Port Lucaya, Bahamas: That permanent cruise ship experience

White Pepper made an uneventful crossing of the Gulf Stream on 1-5-11 leaving the Lake Worth Inlet at 5 pm and arriving off of Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island at 10 am. The first 12 hours were motoring into very light winds. Although we were comfortable there was quite a struggle between the old Yhanmar motor which can push the boat at 4.7 knots in flat water and the Gulf Stream which can push back at 3 knots. Finally about 15 miles west of West End the current relented and we could steer a proper course. At dawn a brisk south wind sprung up. We let out the genoa and roared along on a beam reach at 6.5 to 7 knots up the Northwest Channel. Industrialized Freeport passed by the beam. By 10 am we were at Port Lucaya. Motoring in through the well marked channel we tied up at the Port Lucaya Marina by 11 am. We had left frigid Florida.  White Pepper was finally back in the Bahamas.

We had chosen Port Lucaya as a port of entry with some care. This year there has been an uproar in the immigration service of the Bahamas. Instead of the customary 180 days being granted to cruisers many boaters were given only 30 or 90 days which meant another trip to immigration to renew. We had heard through the grapevine that Port Lucaya officers were routinely granting the 180 days. The clearing in procedures were done at the marina. They were quite professional and courteous. We were granted our full allowance of 180 days. In exchange for $300. we received a cruising permit that allowed us access anywhere in the Bahamas for a year and the right to import replacement parts duty free--a great bargain in my opinion. The cruising permit lets you anchor anywhere for less than $2/day.

We paid for 3 days dockage because a strong front was forecast to blow through the next day. This stay allowed us to explore Port Lucaya more. The town is one of several oceanside  resorts stretched out to the east of Freeport. It faces deep water of the Northwest Channel which is about 50 miles wide. This is not the shallow banks that has made the Bahamas famous. Cruise ships ply the Northwest channel from Nassau and Florida ports. The cruise ships stop at Freeport, but Freeport is too industrial and grimy to be of interest to tourists. The cruise lines ship the the tourist to Port Lucaya by buses for shopping and the beach. To support this trade the Port Lucaya Market has sprung up just outside the marina. The market has dozens of bars, restaurants, tee shirt shops and straw markets all within the space of one city block. There are four upscale jewelery shops here, but no marine stores or grocery stores. When the buses roll up every morning the music cranks up and does not stop until after midnight. The tourist go back to the boat at the end of the day, but the market stays. It is the permanent cruise ship experience.

Needless to say Jan and I quickly tired of the hustle. There was a second front and then a third due all within a week. So we were pinned down. We were able to move to a lovely marina half mile away--the Grand Bahamas Yacht Club. This place is great with good docks, great service, clean showers, strong free WiFi signal, nice laundry, pool and happy hour. We can take a free shuttle to the beach. Plus its cheap. We could stay here all winter. However, we came to the islands to cruise, not dock. So White Pepper will be off to the Berry Island chain when the north wind relents.

The pics are of the entrance to the Port Lucaya Market and of a warm female enjoying a typical cruise ship experience of rum drink, conch fritters and white sandy beach with beach bar band playing in the background.