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Customs in The Bahamas has made some changes to their fee system.  Formerly four persons per vessel were covered under the entry fee ($150 for vessels under 35' and $300 for vessels over 35'), now only three people will be covered, each additional person will be $20 (formerly $15).  The Departure Tax has been increased from $15 to $20.  And for those who wish to leave their vessels in The Bahamas, the new duty is now 10% for all sized vessels (formerly 27% for vessels under 30' and 6% for vessels over 30'.  And finally, any vessel clearing in for the second time in 90 days is subject to a $30 transportation fee for each Customs and Immigration officer.

The newly renovated Bimini Big Game Club & Guy Harvey Resort and Marina have announced plans to offer a first class dive center at all Guy Harvey Outpost resort properties.  Teaming with renowned diver Neal Watson, the first of these dive centers will open in October at the Bimini Big Game Club on Bimini in The Bahamas.  The dive center will ofer a 60' dive boat with two-decks, a glass bottom, and is certified for 100 passengers.  The center will also offer dive gear, tank fills, PADI certification, and open water referrals and specialty classes.

An Atlanta, Georgia, based developer, AlphaCRE, has reported that Walker's Cay, Abaco, is under contract to Victoria House, IBC (a Turks and Caicos company),  who are planning to re-develop the island.  The sale has been approved by the Bahamas Investment Authority but the acquistion price has not been disclosed.  The resort and marina on the 69-acre island, although officially a Port of Entry for The Bahamas, has fallen into disrepair and has been closed due to hurricane damage since 2004.  For more information, including the master site plan (a 258-slip marina for vessels from 30'-150' and much, much more), vist the AlphaCRE web site at http://www.alphacre.com/news.html.

On October 10, 2010, The Netherland Antilles will cease to exist and the islands of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius will become Dutch municipalities.  On the same date, Curacao and Sint Maarten will join Aruba as independent countries within the Kingdom (Aruba gained this status in 1986).  To read an article about this upcoming development click here.

The Elizabeth Harbour Management Steering Committee recently held a town meeting concerning the IWCAM, Intergrating Watershed and Coastal Area Management, project currently underway in Exuma.  Highlights include new (as of March 2010) pump-out services for vessels in Elizabeth Harbour (Elizabeth Harbour is soon to be a No-Discharge Zone-all live-aboard boats are required to use holding tanks while in the harbour; vessels may use the local pump-out services or dump no less than three miles offshore); construction of a wastewater treatment center to be completed in June; a wetland restoration project for Victoria Pond; the addition of three new moorings in Gaviota Bay (bringing the total to 15 in late June-Gaviota Bay is now a No-Anchor Zone); the placement of future moorings in sensitive habitats such as sea grass beds; discussion of a plan for moorings at popular dive sites; and a stressing of the need for water purity levels in Elizabeth Harbour, Kidd Cove, and Victoria Pond.  Proposals likely to pass are
 

On May 27, 2010, NOAA forecasters predicted an "active to extremely active" hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin this year.  NOAA predicts 12-23 named storms (winds of 39mph or higher) including 8-14 hurricanes, of which 3-7 could be Category 3, 4, or 5 (winds of at least 111mph).  If you wish to read the entire report from NOAA click here.

As reported earlier, a woman had been picked up approximately 100 miles north of Curacao.  Angelica Ropke-Wiels and her husband, Hans Jorgen Ropke, were attacked on April 3, 2010, one mile north of the Venezuela’s Paria Peninsula.  The attackers killed Hans and after they left the vessel, the Spirit of Cologne II, Mrs. Ropke stayed aboard trying to sail her vessel north for four days.  Mrs. Ropke had no means of communication as all electronics had been stolen in the boarding.  Mrs. Ropke launched the vessel’s life raft and drifted away from her still floating boat. 

Mrs. Ropke was picked up at 1035 on April 16, 2010, by the merchant vessel San Fernando at 13° 16.01’ N, 67° 51.01’ W.  She was then transported to the Curacao Coast Guard Station and transferred to a hospital where she was treated for exposure and dehydration.  Her sailboat, with her dead husband’s body on board, was later found on a reef at Los Roques.

As reported by the Caribbean Safety and Security Net., the Paria and Araya Peninsulas continue to be the single most dangerous cruising grounds in the Eastern Caribbean (based on 12 years of tracking reported crimes against yachts).  Cruisers are urged to stay at least 20 miles (one source suggested 100 miles) off this coast to avoid the potential for armed robberies.