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Bimini Construction Channel

Lat / Lon: N 25° 45.211' / W 079° 16.485'
Depth: 6-8 feet
Description:
This man-made basin (which shows in some charts/maps as dry land, so it may help to look at a recent satellite photo) is about 600' diameter with 10-12' or more depths all around. The bottom is sand/muck mixed with rubble that provides good holding, especially with the all-around breakwater. There is enough room in here for 6-8 vessels, although 4 is more comfortable. One should take care to stay out of the channel which runs east-west through this basin (there is little through traffic as of Feb 2023). Closest shore access - aside from tying up at the resort - is about 3/4 miles down channel near Smitty's Beach Bar & Restaurant.

Holding:

4.00

Good holding in sand and mud

Wind Protection:

4.00

all around protection

Current Flow:

4.00

Mild Current

Wake Protection:

4.00

Scenic Beauty:

2.00

Shore Access:

2.00

There is nowhere to land

Cell Service:

5.00

Good Coverage

Review for Bimini Construction Channel

Reviewed by: Lawrence Wolfenden on Feb 18, 2025
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 38'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

2

Shore Access:

2

Cell Service:

5

We anchored here from 2025.02.14 thru 2025.02.18. This basin has near-360° protection with the only opportunity for waves to build up from the WSW (and even then, the unobstructed fetch is less than 800'). Holding was good in the 25-kt gusts we experienced—we did not drag at all and the anchor reset itself as we swung full circle as the wind clocked. There is a bit of tidal current, but it is not significant unless you are (mistakenly) in the channel that runs through here. Further north up the channel there is some development and a few boats tied up, but during our first four days (which included a weekend) the only boat traffic was from dinghies, a couple of jet skis, and an occasional crew/work boat. There is enough room in this basin for at least a dozen 35'-45' vessels. Depth all around is 10'+. During our time there were as many as 8 boats on anchor (5 monohulls, 2 cats, and a power cat) with lots of room. Most of us were riding on 75' - 85' of chain. The basin is man-made, so the depth drops VERY quickly at the edge—it is practically a vertical wall, so you can safely swing far closer than feels comfortable. The tidal range is about 2', so little adjustment to your scope is necessary. The bottom is "chunky" and silty, the remains of the efforts to create the basin. The biggest drawback to this basin is the noise of construction equipment (which is mostly muffled by the hill and trees to the north) and the sea planes: this basin is right under their flight path. It's fun to watch them pass so close overhead (100'? 200'?), but it's a bit surprising and startling. We saw an average of 2-3 per day either landing or taking off. We saw more sea turtles popping their heads up around us than sea planes.

In late-January 2023 our sister ship anchored here for several days while we were in the basin to the west. During that time we experienced winds of 25-30 kt and both held securely. (55# Mantus on all-chain rode)

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