Marinas & Yacht Clubs

Bucuti Yacht Club (BYCA) located just South of the airport this is a private club which on occasion will accept visiting yachts.

Varadero Aruba, next to BYCA, will gladly accept visitors. They have slips and a full-service yard. There is a restaurant on premises. They have a hydraulic boat lift trailer for vessels up to 60 tons, 80 ft. long, 40 ft. wide and 7 ft. deep. The Varadero also offers dry storage. They have an entrepot area for the Aruban customs. This means that time spent on the hard will be exempt from the maximum 180 days stay limit. They also offer apartments for rent to their clients on the hard. Phone + 297-588-3840.

BUCUTI LAGOON:

Yachts can easily travel inside the reef from Oranjestad Harbor to Varadero Caribe and Barcadera harbor through the Bucuti Channel.

There is a bank in front of the Varadero Caribe and the Bucuti yacht club that covers about 2/3 of the width of the lagoon. From the large orange buoys of the charter boats up to Bucuti Yacht Club this bank is up to 6.5 ft / 1.9M deep. From Bucuti yacht club towards the land fill the bank gets shallower. Closer to shore at Bucuti and Varadero Caribe the water is around 14 ft. / 4M deep up to the thatched roof restaurant on a pier.

Description and waypoints from West to East passing inside the Bucuti lagoon:

Exit the harbor channel and go to – 12°30’.510N 70°02’.045W

Next: end of ‘Bucuti island’ – 12°30’.390N 70°01’.919W

Then pass outside or inside the first two landing lights of the airport

Next ‘Habri’ – 12°30’.165N 70°01’.756W

Next: Only if over 7ft draft – 12°30’.096N 70°01’.677W

Varadero has a marked channel with red and green markers going in over the bank. The Red side is the deeper side of the channel. 7-1/2 ft, / 2.20M draft can use this channel any time on the red side of the channel.  There is a dog leg in the cannel: Just South of the entry of this channel, in line with the first and last green marker, about 120 ft / 36M out is a pile of rocks that has 5.5 ft. / 1.65M of water over it. If you are approaching from Barcadera make a wide turn.

Next: Wreck – 12°29’.475N 70°00’.998W

Barcadera Harbor: – 12°28’.923N 70°00’.259W

Arubus: the local bus company (Line-8) has service from the Bucuti yacht club / Varadero gates. http://www.arubus.com/