Bahamas Bound

The time has finally arrived for the trip we have been planning & there has surely been alot of planning.. We had originally planned to be in the Bahamas in March and April.  We changed that plan because we knew we would not have all the permits/equipment/stuff  to leave by March 1.  We still don’t have everything, but we are close.  

We purchased our boat in November, but did not receive the coast guard vessel documentation until mid March.  We are now fully registered with the US Coast Guard.  Our tender/dinghy also had to be registered.  We received those documents a few weeks ago as well. 

Although not required to have an EPIRB, we have one.  EPIRB stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon and is used to alert search and rescue services in the event of an emergency. It does this by transmitting a coded message on the 406 MHz distress frequency via satellite and earth stations to the nearest rescue co-ordination center.(Thank you epirb.com for that information)  Even though it is not required to have an EPIRB–I wouldn’t want to travel without one–if there is one on the boat, it must be registered with NOAA.  Another acronym–NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Below are some EPIRB examples. 

The Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) branch of NOAA under which our EPIRB is registered was started after a plane carrying two US Congressmen crashed in Alaska.  A search and rescue attempt was made, however, no trace of the plane has ever been found.  After this accident, Congress mandated that all airplanes must carry an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)  Through a joint effort with Canada, France, and the United States; the SARSAT was developed by NASA and handed over to NOAA.  A similar system was developed by the Soviet Union in 1979–after which all four nations joined to for Cospas-Sarsat.  Today there are 46 nations participating in this program. 

Another safety device we must have if traveling in international waters is a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number in order to participate in the Global Maritime Distress & Safety System. The MMSI number is a 9-digit code issued by the host country agency for use in VHF marine radio equipment, AIS transponders and EPIRB’s.   In the United States the Federal Communications Commission is responsible for assigning MMSI’s to commercial and recreational vessels. The charge for the MMSI number is $160.00.  We will never have to get another number as this number stays with the vessel forever. 

Before checking into customs in a foreign country, one must fly a Quarantine Flag.  The Quarantine flag is yellow.  After being cleared by Customs, we must fly The Bahamian courtesy flag.  We found both of these flags at Sailor’s Exchange in Jacksonville for about $25.00.

We have applied for a US Customs decal.  We are supposed to have this decal when we return to the states.  This decal is required for return and costs $27.50.  We just found out about t his decal this week and applied online.  We were told that we could probably just show US Customs our application and receipt since the decal won’t be sent to us in the Bahamas.  We aren’t sure why we need this decal except as a way to collect a fee. 

A pet permit is required by the Bahamian government to bring a pet into the country.  We received the permit from the Director of Agriculture for $10 for Piper to join us.  We also must have a valid certificate from our veterinarian that all of Piper’s vaccinations are up to date.

We are heading to Dania, FL where we left the boat at Royal Palm Yacht Harbor with all our permits in hand.  We will do the last minute provisioning stocking up the pantry and refrigerator than look for a good weather window to cross the Gulf Stream.

 our customs decal, our veterinarian forms, our Epirb registration, coast guard vessel registration, tender registration from Florida, Bahamas charts from Nobeltec, paper charts for Bahamas. Bahamas Agriculture Permit for Piper, Veterinary Health Certificate for Piper,