date. You cannot upload another result, we had to create a new account.

As I began the pre-registration I entered my expiration date and the system would not allow it. We didn’t realize your passport had to be valid for six months after your visit. Our passports expired in August.  Now we are in full panic (can you imagine Rob’s reaction!?!), to complete the forms, get our pictures taken, mail the passports, and hope they arrive before we want to leave.  We paid to overnight the paperwork, expedite the process, and express mail to return.  Our timeframe for completion was 23 days.

Once we arrive in the Bahamas we are required to take another test 5 days after checking in.  The fee for the test is included in our Health Visa fee. Our health visas were $60 each.

A cruising permit is required for pleasure boats (and occupants) to sail (applies to power boats) in Bahamian waters.  To obtain the cruising permit you pre-register online using Click2Clear.  You have to enter vessel information, ports of call, passenger information, dinghy information, weapons, pet information, upload vessel documentation and health visa.  The cost of the cruising permit depends upon the length of your boat.  Our fee for three months will be $300.00. 

We have a predetermined amount of cash we are going to take with us and turned a LOT of twenty dollar bills into 1's, 5's, 10's, and quarters.

After completing the zero base inventory and many reviews of other boaters and personal experience, the provisioning list was created.  Shopping was completed on multiple occasions and the list was recreated several times.  Our last shopping excursion consisted of mostly fruits, vegetables, and dairy.  Our friends Dianne and Michelle were of great assistance with a vehicle, especially for beer runs. 

Sharon's side of the bed

Rob's side of the bed

Still more!

We will do all laundry before leaving the marina, this includes sheets, towels, and all clothing (that has been worn).  Our current marina only has 2 washers and 2 dryers so scheduling is definitely an issue.   

We already had our Quarantine Flag (Q Flag) and Bahama courtesy flag so we did not have to add that to the list.  A Q Flag must be flown prior to checking in and the Bahamian courtesy flag is flown after checking in.

As we began completing our list, in no particular order, we determined some items were not necessary and we also added to the list. We checked off each item as we completed the task.

We are so excited and cannot wait to share our experience.