+heiple Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) While in the Bahamas last week we stopped on Norwegian Cruise Line's private island, Great Stirrup Cay. We walked along the coastline on the hunt for a geocache that turned out to be on a nearby island that was .75 miles away. Disappointed, we turned around to head back to the beach and on the way back I happened upon a marker. I thought this would be my consolation prize for not being able to get to the geocache and, since I'd never hunted benchmarks before, I thought I should take a picture and a rubbing of it. I did not think about getting an exact GPS reading on the location and didn't take any location pictures in the immediate area, although I do have other photos not far away. Once we got home I tried to log the benchmark but it didn't come up in any searches. It has the following markings on it: COASTAL SYSTEMS BGSC012 + EST 07 A Google search of "Coastal Systems" led me to this site: Coastal Systems International I'll upload the photo I took of the actual marker and of the photo I had taken at our farthest point on our walk. The approximate coords for the marker (based on a Google Earth estimate of our location) are: 25° 49.352'N 77° 55.514'W Again, these coords were not taken at the actual location but are an estimate. Marker photo Near the marker Edited February 2, 2011 by heiple Quote Link to comment
mloser Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 It looks like you found a private marker placed by the development company for the resort. According to the Coastal Systems website construction started in 2009, so the marker was probably placed as part of surveys done to prepare for the project (it has "EST 07" on it, which I take to mean Established 2007). The marker only has a + on it so my first thought would be that it marked elevation only--a horizontal marker would/should have a triangle on it. However I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about what a private company does on their own sites. The other markings, that I can't read, are identification numbers that would allow it to be referenced on plans and in databases. If you are really curious you might email Coastal Systems and ask what kind of marker it was and what purpose it served. Quote Link to comment
NGS Surveyor Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 There is at least one U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey bench mark in the Bahamas. I found it a few years ago by accident, and believe it is a tidal BM. GeorgeL NGS Quote Link to comment
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