MEMBERS

Below find all the information you need for an enjoyable excursion to Sweetings Fish Camp.

Getting to Sweetings from the States (Half the fun!)

We have tried just about everything to get to Sweeting’s short of taking a floatplane. It seems to always be an adventure and you need to prepare yourself for anything and everything that may happen. One of our members (Wally) actually made it from McLean’s town to Sweetings in the 8 hp Avon. We have chartered a plane from Lantana to our neighboring private island’s landing strip. We have taken a private boat a couple of times. We have used the Discovery Cruise ship out of Port Everglades and the “now defunct” high-speed ferry out of Palm Beach and Port Everglades. For me, Continental airlines via Fort Lauderdale seem to work the best. They have an early morning flight to Freeport and a late (6:30 pm) flight back.

Be cautious using Bahamas Air. It is a little less money, but we have had some hellish experiences with them when it comes to baggage handling and meeting departure schedules. Plane fare is about $250 and Discovery cruise ship is about $180. When traveling by plane try to carry on as much as you can (luggage, wallet, car keys, etc).

Depending on date and time of arrival in Freeport, the driver will take you to the local Winn Dixie for food provisions. It is relatively expensive due to difficulty in obtaining stateside products. There is a local liquor store and prices are reasonable. There may be some staples at the house (cleaning supplies), but I wouldn’t count on much more than that. It is a 1 ½ hour ride from McLean’s Town back to Freeport. See below regarding eating on the island, as meals are prepared based on “catch of the day” only.

Items to bring

• 2 pair shorts
• 1 pair jeans
• 2 fish shirts
• 2 t-shirts
• Wind/rain shirt
• Bathing suit
• Topsiders
• Hat
• Wading Boots for walking the flats
• Sunglasses - Copper, Yellow or Purple
• Contact lenses
• Dob kit (careful with toothpaste - TSA will confiscate if carried on)
• Camera - charged or batteries
• iPod
• Passport
• Plane tickets
• Cell phone - there is a Bahamas cell phone at the camp- see below
• Chap Stick
• Sun block
• Insect repellan t- there is some spray and mosquito coils in the kitchen drawer, but you may want to bring your own and you may want to bring a long sleeve shirt
• Cigars, lighter-filled
• Book, Playing cards
• Reading glasses
• Beverage - 2 liters of water, Jack Daniels, beer, wine
• Food - Granola bars, Snickers (contains 4 of the 5 primary food groups), tenderloins for grill
• Tackle - we have 3 spare spinning rods and reels in the supply closet, if you need to use them please clean with fresh water
• Fly fisherman - 8wt 9’ rod, fly box, 10# leader, Magnifiers
• Spin Rod fisherman - rod, reel (4000), Long shank hooks #8?, extra 10# line

Guides

Captain Phil Thomas is our Bahamian host and a partner. He will be your off island transportation and your go-to guy for any of your needs. He lives on the main island in McLean’s Town, but has several relatives on our island. He arranges your boating needs including bonefish guides, spear fishing, snorkeling and eco tours.

Bone fishing boat with guide (max 2 per boat) $350 per day; sometimes you can negotiate a ½ day for $250.

Guide tip $40-50 per day, depending upon level of service. They provide shrimp and sometimes a hook.

Lodging

I have established a $100 fee for Cleora (our neighbor) to cover her exit housekeeping and to dust before next guest. If you need her for interim cleaning/laundry she charges $30/day. You can arrange to pay her in cash only upon departure and she is always appreciative of a gratuity.

Culinary arrangements

Food is also prepared by Cleora. She will fix breakfast, lunch or dinner. She charges $7.50 for breakfast (eggs, grits, toast, bacon), $5 for lunch (ham and cheese or tuna sandwich), $8-15 for dinner and 2 sides ($8 for chicken or ribs, $9 for fish or conch, $15 lobster).

Computerized Grill

This novelty was contributed to the fish camp by Brett. It is very simple to operate and by far the coolest grill I have ever used. Wood pellets are located in a white bag in the hall closet. You fill the hopper on the left side, turn thermostat to desired temperature and flip on/off switch below. It will heat up rapidly and when temperature is satisfied the green light changes to an orange color.

Drinkable Water

On the top right hand side of the kitchen sink we have a reverse osmosis unit with three additional stages of filtration. Not only is the water safe to drink from this tap, it really tastes good. When you arrive make certain your freezer ice trays are full of this water and put a couple of new water jugs in the freezer. Empties should be on the storage rack above the hot water heater. This system only produces 3 gallons of purified water per day. I like to tap of the system in the morning and store the water in the frig/freezer.

Air Conditioning

Comfort can be achieved by setting the thermostat at 78 degrees during the day, 74 degrees at night and 80 degrees when you leave.

Tools/ First Aid

A pouch of tools is located in the hall closet. Also there is an air compressor for filling tires and several misc. tools. The First Aid kit can be found with sunscreen and punks in the top right drawer of the kitchen.

Decor

You will notice the camp is a little sparse when it comes to the walls. Please feel free to contribute whatever you like.

Communication

We have a member cell phone in my tool pouch in the hall closet. Please return it upon departure. The cell phone number is (242) 646-9240. You can add time to it by purchasing a calling card at the Batelco office in the Sweetings Cay settlement or at Mrs. Mott’s store. Please leave a little time on the phone for the next member to use.

My experience is that the phone does not work well in the house but works ok on the porch and real good (4 bars) if you walk 4 power poles toward the settlement. Oh, also, please make certain you leave the phone charged. The charger is in the tool pouch also. Note: cell phones are popular on the island. You want to keep the thing in your site at all times.

Entertainment Center

The satellite receiver is located in my tool pouch in the hall closet. Please return it upon departure. Hook it up to the satellite and the TV, plug it in and you are ready to go. One controller runs the TV, satellite, DVD and VCR (good luck). The iPod speaker system can be run AC or DC. Under AC power the system will charge your iPod. Under DC you will have to slide 4 AA batteries into the unit and it will not charge your iPod. Input jack in the back can also be used for MP3 player.

Golf Cart

The cart is chained down to the patio floor. The key to the chain and the cart is hanging in the hall closet door on the left side at eye level. The patio door way is designed to open extra wide to allow the golf cart easy access and egress. The battery should be charged for 6 hours after use and the cart should be stored chained to the patio. Otherwise you may find the cart at the other end of the island hauling 5 kids to the settlement’s basketball court.

Avon Rubber Boat

This is another mode of transportation that we own. The boat can be carried by 2 guys and taken to the dock (please take care not to drag or bang into anything - it punctures easily). The engine is located in the hall closet and Phil has the gas tank. Affix the motor safety rope clip on to the transom eye hook. Put the boat drain plug in from the inside and hook gas to the engine (make certain the gas line is hooked up going the proper direction- see flow arrow on connection). Pump ball, choke and plug cord. It usually starts on the first pull. If the boat is deflated, the foot pump is located in the closet. You can fill all three locations in no time.

Other Recreation

Pool Table in purple bar - $.50 per rack. $2 per Kalick

Swim across the cut to the neighboring island to the South. If you walk 150 feet you will find a hammock.

In the closet are 2 canvas lounge chairs. Set them up on the patio and enjoy morning coffee or afternoon sunset.

Sweetings Cay Commerce

Not a whole lot going on at Sweetings. We do have a couple of local churches, maybe 2 bar/restaurants (one indoor and one outdoor), one or two places to buy minor provisions: Mrs. Motts and Patsy’s.