Ft. Lauderdale / Miami to Bimini by boat?
 

Is it possible to boat across from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami to North Bimini? If so does anyone know where I can find information on which boat companies go and their schedule, prices, etc?

Is there any reasonably easy to get there other than Chalk's Airline?

Thanks very much.

I don't think so - there is a ferry from Fort Lauderdale but it goes to Freeport - and it didn't run for awhile. Once in Freeport you might get another ferry to Bimini. www.ferrybahamas.com

You can go by boat as I've done the run from Palm Beach/Singer Island/Lake Worth to Freeport and Miami to Bimini.

Are you going by your boat? Boat traffic is heavy on weekends from mainland US to the islands. On calm days you'll see many boats under 28 feet making this run.

If you are asking about ferries, there are lots of gambling junkets and the like that run day trips. Try a google search. I know several of the smaller cruise lines offer overnight and day trips but not sure about trips to Bimini. Also, you may try and find someone who is going by their boat and offer to pay passage or even hitch a ride.

Thank you both for your responses. I'm not going by my own boat but was wondering about ferry service direct to Bimini. As far as I can tell, though, it looks like I'd have to go to Freeport first. Seems much easier to take the Chalk Airlines flight directly to Bimini. If you do know of any ferries that go directly there, I'd really appreciate hearing about them. Thanks for your time!

Bimini is really too small to support a daily ferry service. IT is such a laid back island, and few tourists, really go there, so no there is no ferry service over.

I have also been with friends on their boat, and there are alot of boaters that go to Bimini which is not that long of a ride, but it must be in a large boat, since this is open water and the waves can get very large, especially in bad weather, which we had coming back.

Have a good time on Bimini.

With a little digging, I bet you could find a boat that delivers goods to Bimini from the Ft. Lauderdale. Much is shipped in from Florida. Try calling the hotels and businesses in Bimini, and ask them the name of the Bahamian man/woman or ferry boat that delivers goods to them. They would probably give you on as a passenger, for a moderate amount. Try calling Bill & Nowdla Keefe's of Bimini Undersea, a dive op. at 1-800-348-4644; Bimini Big Game Fishing Club at 800-737-1007; Ed "Blinky" Stuart, a fishing guide at 1-242-347-2328; folks at the Sea Crest Marina at 1-242-347-3477; Carolyn Burke, who owns a pottery/art shop on Bimini at 1-704-763-3876; or Barbara Weech, who owns some neat places to stay and who's husband is the islands royal police commissioner at 242-347-3038. I've found just asking questions to the right people will reap benefits. Robert

CHARLOTTE (AP) — A Charlotte missionary was among the people killed in a seaplane crash off Miami Beach this week as she returned to religious work in Bimini.

Carolyn Burke, 58, had been visiting family in the Charlotte area on an annual Christmas trip and was on her way home to the Bahamian island, where she moved five years ago to teach art and educate children about Jesus.

"Carolyn Burke was a dreamer with guts and passion," said Brad Clarkson, worship pastor at Charlotte's Steele Creek Church, which supported Burke's ministry. Many members of the congregation remembered her as a Sunday school teacher beloved by the congregation's children.

"She loved children," said daughter Kim Wilson, a Lincolnton teacher. "She had a heart for her mission, to have a positive impact on all the children who crossed paths with her. She taught everybody. ... No matter what children were around, they'd leave from her knowing more than when they met her."

Wilson said Christmas was generally the only time of year when Burke's children and grandchildren saw her. During last week's visit, she said, she, brother Chris Burke and Carolyn Burke's four grandchildren shopped, saw the film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," and looked at old family photos.

Carolyn Burke was on the last leg of her journey home Monday when a 58-year-old seaplane operated by Chalk's Ocean Airways plummeted into the Government Cut channel off the southern tip of Miami Beach, killing all 20 people aboard.

jillC1; I'm so sorry to hear that Carolyne Burke was among the passengers on that ill-fated Chalks Airlines trip. My wife and I visited her shop, the Bimini Art Center in Alice Town many times and had good talks with her. She partnered with the local schools and had an immense impact on the kids for art appreciation and seeing the beauty in their environment. The handmade art and stained-glass creations were always hung in the front window. We knew the decrepid building she renovated, which had half the roof leaking. She made it into a paradise for the kids of the small community. She has left a legend. Robert

I just moved to Ft Lauderdale and was checking out this site for info on bimini as i wanted a quick get away; and was searching the contacts you listed in your previous message, thats how I found that article. Very sad; i think the sea planes are grounded with chalk; but not sure.

Try www.biminiferry.com