Thinking of the Bahamas

simtech

simtech

En-Route
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
3,089
Location
mississippi
Display Name
Display name:
Simtech
Thinking heavily of flying the Cherokee down to the Bahamas in late July. Early planning has me flying to Ft. Peirce and fueling up and renting a raft or life jackets. Then following the coast down to palm beach and head out east from there to Freeport. Sound like a reasonable plan? How about Freeport, is that a heavily used Airline airport? I chose Ft. Peirce as it seems like it might be faster in and out compared to palm beach but I'm not totally sure, never been down there. Then plan to fly around the upper Bahamas and check it out. Anybody been to Treasure Cay?

Another thing was trying to decide how to plan if I just want to hop around. Is it better to book ahead or can you pretty much just pop in and get a room for a few days at some of these places?
 
Fort pierce ,is a good place to start your trip. You want to get charts with the latest info on airports with fuel. I always stayed away from Freeport. Some of the best flying is in the Bahamas,customs is a cake walk both ways.
 
frfly172 said:
I always stayed away from Freeport.
Click to expand...

Why is that? just wondering. I figured we would do customs there and check it out then head over to treasure Cay and then who knows. Ill only have a week so I wont get too far down. Leaving North Mississippi in the morning I should make freeport late afternoon early evening. So 2 days are gone in to and from plus have to leave time for weather and what not. I can go over a week a day or 2 but cant do a full 2 weeks which I would love to do.
 
I flew from Melbourne to Nassau in the morning and then on to Turks and Caicos in the afternoon. There can be big headwinds but nice views.

During Hurricane Season, it's generally pretty easy to find a hotel room on the spot. But, it's not a bad idea to call ahead, at least to find out whether space is getting tight. Be sure you watch your fuel in relation to where you can actually get it (not just where some website says you can get it).
 
I prefer to stay away from Freeport,just a tourist trap,I prefer a more laid back atmosphere. That’s just my personal preference.
 
frfly172 said:
I prefer to stay away from Freeport,just a tourist trap,I prefer a more laid back atmosphere. That’s just my personal preference.
Click to expand...

I think he’s just using it for a port of entry/customs as opposed to Nassau. It didn’t sound like he intended to spend much time there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
We've been flying to the Bahamas for a few years. With a private plane, my understanding is that there is no need to ever go to Freeport or Nassau. Our experience has confirmed that. The Bahamas has plenty of AOEs (Airports of Entry?). They all operate the same (laid back but professional). The airports are mostly in good shape - better than they look from the air. Tie down areas generally suck - bring ropes.

I like to fish for Bones, my wife likes beaches, solitude, a few friendly people and roadside Conch bars. We spend time down on Long Island and Cat Island but they may be a bit further and bit quieter than you are looking for. Marsh Harbour has lots of places to stay, restaurants and stuff. Never been to Treasure but know it's popular. If going there, you should just fly directly there for customs. Plan your gas stops and call ahead to confirm.

We use VRBO to find places to stay. Plenty of vacancies in July but there are also a number of places that are closed (off season). I suggest booking something somewhere in advance. You can find places after you get there but you will do better on VRBO.

A destination you might want to stretch you legs to get to is Staniel Key. Good size Marina there, the Thunderball Grotto and swimming pigs are all there. Not an AOE so it can't be a first or last stop on your trip.

Fort Pierce is the ideal US return point, so if you are renting stuff, it's a good place to start as well.

Have fun! We can't wait to go back.
 
@Bill Watson thanks for the info! Wife and I like solitude and beaches as well. Freeport is/was just a AOE for us and since we have never been there might spend a few there. But we are definitely game to go down a bit further. Have to figure time and how long it actually takes to get to other Islands. Ive heard great things about Staniel Cay and may have to stretch my wings. Its all in planning right now and kind of brought about because we were planning Oshkosh. I just flew there last year and Ft. Peirce is actually closer to us than OSH so my wife said uh....beaches. hahaha So here we are.

I saw I have to get a radio operators license..How long does that take usually? I haven't dove into the paper work side yet but have seen the AOPA checklist and watched lots of videos of what to do. But ive never seen others talk much about the radio license.

Keep the ideas, suggestions, and tips coming. I appreciate it.
 
Went there in October last year and went to north Eleuthera Airbnb in Spanish wells. 6 friends in 2 airplanes. Island hopped down the Exuma chain and landed at Staniel Cay. Went snorkeling the afternoon and flew back to north Eleuthera before dark. The other plane went down to Stella maris and came back.

- No one asked for any radio license.

- you can’t land at most airports after dark.

- instrument approaches are not authorized to most airports.

- fuel was available at the airports we landed.

Enjoy!
 
simtech said:
@Bill Watson thanks for the info! Wife and I like solitude and beaches as well. Freeport is/was just a AOE for us and since we have never been there might spend a few there. But we are definitely game to go down a bit further. Have to figure time and how long it actually takes to get to other Islands. Ive heard great things about Staniel Cay and may have to stretch my wings. Its all in planning right now and kind of brought about because we were planning Oshkosh. I just flew there last year and Ft. Peirce is actually closer to us than OSH so my wife said uh....beaches. hahaha So here we are.

I saw I have to get a radio operators license..How long does that take usually? I haven't dove into the paper work side yet but have seen the AOPA checklist and watched lots of videos of what to do. But ive never seen others talk much about the radio license.

Keep the ideas, suggestions, and tips coming. I appreciate it.
Click to expand...
You are welcome.

Despite the ‘requirement’ you don’t need the radio operators license. Carry on if you must but IT IS NOT NEEDED.

The most demanding aspect of the trip is eAPIS, the US customs and border control system. You need to register, enter your trip, update it as required, and otherwise follow the procedure for leaving and particularly returning to the US. There’s a decal you need to purchase and stick on your plane but a printed receipt will do. There is also a phone call required from he Bahamas to the US just before your return. Get this right and the rest of the trip is a POC. No Radio Ops license req’d.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
I’d avoid Freeport too. Treasure has a decent resort with a nice beach, but there isn’t much else. after a couple days, you will be bored from eating at the same restaurant. Marsh Harbour has a few restaurants and shops, but no real beach. If you are going to stay in the northern part of the Bahamas, I would recommend flying into Marsh Harbour, but take a ferry to Elbow Cay or Guiana Cay. The Abaco Inn on Elbow is a beautiful location.
 
How does transportation usual go down? Easy to aquire. Walk, uber, taxi, bum rides..?
 
Resorts will provide transport to and from, car rentals are generally available but reserve before you get there. My favorite place includes a car with the room.

Here’s the thing about the Bahamas; it’s small with many quiet places outside of Nassau and Freeport. Quiet, beautiful, safe, and remote. You can spend a lot of money or a little but it’s still quiet. And very beautiful, especially from the air.

Interestingly, you’ll find that Bahamians that travel have been to more American cities than Bahamian islands. Everything requires a flight to Nassau And from there the states are as accessible as the rest of the Bahamas. Your plane allows you to see more of the islands in one trip than most Bahamians will see in a lifetime. Same with boaters. Flying is special... and the Cherokee 6 appears to be the national bird.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
simtech said:
Thinking heavily of flying the Cherokee down to the Bahamas in late July. Early planning has me flying to Ft. Peirce and fueling up and renting a raft or life jackets. Then following the coast down to palm beach and head out east from there to Freeport. Sound like a reasonable plan? How about Freeport, is that a heavily used Airline airport? I chose Ft. Peirce as it seems like it might be faster in and out compared to palm beach but I'm not totally sure, never been down there. Then plan to fly around the upper Bahamas and check it out. Anybody been to Treasure Cay?

Another thing was trying to decide how to plan if I just want to hop around. Is it better to book ahead or can you pretty much just pop in and get a room for a few days at some of these places?
Click to expand...

Fort Pierce is THE place to launch from and come back to, IMO, for several reasons:

  • APP Jet Center is a "Bahamas Gateway FBO" and has personnel who are trained to do all the paperwork. Call a week ahead and they'll take your info and have the paperwork waiting for you, all filled out, when you get there.
  • APP Jet Center also rents survival rafts for very reasonable rates for the over water portion.
  • Customs in Fort Pierce is very fast and easy to work with. On our return, we were walking out of customs 10 minutes after touchdown (so taxi time is included in the 10 mins)!
I'll definitely use them again as the launch point for future Caribbean adventures.

frfly172 said:
I prefer to stay away from Freeport,just a tourist trap,I prefer a more laid back atmosphere. That’s just my personal preference.
Click to expand...

There's a place for both. We spent a couple of days in Freeport to just experience some of the touristy stuff like swimming with dolphins and drinking fruity alcoholic beverages out of coconuts and eating lots of good food. Then, we left and flew down to Long Island for the chilling-on-the-beach-in-solitude part at Cape Santa Maria. Loved both. :)
 
FYI.... The Tiki Bar at Ft Pierce closes early afternoons. The FBO has crew cars, but we got tired of waiting for one to come back after an hour and left.

Skip Freeport and Nassau. Abacos is more for boaters in my opinion. Treasure is good for kids. Spanish Wells is great for fishing or just plain vegging out on a pristine beach. There are taxis from N. Eleuthera airport to the water taxi to SW.

FPR is a good return AOE. Pull on to the customs ramp, grab a dolly and unload all your crap, push inside and get xrayed. Do NOT, bring back any food. If you do, declare it. But you might end up with an international waste charge, even for prepackaged food. The FBO will tug you the 100 yards over to their ramp when customs is done or you can leave out from there.

Fly early to avoid convection. It's no joke out there. It will come up quick and you are SOL.....Bermuda Triangle Sheeeet, ya know.....

If it were me, I would just grab some coastguard vests. If you go down, SAR will be on you pretty quickly in that area. We fly with manual inflation vests from Mustang, I have a EPIRB, wife has an EPIRB and I also wear a fanny pack with 550 cord, carabiners, peanut butter packets, gum, sunscreen, a knife, green glow sticks, $100 in $5 bills, and few other items I can't recall right now. There is so much boat traffic, that if I am making an unintended stop in the middle of that area, I start looking for boats and aim for one making wake. I intend on landing somewhere off the bow. I also set a user weigh point for the halfway point between the two land masses. If Im' past it, I will ditch ahead. If not, a 180 back towards the US.

Bottom line...... Grab a couple inflatable vests, an EPIRB, a full tank out of FPR and fly high for best glide.

Get your CBP sticker now for the plane. Get your eAPIS account going. Make sure your passports are not expired. You must be talking to ATC and on a VFR or IFR plan. Open/close plans in the air with Nassau radio.

Make sure you have cash. I'll say again, cash. Everything is just about double or more US prices. Most places do not take cards. Some will, with a service fee. But cash is the standard. $50 inbound customs and $25 per passenger outbound fee.

Hope that helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top