Barely seventy miles east off the south Florida coast are the tropical islands of the Bahamas. Most pilots in the southeast sooner or later are attracted by these islands, and when they feel proficient enough start dreaming and then planning a trip. So it was with me, and before very long I had several trips to my credit, one factor being that I had several students from the Bahamas who had invited me to see their islands.
Just about any airport south of Fort Pierce may serve as take-off point. I have started in west Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale International and Executive and even Opa Locka farther south.
Rather than renting survival equipment and leaving it unused in the bag (rental charges go up if you open it), I bought three life-vests. Actually I have two regular inflatable vests and one which boaters use. Before boarding my airplane, I put on one of these vests and ask my passengers to do the same. I now also have a life raft for 5 people, but it is more needed if you fly beyond the closest islands. Life rafts may cost 1000 dollars but can also be rented.
Of course I file a flight plan and go through clearance required in south Florida's heavy traffic. Vectors lead me out over the shore line, and then the course is essentially straight east. Variation in these parts is only 2 degrees west which does not present a major mathematical problem like in Oregon (20 E) or Nova Scotia (23 W, "east is least, west is best!"). The Miami Sectional is useful for the northern islands and the Bahama tourist charts, which you can pick up at the FBO's customer desk, cover the rest. Most FBOs are very helpful in preparing declaration forms. VFR-flying seems preferable, but for IFR use I keep L-3 or L-5 Low Altitude Caribbean and south America and Jeppesen approach charts for Freeport and Nassau on hand. For altitude 7500 feet is good, but I have flown at 5500 and even at 1200 when the ocean was cloud-covered. About one third way to the Bahamas there usually is a cloud layer at around 5000 feet which never was a problem with me.
The VOR of Fort Lauderdale gives good guidance until one picks up the VOR of Freeport or, when flying the southern route, Bimini and then Nassau. Just barely 20 minutes out of Fort Lauderdale or west Palm Beach one begins to see a faint outline of a shoreline and it is almost time to descend. Listening to the radio and constantly looking, one gets the idea that quite a few airplanes are in the sky and watches accordingly.
Both Freeport and Nassau have very large airports, and the little airplane is never alone. Following directions by a British accented controller who says "decimal two" instead of "point two" as in the US, one hopes for an uneventful landing. I have seen a few wrecks on Bahamanian airports, though.
Ground control helpfully directs you to customs. It is best to arrive before four o'clock to avoid extra charges. The person on the right seat, the one in charge of maps, can be named copilot and like the pilot will not have to pay while the third and fourth passengers pay regular immigration fees. By submitting completed forms and showing one's passport and luggage one rarely has a problem. The officer may want to know where one stays and for how long. When flying to another island, one needs a Transair, and since these forms are not always available on the Out-Islands, it is advisable to get them at the Florida FBO's.
There are quite a few things to see in Freeport. My favorite is the Garden of the Groves. Mr. Grove, an American businessman, really is the founder of Freeport. Among many other things he built a beautiful botanical garden. One sees hybiscus, frangipanis, bougainvilleas, bromeliads, ferns, and many other strikingly beautiful tropical flowers. The International Bazaar has hundreds of boutiques with themes like Columbia, Philippines, India, China etc, etc. Local women have stands with palm-straw ware including beautiful purses, shopping bags, hats, dolls, etc. These items are rather low-priced and don't weigh much. Hotels abound, and some have very exciting shows and other entertainment. I remember a dance-contest at the Holiday Inn where a young man with a leg in a cast and crutches won a nice prize. The beaches near Freeport have clear, warm, blue green water which is swimmable the year round. Many visitors like skin-diving, fishing, casino gambling etc. and find it in Freeport. A lot of tourists come by big plane-loads from Canada, New Jersey, Germany, Switzerland etc. As small-time pilot, I find it fun to mix with them and enjoy "the good life".
Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and is older than Freeport the port with its beautiful water, loveboats and straw-vendors is a very attractive sight. We also took Queen Elizabeth's Stairway and went to the tower from which one has a beautiful view and can study a little history as well. Moving about town is usually by taxi which are driven on the left side. The roads in Nassau and Freeport are very good, much better than on the other islands, where pot-holes are common. Nassau has many attractive and gaily painted homes, hotels, and beautiful tropical vegetation.
Georgetown can easily be found by following the beautiful Exuma chain. Here the islands truly look like pearls in very blue water. On the west side the water is usually not very deep, and the flyer can easily see the bottom. I often wondered where the sharks and barracudas were but, of course, never could see any from the air. Every map I have lists 240 as the ADF frequency for Georgetown, but I never got a signal. Also the distance to Nassau is such, that I cannot communicate with them by radio. Once my flight had to be closed by relaying the message thorough another pilot.
Approaching Georgetown one first flies over a "confidence-building" wrecked light twin and later sees a wrecked Beech 18 (or something). The airstrip is long enough for a Skyhawk but just a bit uneven. Last time I was in Georgetown I could buy fuel at a rather high price. On earlier trips I could not buy any and had to sweat it out to make it back to Nassau. Airplanes can be tied down if you have your own ropes. Customs is on the field, if one arrives before closing time. A taxi takes one to town.
There are three or four very nice hotels in Georgetown. Twice I could stay with relatives of one of my students and enjoyed contact with the natives. We liked the fish menu with rice and pigeon peas. Bone fish or groupers seem to be the main dishes, but I also had conch on occasions. At Georgetown I first saw such tropical fruits as breadfruit, soursap, pineapple, mangos and sapodillas which grow in small home orchards. Agriculture, though, is not extensive.
Cat Island, where we spent two pleasant days at Cutlass Bay Club, has no fuel. We taxied the Skyhawk right to the hotel by following the innkeeper's car. Accommodation were very nice, the food good, and the bar had plenty of beer and coke. Guests were even invited to a local dance at a neighboring hotel. Another pilot and his family declined the offer, but my boys and I had a great time in native surroundings. Cat Island is good for snorkeling, skin-diving and, if one moves away from the sharp corals, also for swimming. Prices probably were not out of line, but we soon run out of money and had to go home. This time I flew straight to Nassau, for fuel of course. The Exuma Sound and the open water did not scare me, and I took a northwesterly heading until I caught the Nassau NDB (ADF) and VOR.
From Nassau I fly a heading of about 290 degrees which takes me over Andros Islands, where I usually see some clouds. Then the water really gets beautiful. It takes quite a while to make Bimini. Sometimes scattered clouds give a misleading impression and following the VOR bean of 116.7 is the only right thing to do. Now we soon cross the Gulfstream and meet clouds. Twice I ran into horrible weather right near the shoreline. Once there was a grade 5 or 6 storm which I had to circumnavigate and then follow the coast at 800 feet to Fort Lauderdale International.
Maybe one should not say anything about US customs. It is, of course, the place one needs to go right after touchdown. Hopefully the "Advise Customs" or ADCO was transferred to them. During approach I usually double check by radio. They can give one costly trouble! Another thing I check (on my booklet) is when custom is open because coming one minute late will cost $25 no matter how one smiles and begs. Most customs people are very nice, but others insist on giving the US a bad impression. Unloading my airplane and putting its content on a cart (if available) just bugs me a bit, I have nothing to hide. I even declare the extra bottle of rum I might have and pay what is charged. Customs doesn't like to come out to the airplane, although in my case they are welcome to check it all out. Once the customs officer asked me where I had been in detail. I listed every single island I had visited and overfilled his tiny little form. He still did not smile.
From south Florida there remains the problem of flying home. The life-vest now can be taken off, but the weather over the mainland often seems worse than over the Bahamas. However, there is this good old American Air Traffic Control that presents a welcome relief. Several times I had to fly IFR to make it home to Tallahassee. Lake Okeechobee often has a bunch of clouds over it, and during summertime isolated cells (or worse) seem the norm in Florida. From Fort Lauderdale to Tallahassee- I figure it is four hours which gives me a little margin.