Bahamas - Noonsite

Hurricane Dorian brought severe flooding and widespread damage to the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island at the beginning of September 2019. The southeastern and central Bahamas were far less affected by the hurricane. For the latest news from Noonsite on Dorian see here.
The Bahamas Tourist Board has said: “Islands that were not impacted by Hurricane Dorian remain open and are receiving visitors. In the Northwest Bahamas, these include the Bahamas capital of Nassau and neighboring Paradise Island, as well as Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Andros. Islands in the Southeastern and Central Bahamas remain unaffected, including The Exumas, Cat Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Long Island, Acklins/Crooked Island, Ragged Island, Mayaguana and Inagua.”
The US Coast Guard came in right away to evacuate the injured and those who had lost homes and all their possessions. Currently, there is much work to be done to rebuild the damaged and destroyed structures on all of these islands. The biggest issue is that volunteers need to be able to sustain themselves with food, water, lodging, electricity and any other supplies. There are no services or accommodations. Those with construction skills (and tools), who also provide their own place to stay such as a cruising boat, are the most helpful in these challenging circumstances. The islanders themselves can’t provide any accommodations for help. Many of them still don’t have roofs on their homes or a reliable source of food and water, not to mention electricity. Check the local websites for direction and information (see list in this report).

FACTS

The Bahama Islands are a low-lying limestone archipelago in the North Atlantic southeast of Florida and north of Cuba and Hispaniola, covering 150,000 square miles of tropical sea with approximately 5,000 square miles of land. Of the 700 islands and many more rocks and small cays, some 25 are inhabited with communities. Many more have private homes and some whole islands are privately owned.
The population in 2019 was 395,00 and English is the language spoken by all.
The Bahamian Dollar is the currency of the Bahamas. For specifics see General Info.
Bahamian Standard Time operates on Eastern Standard Time. For more details see General Info.
The climate is tropical, with a hot and rainy season from May to October (in which, however, the breezes temper the heat) and a cooler season from November to April, which is felt more on the north-western islands. See Weather below for more details.
Very deep off-sounding trenches and shallow banks make the area an interesting cruising ground. Much navigation is by “eyeball” as, in good light and using Polarized sunglasses, depth is easily read by colour through the crystal clear water. Several new publications are now available to assist with safe navigation. Coral reefs provide excellent snorkeling and diving.
Most islands and cays are low lying and flat, with ridges that rise no more than 15 to 20 meters (50-60 feet) above sea level. Most are covered in dense scrubby bush amidst and surrounded by shallow reefs and sandbars, forming mangrove forests in between. The highest point of the Bahamas can be found on the eastern side on Cat Island, Mount Alvernia or Como Hill with an altitude of 63 m (210 ft).
Facilities are good in Nassau on New Providence, which has several marinas, chandlers and repair facilities. Fuel, marine supplies and provisions are easily available. Freeport on Grand Bahama also has good facilities and the Marsh Harbour area on Abaco and George Town on Great Exuma are growing as yachting destinations. For more details on yachting services see Yachting Essentials.

Security

Overall Crime and Safety

The tourist and residential areas of New Providence, Grand Bahama and Freeport have experienced incidents of violent crime including robbery, which is often armed and sometimes fatal.

Government guidelines advice is to be vigilant at all times and don’t walk alone away from the main hotels, tourist areas, beaches and downtown Nassau, particularly after dark. Take care if travelling on local bus services after dusk on routes away from the main tourist areas. Don’t carry large amounts of cash or jewellery. Robbers may be armed. Don’t resist in the event of an attempted robbery.

The outlying islands of the Bahamas (known as the Family or Out Islands) have lower crime rates.

Specific areas of concern:

Street crime is prevalent in Nassau and Freeport, and as with many places in the Caribbean it is recommended to leave your gold/expensive jewellery and articles of any value safely secured on board.

The Bahamas were used in the past as a transit point for drugs destined for the USA. A concerted effort by all countries in the region has reduced this activity considerably. Occasionally cruising boats may be stopped for inspection by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force but this is normally a simple and stress-free exercise.

Maritime Issues:

Based on reports to Noonsite from cruisers, petty theft from yachts is on the rise in the Caribbean in general. Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when leaving the boat or going ashore at night. Dinghy thieves operate throughout the Caribbean and the best advice is to place your dinghy on deck and chain it overnight.

Dinghy theft seems particularly on the rise in George Town.

The Caribbean Safety and Security Net ([email protected]) provides information by anchorage or by island, so sailors can plan their cruising in the Caribbean with an eye to appropriate behaviour and precautions wherever they decide to go. Should you have suffered a boarding, robbery or attack on your yacht or have information about a yachting-related security incident, go to the CSSN homepage and click on the “Report an Incident” icon. The associated form is quick and simple to complete and ensures that all the necessary details are reported. The CSSN is the most comprehensive source of Caribbean security incidents against sailors. Remember, it is every cruiser’s responsibility to ensure that incidents are reported. Also, cruisers can subscribe to e-mail alerts, follow on facebook and twitter and listen to the SSB Voice Service.

Reported Incidents:

South Bimini, Bimini Beach Club Marina 2018: Threatening law enforcement officers, not in uniform.

Georgetown 2016: Dinghies and outboards stolen.

Nassau Harbor Club Marina, 2015: Theft from a catamaran

General Emergency Numbers:

Police, Fire, dial 911 or 919

For more details, including those for maritime emergencies see Emergencies in General Info.

Last updated: October 2019

Weather

The Bahamian climate is very pleasant, lying on the edge of the anticyclone belt. The weather is particularly pleasant in summer, between June and October, when it is cooler than the Eastern seaboard of the USA or in the Eastern Caribbean islands. Unfortunately, this is also the rainy season and the hurricane season, which lasts from July to November. Although several years can go by without a hurricane affecting The Bahamas, occasionally one might hit, such as Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which caused extensive damage to some of the islands. In winter, cold fronts bring a greater variety of wind directions but it is still pleasantly warm and dry.

The prevailing winds are from NE to SE, with the most Northern islands lying on the edge of the trade wind belt. As the islands are low there is no regular land breeze.

Winter Weather

Northers interrupt the NE trades with regularity during the winter and typically start with the wind veering to the S and SW. When the cold front arrives, the wind suddenly shifts to the NW then N and usually blows itself out in the NE. After a while, the normal winds take over from more or less their usual direction. In mid-winter, the cycle can take several days, in spring only 24 hours.

Most Northers are dry, although on occasions they can be accompanied by rain and thunder squalls. However, they very rarely bring winds over 30 knots and mainly the more Northerly Bahamas are the most affected by these Northers.

Summer Weather

Starts around May, after the last Northern has blown itself out, and lasts until November. The trades are more SE in the summer and most winds during these months are from the E or SE. During August and September, there can be periods of calms, especially at night. The balmy summer weather can be interrupted occasionally by an Easterly Wave, a trough of low pressure found in the trade wind belt. This is usually accompanied by showers and high humidity. Sometimes Easterly Waves can degenerate into tropical depressions and even hurricanes. May to October are the wettest months and rainy squalls occur during this season.

WEATHER NETS

Bahamas, Florida coastal and tropical weather information can be obtained daily as follows, all times local: On SSB freq 4003 USB at 07.00; on amateur radio, freq 7096 or 3696 LSB at 07.20; on the Waterway Radio and Cruising Club daily net, including S.W. North Atlantic offshore weather on freq 7268 at 07.45. Weather information on VHF is available in various places at different times and on different channels, ask locally for details. Available daily in Nassau area on channel 72 at 07.15.

Bahamas weather is also available on local AM radio, freq 1540 at 06.15 and 06.45 from the Nassau Met Office.

See the Caribbean National, Regional and Island Weather Websites report for more.

For links to free global weather information, forecast services and extreme weather information see the Noonsite Weather Page.

Other sources of weather information:-

www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAOFFNT3.shtml

weather.org/caribbean.htm

Marv’s Weather Service