crossing to Bahamas from Florida

[Québec 1]

Presently planning my march 1 trip to Florida and found this smart looking marina in Stuart with easy access to the sea. Any one have a better ideal? I don't know if they have a place for the car and trailer but the rates look real good.

http://www.sunsetbaymarinaandanchorage.com/index.html

I plan on spending a few weeks in Florida and then (weather permitting) cross over to Grand Bahamas west end for a few weeks of sailing, fishing , eating rice and oranges and drinking warm American beer.

[NiceAft]

I'm sure you have done your due diligence for the trip, and conversed with others who have already done this, but just in case you wish to do some more, Chip Hindes has done this with the Conch Cruiser's twice. You may want to chew the fat with him.

It has been awhile since I looked at their (Conch Cruiser's) site, so my memory may not be all that accurate, but I think they used to post a list of what items a boat should have if they make the trip with them.

Ray

[Chinook]

I wouldn't recommend starting from Stuart. It's a little too far north for crossing to West End on Grand Bahama. The Gulf Stream is perhaps 40 miles wide in that area, flowing north at 3 to 4 knots. You would have to set a southerly course, against the flow of the Stream, for a substantial length of time. Most folks crossing to West End try to start no further north than directly across. Lake Worth Inlet at West Palm Beach is almost directly across, and would be a better choice. When we made our crossing, I calculated 17 nautical miles of northward drift for our 12 hour crossing, and it worked out pretty well. We began by heading for a point 17 miles south of our actual intended destination, and let the current swing us up to the actual straight line track between West Palm and West End. It worked out well, but we did have slow going at first, taking a southeasterly course, partially against the flow of the Stream. Another option would be to start even further south, perhaps in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Then you could set a more westerly course to start with, and let the Stream set you north, on track for West End.

There is a nice County Park on an island, very close to Lake Worth Inlet, which has a good ramp and freshwater tap for trailer washdown. I wouldn't recommend long term vehicle/trailer parking there, however. We launched there and then ran the boat over to Sailfish Marina and took a slip. We arranged long term truck and trailer parking through the Marina. They had a fenced and locked satellite parking lot a few miles away from the Marina, and that worked out fine. A word of caution about the Marina though. A 4 knot current flows right through the marina, making it a nightmare to get into and out of a slip at any time other than slack. The finger slips align with the current. If you try docking with the current trying to push you in, the only way to maintain control is to turn around and, with engine running forward at idle speed, gently back in. Getting out can be difficult too. For our departure day (4am) I calculated an ebb current which would have pinned us in our slip. I was able to arrange to move, at slack the afternoon before, to the end of a "T" dock, where we had an easy time getting underway.

If you still really like the looks of that marina in Stuart, I would recommend that you consider starting out on the Intra Coastal Waterway and go south on the inside until you reach Lake Worth Inlet. I'm not sure how many low bridges you would encounter between Stuart and West Palm. You could either anchor out there or take a slip for the night prior to crossing. By the way, boats are going across frequently from West Palm. If the weather forecast is favorable for crossing the Stream, it's likely that several boats will be heading out next morning. You can make a radio call from there and probably have good luck getting in touch with another boat with similar travel plans. It's not too hard to arrange for a last minute buddy boat.

[KayakDan]

Based on the experience of friends who do the trip yearly,Indiantown Marina is a good spot to base from.Storage available,low rates,and decent access to the Gulf. Not totally sure of all the logistics,but I'll know by next December!
http://www.indiantownmarina.com/

[Québec 1]

I agree with Duane that Stuart is to high up, and I have found Boynton inlet park, which looks like a good starting off point, but does not seem to have trailer parking . http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=indian%20t ... =en&tab=wl
Loggerhead club and marina also seems to be an interesting start off point
http://gmclantana.com/south-florida-marina-rates.htm
Indiantown seems to far inland but may be a good place to start from..the admiral was kind of interested in lake Okeechobee?
Q1

[James V]

If you are going to spend 2 weeks in Fl cruising then anyplace on the SE fl coast would be fine. You can jump across whereever you want to. Just realize that no NORTH winds unless below 8 mph for a day or more.

[delevi]

Sounds like a great trip Q1. Maybe a tall order for the Mac considering the length of time. How far is it from Florida to the Bahamas? Looking forward to learn about your adventures. Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

Leon

[Québec 1]

Sounds like a great trip Q1. Maybe a tall order for the Mac considering the length of time. How far is it from Florida to the Bahamas? Looking forward to learn about your adventures. Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

Leon

From what I understand Florida(Fort Lauder dale) to the Bahamas (west end grand Bahamas) is around 56nm, weather permitting should be doable in 5 to 8 hours at close to WOT. I will get the charts and guides and buy a (Florida -Bahamas)Garmin card for my GPS. Thinking of maybe getting a SPOT.
I am drawing a plan to go to Florida and the Bahamas, which means I will do what I have to do when I have to do it if its the right thing to do to realize my objective which is to have an exciting vacation with the less stress possible. I also know I can count on the excellent advice from this board to get the job done right and that's why I make a donation to Heath once a year. It ain't much but my pension check permits it !

I have been a family camper for 20 years and can't remember a trip where my plan did not change because something I did not plan happened . My plan is not final yet but I think its going to last a minimum of 5 weeks. 2 weeks travel, 1 week Florida , 2 weeks Bahamas. My next trip, after this one will be to Cuba( that's the plan ).
Q1

[DaveB]

Best you are going to do crossing the Stream is 6 knots avarage on a calm day.
Make sure you have a good long window.
Equip. the boat like there is no land to be seen. And best of all, have a EPRIB, Spot, or SSB. Also have a inflatable dink you can inflate in a lick of a spit.
Also your Passport and $150 for entry fee (that Includes Fishing).
Notify your Ins. Comp. of your plans and upgrade your policy.
Bring your best beer and hide it were a search can't find it....very expensive in Bahamas, or drink there rum...cheap.
Water can cost over .75ct's a gal
Water is great and lot of exploring, you can also do this in Biscane Bay in FL. Launching from Homestead Marina or Black Point. You may even find Pennikamp Marina great..I stayed at pennikamp few times. Cost was $32 a night with ac. hook up and best reefs.
Dave

Sounds like a great trip Q1. Maybe a tall order for the Mac considering the length of time. How far is it from Florida to the Bahamas? Looking forward to learn about your adventures. Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

Leon

From what I understand Florida(Fort Lauder dale) to the Bahamas (west end grand Bahamas) is around 56nm, weather permitting should be doable in 5 to 8 hours at close to WOT. I will get the charts and guides and buy a (Florida -Bahamas)Garmin card for my GPS. Thinking of maybe getting a SPOT.
I am drawing a plan to go to Florida and the Bahamas, which means I will do what I have to do when I have to do it if its the right thing to do to realize my objective which is to have an exciting vacation with the less stress possible. I also know I can count on the excellent advice from this board to get the job done right and that's why I make a donation to Heath once a year. It ain't much but my pension check permits it !

I have been a family camper for 20 years and can't remember a trip where my plan did not change because something I did not plan happened . My plan is not final yet but I think its going to last a minimum of 5 weeks. 2 weeks travel, 1 week Florida , 2 weeks Bahamas. My next trip, after this one will be to Cuba( that's the plan ).
Q1

[K9Kampers]

Bring your best beer and hide it were a search can't find it....very expensive in Bahamas, or drink there rum...cheap.

In Florida, fill your ballast tank with favorite beer, 150 gal. +/-. Refill with seawater if you drink it all before return trip... Hey, these boats would be great for smugglin' beer! Thanks Roger!
Hey Q1...Ya think dem Cubans would like Molson??

[Québec 1]

[quote="DaveB"]Best you are going to do crossing the Stream is 6 knots avarage on a calm day.

So if I am going 12 knots minus 5 knots for the current than that would bring me to an actual at 7 knots minus 1 or 2 knots for wind and waves , it will take me 1 hour per 5nmiles. So maybe it would be faster and cost less gas to leave from Fort Lauderdale than from West Palm Beach. Hmmmm, maybe I need to trade in my Honda 50 for something bigger eh!


Q1

[Chinook]

I second DaveB's comments about boat speed. When we crossed my thinking was to get across as quickly as possible. I was a bit intimidated by the distance and nature of the water and didn't want to take any longer than necessary. We headed out, in the dark, WOT, but only making about 8.5 knots. Motor was running fine. Turns out we had way more weight on board than usual, which has a significant adverse effect on speed. Also, our course required a bit of "southing" against the Stream, and those factors, along with the swells we encountered, contributed to our slow speed. The big surprise was fuel consumption. At 24 nm out the motor quit. First 12 gallon tank was dry. We were way out there, well under halfway across, and almost half our fuel was consumed. I switched tanks, dropped to about half throttle, unfurled the jib, and motorsailed the rest of the way at around 5.5 knots. We only used 7 gallons of gas in completing the crossing. 2 mpg at WOT and around 7 mpg motorsailing. Dave is also right about the beer. Kalik is great, but was selling for around $40/case in 2004. Oh, by the way, if you're planning on trying to catch lobster, the season closes on March 31, unless they've changed it.

[Captain Jim]

KayakDan and Quebec 1,

It would be very informative to see your packing list of required things to take and your upgrades required to make the trip to the Bahamas. We have been thinking about making the trip but not for a couple of years yet. Our target is 2012 Jan - Mar, but we still have to get relocated from Ohio to the Northeast.

Fair winds,

Jim

[Matt19020]

This is not exactly the same but you may find some usefull tips here from someone I know who did the trip from New Jersey to the Bahamas in a 19' West Wight Potter with VERY little sailing expierience...
His story & Pictures are documented in the links below:
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories44.html
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories45.html
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories46.html

[Québec 1]

This is not exactly the same but you may find some usefull tips here from someone I know who did the trip from New Jersey to the Bahamas in a 19' West Wight Potter with VERY little sailing expierience...
His story & Pictures are documented in the links below:
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories44.html
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories45.html
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories46.html

Great site, I copied it to my computor. I feel quite confident about sailing across to the Bahamas in a 26M after having sailed rough seas on the St Lawrence River here in Québec. As long as I remain vigilant and have good weather, and my equipement works it should be okay. I am looking at a SPOT on e-bay for 99$ plus 50$visa gift card from the spot company ...looks like its time to buy before xmas!!!
Q1