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wrote:

Thank you Ms. Rosalie, great info. Thats what I was looking for. Water
and fuel will be my big costs.

You need to give Ed most of the credit. Most of the information was
his - I just piggybacked.

You will have both Bahamas and US customs costs, but they will be
different. Both will require that you come in to a dock - except as I
said for Andros.

I personally would not want to live like that, and if I did, I'd
rather just stay in the US. You can go down on the west side of the
Florida Keys and find plenty of nice places to anchor.

Regards.
Lee
PS, Sorry if I stired up AJAX whats his name.

I just know not to read any farther in a thread that has more than
about 25 responses with most of them between Jax and some other person

Rosalie B. wrote:
Ed wrote:

If you plan your trips right....
$150 x 2 for customs.

That's for Bahamas customs.

Plan $60 RT cab ride from the closest anchorage
to US Immigration... anchorages in SFL are rare... otherwise plan 50
a
night minimum for dockage....

That's for coming back to the US which isn't exactly free, although
if you come into Ft. Pierce the dockage at Harbortown is about $1/ft.

Free water at most places in the US.... you
better need some real supplies to make it worth the return trip)

Water (cheapest on Freeport and Nassau). 20-55 cents/gallon
otherwise
(2-5gal/day if you can do the sal****er-fresh rinse thing) If you
have
a LARGE tank.... it may be cheaper to get a slip in GB or NP...many
docks have unlimited water for a slip fee on those two islands.

Be CAREFUL when you do this!!! Nassau dock water is trucked in from
Andros and tastes TERRIBLE (even to me and I always refuse to buy
bottled water on principle). It makes the tea turn green and makes
terrible coffee. Tastes like water from a swimming pool-very heavily
chlorinated. This water is brackish and only good for washing the
boat (if that). I suspect dock water at some places in Bimini is
similar.

Lucaya isn't so bad - tastes reasonable. Water in Bimini and
Highborne is RO water and is charged by the gallon. Highborne was
the
most expensive I saw and was 50 cents/gal in 2002.

In a
pinch, most larger boats would give you 10-20 gallons in jerry jugs
if
asked nicely... (We burn through 40 a day but most large boats have
the
ability to make much more than they use)

Garbage dumping... typically $5/bag.

Groceries Similar to US in GB and NP, 1.5 to 2x as you get away from

those islands. Stay away from the resort grocery stores...(Sampson,

Cat, walkers, etc) They remind me of a cross between 7-11 and
Neiman
Marcus.

There's a good grocery store in Nassau across from the Nassau Harbor
Club and Marina in the mall on the east end of Bay Street. It is City
Market, PO Box N3738, Nassau 242-393-6060 which is part of the
Winn-Dixie chain, but which is called a City Market in Nassau.

There is also a Lowes Pharmacy (393-4813), a Bed Bath and Home
(393-4440), an internet cafe/bookstore, a Subway and a Dairy Queen.

Freeport has Winn-Dixie.

The Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation (BaTelCo) has automatic
roaming agreements with some cellular carriers in the United States,
Canada and Mexico. .

Watch the fishing/conching/crawfish laws... they have been enforcing

them lately. (FINALLY...)

Lobster or Crawfish: Six tails per person, at any time. Annual closed
season is April 1 to July 31. Minimum size limits are 3-3/8 inch
carapace length or six inches tail length. Egg-bearing female
crawfish
are protected.

Conch: Harvesting and possession of conch without a well formed lip
is
prohibited. Bag limit at any time is 10 per person.

Wahoo/Dolphin/Kingfish: Six fish per person, any combination.

Vessel Bag Limit: 20 pounds of scalefish, 10 conch and six crawfish
per person may be exported from The Islands Of The Bahamas.

Stone Crabs: Closed season is June 1 to October 15. Minimum
harvestable claw is four inches. Harvesting of females is prohibited.

Turtle: Illegal to import; although legal to eat in The Islands Of
The
Bahamas.

Spearfishing: Hawaiian sling is the only approved spearfishing
device.
Use of scuba gear or an air compressor to harvest fish, conch,
crawfish and other marine animals is prohibited. Spearfishing is not
allowed within one mile off the coast of New Providence, within one
mile off the south coast of Freeport, Grand Bahama and within 200
yards of the coast of all Out Islands. Spearing or taking marine
animals by any means is prohibited within national sea parks.

GAS - $3.00 and up /gal (GB and NP again, cheapest-Outer islands $4
++)

Sailboat parts.... $$$$$$$ and scarce outside of NP and GB....bring
all
the standard parts and tools.

As mentioned... Beer is expensive.. Rum is cheap. Coke is
expensive...

Laundramat machines similar to US.

During the Hurricane season, ALWAYS know where you would go once you
got
the word... Also have a backup plan... Most of the best Hurricane
holes
get REALLY crowded. Bring LOTS of line and several anchors. Even
West
Marine in Fort Lauderdale ran out this year... the tiny stores in
the
Bahamas can't supply a fraction of the demand before a hurricane.

Don't forget the Buffett and Marley CDs and the Randy Wayne White
Books!!!

Have Fun....

Warm Beer and Bread they say can raise the dead but it reminds me of
the
menu at a Holiday Inn...

Ed

Doug Dotson wrote:

wrote in message
ups.com...

If you where headed there for a year and did not plan to buy one
meal
at a resturant or bar, 26ft sailboat, shallow draft, what kind of
money
would you need?

American money works well If you are not planning on eating at
restaurants then food isn't all that expensive. Staples that the
locals
use on a regular basis are the same or cheaper than in the US.
Coconuts
are free as are grouper and crawfish. Rum is cheap. We baked bread
every other day for next to nothing. Fresh vegies are a bit high,
but
worth it.

assuming you anchored out, never at a marina, returned
to Florida once every 3/4 months for supplies and had a quite
hurricane
season?

Well, Florida and the Bahamas had "quite" a hurricane season this
year.

grandma Rosalie
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/

grandma Rosalie