"Wayne.B" wrote:

Skipper wrote:

All pleasure boats entering the Bahamas must now purchase at their first
Port of Entry a $150 cruising permit for boats up to 35 feet and $300
for boats over 35 feet *each year*.

That's all old news. It's their country and they set the rules.

No sir, I set my own rules. I've researched this outrageous bilking of
American pleasure boaters, understand the roots of the fee, and believe
both a boycott and reciprocal fee for Bahamians entering this country is
in order. The fact is, this $300 entry fee would be history if Floriduh
reciprocated with a Piggly Wiggly fee for them.

If you go for 3 weeks it works out to about $15 a day and includes
fishing licenses for everyone on the boat. In the grand scheme of
cruising on a decent sized boat, $15 a day is peanuts compared to
diesel, dockage, maintenance, etc.

That $300 entry fee is over and above all other expenses and is not
insignificant for most recreational boaters. The fee is very much like a
reverse poll tax and effectively closes these waters to many boaters.
I'm in favor of open access to recreational waters.

Fully loaded operating costs for a sportfish in the 40 to 50 ft range
are well over $100/hour.

Tough beans, most recreational cruising boats in the 40' to 50' range
are able to operate for much less than $100 per hr. What would you judge
the operational costs to run a Skookum 53 ketch over to Aruba?

--
Skipper