Southwinds Sailing June 2004 - Southwinds Magazine

LETTERS Continued from page 13editor@southwindssailing.com Web site: southwindssailing.comPO Box 1175,Holmes Beach FL 34218 Fax: (941) 795-8705iting money to be held but need taxes paid or some other fee.The best thing to do is not even reply to deals that seemtoo good to be true. Any sailor worth his salt will survey aboat or have someone do so on his behalf.Federal agencies do investigate such cases if there is aloss. They have stopped compiling all such leads/faxes/emailsmaking the offer. There have been sad cases of retiredfolks being bilked of life funds on such scams. In other cases,people who traveled overseas to make bank deposits havebeen kidnapped and more funds extorted as ransom.To Bob: your BS detector was working well that day. I hopeyou find a real buyer for your boat. (Sorry, I already have one.)Good luck,R. G.Former fraud investigatorCELL PHONE USE IN THE BAHAMASI’m writing again, this time to offer what I can for your readerasking about using cell phones in the Bahamas. I’ve been dealingwith the subject for a few years now, and I’ve yet to completea call with my phone from the United States.The most foolproof advice I can give is to get a phonefrom the Bahamas Telephone Company (BATELCO). I don’tknow how to do this from the United States, and it may notbe practical anyway. The coverage provided by BATELCO isquite good. I see a signal on my U.S. phones over most of thenorthern and central Bahamas, even when far out of sight ofland. When I try to make a call, I connect to something andget a recording, but I’ve never been able to complete the call.The only people I’ve witnessed making a call from a U.S.phone in the Bahamas were using Cingular. I used Cingulartwo years ago, but I was never successful using them in theBahamas. They used to require you to preregister for use inthe Bahamas. That meant that you call them before you leaveand ask to be put on the Bahamas system for the days youexpect to be there. I found that for many holiday weekends,they sell out all their spots weeks in advance and can’t getyou on. They also would charge $1 per day to be on, regardlessof whether you make any calls. I’ve also heard that theyrecently dropped the pre-registration requirement.I now use ATT Wireless. I’ve never been successful usingthem in the Bahamas either, though when I ask customer serviceabout it, they tell me that I should be able to.So, next to getting a BATELCO phone, I suggest findinga fellow cruiser who has been successful with his U.S. phonein the Bahamas, and ask a lot of questions (what phone technology,pre-registering, international calling, etc.) And, don’tcount on the customer service of your phone company to beany help. When you’re out there and your phone doesn’twork, you can’t call them back until you return, and then whatyou learn will only be useful for your next cruise.Norm HansenHighland BeachWith respect to U.S. or Canadian cell phones in the Bahamas,it seems that some services work occasionally, possibly withoutrageous roaming charges that show up weeks later. NoU.S. system is reliable there, since BATELCO seems to pre-See LETTERS continued on page 1714June 2004 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindssailing.com