Sailing to Bimini and then to Berry Islands Bahamas

[fishstalker7]

PM sent.

[DaveB]

Here is s. dade marina, give bob a call to let him know your arrival.
http://southdademarina.com/
Cruising Guides is things you should already have for planning your cruise.
What you are doing is called Blue Water Cruising, open waters.
Macs are Coastal Cruisers.
Crossing the 52 miles in the Gulf Stream ,you need a good open window and best you will do it 6knots with full ballast.
You have on average a 3 knot current moving to the north and seas in calm wind is always 2-3 ft.
You won't get a Mac. up to plane .
Dave

I don't think one can ever be truly ready for a first trip to Bahamas. But we will be prepared for just about anything that may arise.
I still have to put together my float plan and send to Vic since he has so graciously accepted the role of safety person back at home. However I think it's just because he wants to keep track of his autopilot. I guess if we go down with the autopilot then we will at least be found.
Keep us in your prayers and will try and keep everyone posted.

Jim, we are going to leave out of angelfish creek to cross which is located on the southern end of biscayne bay. Would love to meet up and see if we can make it work to buddy boat over. We will be in the water Sat. or Sunday. Monday at the latest. Will try and make contact once in the water.

Dave, I am good on flags, however would be interested in taking a look at your cruising guide. I appreciate everything and am going to at least call today. It gets hard for me to contact people since I work from 8:30pm till 5:00am.

[Catigale]

Godspeed and fair tides ...keep us up to date!!

[cptron]

Fishtalker, Did not receive your pm. please send again.

We are in the water on Black Water Sound waiting for a few things to come in at the WM store. We will be leaving here at 0000 hours Tue. night to hopefully make Bimini around 0800. Winds will be out of the East 10 to 15 Knots with 3 to 4 foot waves with a 4-5 second interval. Sounds like perfect sailing to me.

What you are doing is called Blue Water Cruising, open waters. Macs are Coastal Cruisers. Crossing the 52 miles in the Gulf Stream ,you need a good open window and best you will do it 6knots with full ballast. You have on average a 3 knot current moving to the north and seas in calm wind is always 2-3 ft. You won't get a Mac. up to plane .

Dave, I happen to know what kind of boat I have due to the fact that I purchased it brand new in 2011. I have had my mac out sailing in some pretty hairy conditions. Just ask Victor and Bob. They have nick named Storm Walker (Storm Chaser). I have done enough research on the Gulf to be able to tell you with confidence that there are times that the gulf stream is like glass so when you say it is always rough I have to question if you have ever gone out far enough to have even seen it. If you want get off the porch and venture out with the big dogs you are willing to tag along however I am not turning around for stragglers.
Thanks for letting me rant now I can continue my vacation with a calm demeanor.

[Billy]

The last time I left Angelfish headed to Alicetown waves were 6 to 8 with winds direct out of the East. Since I was motoring, I ran without ballast. This allowed a bow high attitude and kept the cockpit dry. The X's stern would slide down the back side of the wave rather than let the bow drop over. Also helped prevent the nose from "diving" through approaching waves. We almost felt sorry for our companion boat who had a full ballast and was getting soaked and slamming down. After arriving in Bimini, we shared our secret.
BTW, we maintained about 8 kts on a 090 heading. With the drift, we arrived at the cut between N &S Bimini in a little over 6 hrs.
These Macgregors will take more than their owners can. Enjoy your trip, Ron. You've got your boat right. I want to hear all the details. Best of luck!

[dlandersson]

Love it:

"If you want to...venture out with the big dogs you are willing to tag along however I am not turning around for stragglers."

[DaveB]

I didn't say rough in calm winds. I said 2-3 ft. seas in calm wind , get it straight!
In those 2-3 ft.rollers you can't get a Mac. up to plane at 18 knots most of the time.
Many Conch Cruisers will verify that.
I spent 6months cruising most of the Bahamas and the Leeward/Windward Island and S. America for 3 years on my Alberg35.
Ya, I know what I am talking about.
I also know if you get across tru a open window and that's very possible, can you wait out the return trip with open window?
Many well prepared Mac's have done it. Just make sure you have a well laid out plan and time to do it in.
Dave

Dave, I happen to know what kind of boat I have due to the fact that I purchased it brand new in 2011. I have had my mac out sailing in some pretty hairy conditions. Just ask Victor and Bob. They have nick named Storm Walker (Storm Chaser). I have done enough research on the Gulf to be able to tell you with confidence that there are times that the gulf stream is like glass so when you say it is always rough I have to question if you have ever gone out far enough to have even seen it. If you want get off the porch and venture out with the big dogs you are willing to tag along however I am not turning around for stragglers.
Thanks for letting me rant now I can continue my vacation with a calm demeanor.

[dlandersson]

Apropos of nothing whatsoever, anything much past 2 feet waves on Lake Michigan and I pack it in - my perception of the is that it's not comfortable beyond that (slams a bit - wondering if a 32 foot boat would handle 2-3 foot waves better) for simple recreational sailing. just sayn'

[vkmaynard]

Got a call from the Browns at 8:22 AM EST.

They were 3 nm east of Ocean Reef making 6 knts.

S-SE winds, 10-15 knts, 3-4 ft seas w/ large periods. Expected predicted max winds for today less than yesterday predicted 22 knts, gusting higher.

Victor

[vkmaynard]

They made it safely in Bimini at 1800 today.

Victor

[cptron]

That's right folks, we made it to and are staying at Bimini Blue Water Marina till Friday and then heading over to either South Bimini or on down to Gun Key where a couple we met suggested for anchorage since a nasty easterly is predicted for the weekend.
Crossing the Gulf Stream was nothing we could not handle 10 to 15 knot winds with 2-4 foot waves with 2-4 second period.
As far as the admiral and I are concerned the waters of the Bahamas are so blue and clear that they make the waters of Florida look like a cesspool. Believe me the $150.00 is money well spent for water this beautiful and clear.
We have decided not to venture over to the Berry Islands but instead spend our time here in the Bimini chain to sail, snorkel and explore.
Lots has happened since leaving Key Largo and will try and post a blog when I learn how to set up a web site. Will be out of touch for next several days so stay tuned for the next installment.

[foursail]

Glad to see you made it all right. Maybe I can slip over there in the next couple weeks. (doctor says I can't return to work until June 10th ) Well I can only wish I could go. I probably will just piddle around here for a few weeks.

Dave

[Loala]

Take some pics so those of us that live on the left coast whom will never be able to travel that direction can live through you!

[fishstalker7]

The great adventure begins/continues...congrats on your passage and enjoy!!

Look forward to the tales/pics to follow!

Fair winds,

David

[Ixneigh]

The easterlies having been raging down here where I am. Can only imagine what it's like over there.
South cat cay is the best thing going in conditions like this. Go south past the shallow cut between cat cay where the marina is, and across the shallow mud flats where you can anchor in deeper water pretty close to south cat cay. When I was there there was nothing on the island, and few boats are able to make it into that spot. It beats the open roadstead of Gunn cay since the mudflats offer a lot of protection. You may need the tide to cross those flats. If you see a lot of white sand in the cut between the cays, you probably will have to wait since that means it's really low tide.
Avoid the actual cut area until you look at it in a dinghy. I never actually used it but did take the dog over to play on the sand. Go on past the cut until you are about midway down the cay. You should see the area I'm talking about on the chart. A few larger boats use that tongue of deep water, but you can drop back into the shallow area and be by yourself.
Ix