Alice Town Harbour
The bustling heart of Bimini cruising, where marinas, customs, and island life converge.
Alice Town Harbour is the primary cruising hub of the Bimini Islands, wrapping along the protected eastern shore of North Bimini just 50 miles from Florida. The harbour hosts a string of marinas, fuel docks, and restaurants, making it the natural first stop for boats crossing the Gulf Stream and the place to clear Bahamian customs.
The channel approach requires attention due to shifting sands and markers that may be off-station, but once inside, cruisers find a lively waterfront village with everything from provisioning to legendary fishing guides. Alice Town puts you at the crossroads of the Bahamas, with easy access to the Cat Cays to the south and the Great Bahama Bank to the east.
Approach and Channel
The approach to Alice Town Harbour has a well-deserved reputation for shifting conditions. A sandbar extends south from the tip of North Bimini, and the marked channel has migrated over time. Buoys are frequently off-station or missing entirely, so visual piloting in good light is essential.
From the Bimini waypoint offshore, keep the sandbar to port and turn north to parallel the South Bimini shoreline into the harbour entrance. Contact local marinas on VHF Channel 68 or 69 for current conditions before entering. Do not attempt the channel in poor visibility or heavy swells from the west or southwest.
Anchoring and Marinas
Limited anchoring space exists within the harbour due to marina traffic and mooring fields. Most cruisers opt for a marina slip or mooring. Bimini Big Game Club, Brown's Marina, and Bimini Blue Water offer slips, fuel, water, and power for vessels of various sizes.
If anchoring, the area north of the marinas toward Porgy Bay offers some room in sand bottom with moderate depths. Holding is generally fair but can be grassy in places. The harbour is well protected from east through south winds but can get choppy in strong northwest to west conditions.
What's Ashore
Alice Town is a walkable waterfront settlement with restaurants, bars, small groceries, and hardware stores steps from the docks. Customs and immigration clearance is handled at designated marinas. The Big Game Club and surrounding establishments carry Hemingway-era fishing lore, and the atmosphere remains authentically Bahamian rather than resort-polished.
Radio Beach, a short walk west, offers a long sandy stretch facing the Gulf Stream. Provisioning is adequate for basics, but major restocking is better done in Florida before crossing.
Getting there
Alice Town lies approximately 50 nautical miles east of Miami across the Gulf Stream. Time your crossing for favorable Gulf Stream conditions, typically with light south or southwest winds. Arrive in daylight to navigate the shifting entrance channel visually. Contact marinas on VHF for the latest channel information before entry.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Alice Town channel difficult to navigate?
- The channel requires careful visual piloting because markers shift and may be off-station. Arrive in good daylight, contact marinas on VHF for current conditions, and avoid entry in heavy west or southwest swells.
- Can you anchor in Alice Town Harbour?
- Limited anchoring is possible north of the marinas, but space is tight. Most cruisers use marina slips or moorings. The harbour is a busy working waterfront.
- Where do you clear customs in Bimini?
- Customs and immigration clearance is handled at designated marinas in Alice Town. Contact the marina before arrival to arrange clearance procedures.
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