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Tim Bastian
Let's set a date
Let's set a date. I think the last week of June was what everyone was discussing . June 21st through the 30th would be 10 days. This is the last full week of June and the 30th is the following Monday. The Friday of this week is the 4th of July. I don’t know about the rest of you but I personally would like to avoid travel and the marina that weekend. Proposed itinerary : June 21 - Everyone meets in West Palm Beach. Check weather and get a good nights sleep. June 22 - 5:00 am meet and rig boats. 7:00 am depart for West End weather permitting. This should give us roughly 14 hours of daylight to make the crossing. Clear Customs at Old Bahama Bay and get cruising permit. "http://www.oldbahamabay.com/Watch/MarinaMateSite.asp" Box F-42546 West End, Grand Bahama Island Bahamas Tel: 242-346-6500 (Dock) 1-800-444-9469 (USA) Fax: 242-346-6546 "mailto:info@oldbahamabay.com" June 23-26 - Explore the area June 27 - Everyone meet back at West End and check weather and prepare for return crossing.. June 28 - 7:00 am depart for West Palm Beach weather permitting. Clear Customs. June 29 - Pull boats out of water and prepare for return trip home. Get a good nights sleep. June 30 - Return home. This is just a proposal. I know that Chip was thinking about a July departure. If anyone has a better suggestion or can’t make it for this time frame please put your two cents in. If this works for everyone so much the better. Either way lets get a date pinned down so everyone can make plans. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
Let's set a date. I think the last week of June was what everyone was discussing . June 21st through the 30th would be 10 days. This is the last full week of June and the 30th is the following Monday. The Friday of this week is the 4th of July. I don’t know about the rest of you but I personally would like to avoid travel and the marina that weekend. Proposed itinerary : June 21 - Everyone meets in West Palm Beach. Check weather and get a good nights sleep. June 22 - 5:00 am meet and rig boats. 7:00 am depart for West End weather permitting. This should give us roughly 14 hours of daylight to make the crossing. Clear Customs at Old Bahama Bay and get cruising permit. "http://www.oldbahamabay.com/Watch/MarinaMateSite.asp" Box F-42546 West End, Grand Bahama Island Bahamas Tel: 242-346-6500 (Dock) 1-800-444-9469 (USA) Fax: 242-346-6546 "mailto:info@oldbahamabay.com" June 23-26 - Explore the area June 27 - Everyone meet back at West End and check weather and prepare for return crossing.. June 28 - 7:00 am depart for West Palm Beach weather permitting. Clear Customs. June 29 - Pull boats out of water and prepare for return trip home. Get a good nights sleep. June 30 - Return home. This is just a proposal. I know that Chip was thinking about a July departure. If anyone has a better suggestion or can’t make it for this time frame please put your two cents in. If this works for everyone so much the better. Either way lets get a date pinned down so everyone can make plans. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
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Chip Giles
June 21 is good for us
June 21st sounds good. One concern that I have is departing from West Palm Beach. To get to West End, we have to travel on a 94 degree heading. This puts us fighting the Gulf Stream the whole trip. This is not good. It seems to me that we should leave out of somewhere near Boca Raton or Deerfield Beach. We cannot ignore the northerly drift we will experience. If you want to motor, you can probably do it out of West Palm Beach, but the stream will still beat you up if there are any swells at all. If you want to sail, we are going to have to depart south of West End. Otherwise, the crossing is not going to be very enjoyable for anyone. I might suggest that we spend the first day sailing south out of West Palm Beach and hug the coast until we reach the latitude we choose to depart from. It adds a little more sailing, but let's use the Gulf Stream to our advantage. If weather happens on the stream, we will be very glad we are not sailing against the current. Another issue is whether to cross during the day or at night. We have tried both. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. For a first crossing, we could leave at around 5:00 a.m. and still have some cushion time. This puts us sailing in daylight. Sailing at night ensures you arrive in daylight, which is nice also. Either way is fine. If we are going for the daylight crossing, I think we need to leave very early. A variation on Tim's schedule might be to go Boca Raton - West End - Freeport/Lucaya - Bimini - Ft. Lauderdale. By this I mean after we clear in to West End, we sail up to Freeport. After a day or two in Freeport, we sail south to the Great Bahama Bank and anchor out overnight on the Bank. The next day is a short hop in to Bimini and we sail home with the stream helping us instead of working against us. Just an idea. Freeport is more touristy and city-like. Bimini is more island-like and less spoiled. We could easily have both in ten days. I would like to hear your ideas, particularly about where to leave from. I really do not think you all will like crossing from WPB to West End. While a fishing boat can do it no problem, our sailboats will not. Well, they can do it, but not without beating us half to death in the process.
June 21st sounds good. One concern that I have is departing from West Palm Beach. To get to West End, we have to travel on a 94 degree heading. This puts us fighting the Gulf Stream the whole trip. This is not good. It seems to me that we should leave out of somewhere near Boca Raton or Deerfield Beach. We cannot ignore the northerly drift we will experience. If you want to motor, you can probably do it out of West Palm Beach, but the stream will still beat you up if there are any swells at all. If you want to sail, we are going to have to depart south of West End. Otherwise, the crossing is not going to be very enjoyable for anyone. I might suggest that we spend the first day sailing south out of West Palm Beach and hug the coast until we reach the latitude we choose to depart from. It adds a little more sailing, but let's use the Gulf Stream to our advantage. If weather happens on the stream, we will be very glad we are not sailing against the current. Another issue is whether to cross during the day or at night. We have tried both. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. For a first crossing, we could leave at around 5:00 a.m. and still have some cushion time. This puts us sailing in daylight. Sailing at night ensures you arrive in daylight, which is nice also. Either way is fine. If we are going for the daylight crossing, I think we need to leave very early. A variation on Tim's schedule might be to go Boca Raton - West End - Freeport/Lucaya - Bimini - Ft. Lauderdale. By this I mean after we clear in to West End, we sail up to Freeport. After a day or two in Freeport, we sail south to the Great Bahama Bank and anchor out overnight on the Bank. The next day is a short hop in to Bimini and we sail home with the stream helping us instead of working against us. Just an idea. Freeport is more touristy and city-like. Bimini is more island-like and less spoiled. We could easily have both in ten days. I would like to hear your ideas, particularly about where to leave from. I really do not think you all will like crossing from WPB to West End. While a fishing boat can do it no problem, our sailboats will not. Well, they can do it, but not without beating us half to death in the process.
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Tim Bastian
Going to rely on your judgment Chip
Chip if we should depart from a point south of West Palm such as Boca Raton or Deerfield Beach would it be better to meet and put in there as well? Not that I'm against sailing down the coast a piece. Would probably be good experience for a novice like me anyway. Would also be good to ensure that our departure point is a port of entry. That way we don't have to worry about customs on the return trip. Just a thought, Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
Chip if we should depart from a point south of West Palm such as Boca Raton or Deerfield Beach would it be better to meet and put in there as well? Not that I'm against sailing down the coast a piece. Would probably be good experience for a novice like me anyway. Would also be good to ensure that our departure point is a port of entry. That way we don't have to worry about customs on the return trip. Just a thought, Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
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Chip Giles
Port of Entry at departure & return not important
Tim, It really does not matter where you return. All you do to clear in is to dial a 1-800 number and do it over the phone. I have done it twice. Where we put in and where we depart should, of course, be a group decision. We have plenty of time to decide. Another consideration for a cruising itinerary might be to go Boca Raton - West End (clear in here) - Great Sale Key (overnight on the Little Bahama Bank) - Abacos (so many Cays here)- and back the way we came. Sailing on the Banks is pretty easy compared to on the Gulf Stream. There are so many different ways we could approach the itinerary. I would like to make the Abacos, but I am open to pretty much anything, as long as it is interesting.
Tim, It really does not matter where you return. All you do to clear in is to dial a 1-800 number and do it over the phone. I have done it twice. Where we put in and where we depart should, of course, be a group decision. We have plenty of time to decide. Another consideration for a cruising itinerary might be to go Boca Raton - West End (clear in here) - Great Sale Key (overnight on the Little Bahama Bank) - Abacos (so many Cays here)- and back the way we came. Sailing on the Banks is pretty easy compared to on the Gulf Stream. There are so many different ways we could approach the itinerary. I would like to make the Abacos, but I am open to pretty much anything, as long as it is interesting.
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Jack O'Brien Gostosa III
Bahamas Flotilla
Dates seem OK to us. Probably good to set these in time for people who work to schedule vacation accordingly. There would be a waning quarter moon on the 21st if we crossed at night. Regarding itinery, we'll defer to those like Chip who have experience doing this stuff & will look forward to learning from them. Hopefully we can avoid those places that rip you off just to tie up to clear Immigration, etc. I haven't yet been south of the Boynton Inlet (low fixed bridge to ocean) so am unfamiliar with departure points south but, perhaps I could do some scouting for parking accomodations, etc. If we were to gather in West Palm & sail or motor south to a departure point we would have a choice of open ocean or Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
Dates seem OK to us. Probably good to set these in time for people who work to schedule vacation accordingly. There would be a waning quarter moon on the 21st if we crossed at night. Regarding itinery, we'll defer to those like Chip who have experience doing this stuff & will look forward to learning from them. Hopefully we can avoid those places that rip you off just to tie up to clear Immigration, etc. I haven't yet been south of the Boynton Inlet (low fixed bridge to ocean) so am unfamiliar with departure points south but, perhaps I could do some scouting for parking accomodations, etc. If we were to gather in West Palm & sail or motor south to a departure point we would have a choice of open ocean or Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
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Chip Giles
Lots of sailing or lots of relaxing
There are many different ways our itinerary could work. Tim proposed an itinerary where we would sail over together and then sort of leave each other to their own devices, then all sail back together. I offered a couple of options that involved more extensive sailing to other destinations. As I think about it, the options I offered are probably not the best for those who are making their first Bahamas trip on their boat. Probably a better idea is to sail over together and back together, and maybe a few limited destinations together. I think Tim is right in that some will want to explore different Cays while others may not. I always want to go, go, go and my wife has to rein me in to relax on our cruises. Since we seem to be taking at least four boats in this flotilla, and maybe more, then we probably should keep the itinerary as simple as possible. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
There are many different ways our itinerary could work. Tim proposed an itinerary where we would sail over together and then sort of leave each other to their own devices, then all sail back together. I offered a couple of options that involved more extensive sailing to other destinations. As I think about it, the options I offered are probably not the best for those who are making their first Bahamas trip on their boat. Probably a better idea is to sail over together and back together, and maybe a few limited destinations together. I think Tim is right in that some will want to explore different Cays while others may not. I always want to go, go, go and my wife has to rein me in to relax on our cruises. Since we seem to be taking at least four boats in this flotilla, and maybe more, then we probably should keep the itinerary as simple as possible. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
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Tim Bastian
Any one have a proble with the date?
If no one has a problem with the dates (June 21st through the 30th) Then let's firm them up. If anyone can't make it please speak now. By firming up the dates it should give everyone time to arrange for time off, make travel plans etc. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Auar Hixson, TN
If no one has a problem with the dates (June 21st through the 30th) Then let's firm them up. If anyone can't make it please speak now. By firming up the dates it should give everyone time to arrange for time off, make travel plans etc. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Auar Hixson, TN
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Timm Miller
Port Lucaya
If you want to stay in a marina....Port Lucaya marina may be cheaper. 94 degrees true is the course to Westend......motoring with a 50 hp should take no longer than 3-4 hours with an average speed of 13-15 depending on the stream, so a heading of 104 to 110 should get you across. End of June and begining of July is the time frame when significant wave height is the lowest.......so it could be like a lake going across. Saliing would be fun, but the way I'm looking at is too get over there and sail the entire time over there.......get the crossing over with. I plan to try and see a different cay each day along the Little Bahama Banks.
If you want to stay in a marina....Port Lucaya marina may be cheaper. 94 degrees true is the course to Westend......motoring with a 50 hp should take no longer than 3-4 hours with an average speed of 13-15 depending on the stream, so a heading of 104 to 110 should get you across. End of June and begining of July is the time frame when significant wave height is the lowest.......so it could be like a lake going across. Saliing would be fun, but the way I'm looking at is too get over there and sail the entire time over there.......get the crossing over with. I plan to try and see a different cay each day along the Little Bahama Banks.
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Chip Giles
Motor or sail across - what do you want to do?
Timm, You are certainly correct in your calculations to motor across. I cannot keep up in our Mac 25. If the group wants to motor across from WPB, that would be fine. Sailing across is fine, also. I just need to know what the consensus of the group is. what about it Tim and Jack?
Timm, You are certainly correct in your calculations to motor across. I cannot keep up in our Mac 25. If the group wants to motor across from WPB, that would be fine. Sailing across is fine, also. I just need to know what the consensus of the group is. what about it Tim and Jack?
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Timm Miller
West End
Let's just hook up over there.......those who want to sail go with you and those who want to motor...go with us
Let's just hook up over there.......those who want to sail go with you and those who want to motor...go with us
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Jack O'Brien Gostosa III
Bahamas Flotilla
My wife says June 21 to 30 is fine with her (she works). We're flexible regarding motoring (50 HP) or sailing over or back. My preference is to sail and save the gas (we'll have extra containers) for when it is needed. But, again, the weather may decide it for us. We would not leave one boat to go it alone whether we sail or motor. The Mac 25 would probably leave us astern if we sail. If we go slow the autopilot, & wife, can let me nap to make up for the sleep I'll lose anticipating the trip. Suggestions for which charts, guides, books, etc. you feel are the better ones will be welcome. We won't be trying to see all the cays on this trip but I'll get bored, & burned, if I stare at too many fish through a mask. We'll want to see some of the life ashore and we aren't high rollers. We both have lived in third world countries so have a fair idea of what to expect.
My wife says June 21 to 30 is fine with her (she works). We're flexible regarding motoring (50 HP) or sailing over or back. My preference is to sail and save the gas (we'll have extra containers) for when it is needed. But, again, the weather may decide it for us. We would not leave one boat to go it alone whether we sail or motor. The Mac 25 would probably leave us astern if we sail. If we go slow the autopilot, & wife, can let me nap to make up for the sleep I'll lose anticipating the trip. Suggestions for which charts, guides, books, etc. you feel are the better ones will be welcome. We won't be trying to see all the cays on this trip but I'll get bored, & burned, if I stare at too many fish through a mask. We'll want to see some of the life ashore and we aren't high rollers. We both have lived in third world countries so have a fair idea of what to expect.
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Tim Bastian
I bought my boat to sail but I'm game either way
I personally would prefer to sail across if the conditions are favorable. However I don’t relish the thought of making the crossing at 2 knots either. If we don’t have good sailing conditions then let’s motor. If we have good conditions then let’s sail. Don’t get me wrong. If everyone wishes to motor across then I’m fine with that too. Just stating my preference. In either case Chip makes a good point. Not everyone has a 50 hp engine or the same model boat. It would be my contention that we keep pace with the slowest boat and stick together. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
I personally would prefer to sail across if the conditions are favorable. However I don’t relish the thought of making the crossing at 2 knots either. If we don’t have good sailing conditions then let’s motor. If we have good conditions then let’s sail. Don’t get me wrong. If everyone wishes to motor across then I’m fine with that too. Just stating my preference. In either case Chip makes a good point. Not everyone has a 50 hp engine or the same model boat. It would be my contention that we keep pace with the slowest boat and stick together. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
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Chip Giles
We can decide on departure point later
I think that the important thing is that we have four boats that will make the trip. We can work out the details later. Hopefully, by June, some other MacGregor owners will have decided to join us. To let you know, our boat motors at about 6 knots. If we have a decent wind, we can sail at 6 knots also. I confess it would be nice to be able to crank that big motor up and get the heck out of dodge. Jack asked about charts. We purchased a chartbook that is pretty good. It is produced by Explorer Chartbook and is called Near Bahamas (second edition) including the Abacos. the authors are Monty and Sara Lewis. Because I am a belt and suspenders kind of guy, I also have the paper chart. It is Waterproof Chart #38 Northern Bahamas. Before I plot the crossing, I usually photocopy the chart and make my route on the photocopy. I thought it would keep my chartbook in better shape. Then the last trip I soaked it in a squall. Oh well, it still is a good idea. The cruising guide that I have is The Bahamas Cruising Guide with the Turks and Caicos Islands (second edition) written by Mathew Wilson. I really like this one. It has the most waypoints. I think since we are pulling this thing together that we should exchange e-mail in case our forum discussion drops of the website. Mine is hcgiles@mindspring.com. We are looking forward to the trip.
I think that the important thing is that we have four boats that will make the trip. We can work out the details later. Hopefully, by June, some other MacGregor owners will have decided to join us. To let you know, our boat motors at about 6 knots. If we have a decent wind, we can sail at 6 knots also. I confess it would be nice to be able to crank that big motor up and get the heck out of dodge. Jack asked about charts. We purchased a chartbook that is pretty good. It is produced by Explorer Chartbook and is called Near Bahamas (second edition) including the Abacos. the authors are Monty and Sara Lewis. Because I am a belt and suspenders kind of guy, I also have the paper chart. It is Waterproof Chart #38 Northern Bahamas. Before I plot the crossing, I usually photocopy the chart and make my route on the photocopy. I thought it would keep my chartbook in better shape. Then the last trip I soaked it in a squall. Oh well, it still is a good idea. The cruising guide that I have is The Bahamas Cruising Guide with the Turks and Caicos Islands (second edition) written by Mathew Wilson. I really like this one. It has the most waypoints. I think since we are pulling this thing together that we should exchange e-mail in case our forum discussion drops of the website. Mine is hcgiles@mindspring.com. We are looking forward to the trip.
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Tim Bastian
E-Mail address
Here's my E-Mail address timbastian@hangar-a.com and here is my website http://www.hangar-a.com (sorry it's airplanes not boats but I'm working on that). Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
Here's my E-Mail address timbastian@hangar-a.com and here is my website http://www.hangar-a.com (sorry it's airplanes not boats but I'm working on that). Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
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Timm Miller
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Jack O'Brien
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Tim Bastian
steve/penny out of tampa/fl and MArk of Ocean Spri
steve/penny out of tampa/fl and MArk of Ocean Springs, MS are either of you planning to join us on our adventure? Don’t want anyone to feel left out. I saw that you both have sent a response to this thread. Please feel free to join in. Tim Bastian Zephyr’s Aura Hixson, TN
steve/penny out of tampa/fl and MArk of Ocean Springs, MS are either of you planning to join us on our adventure? Don’t want anyone to feel left out. I saw that you both have sent a response to this thread. Please feel free to join in. Tim Bastian Zephyr’s Aura Hixson, TN
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MArk
My own tropical isles
Tim, Thanks for the invite but I plan to spend next summer near home exploring the Mississippi Barrier Islands (Gulf Islands National Seashore) from Horn westward to Cat. Have fun but be careful. First tropical storm of 2002 was Arthur. It was a low on July 9th and on July 14-16 had winds of 60mph. Earliest hurricane to hit FL was on June 9, 1966. One of the worst storms of the 20th century was Audrey (related link), a category 4 that hit SW Louisiana on June 27, 1957. Happy sails _/), MArk
Tim, Thanks for the invite but I plan to spend next summer near home exploring the Mississippi Barrier Islands (Gulf Islands National Seashore) from Horn westward to Cat. Have fun but be careful. First tropical storm of 2002 was Arthur. It was a low on July 9th and on July 14-16 had winds of 60mph. Earliest hurricane to hit FL was on June 9, 1966. One of the worst storms of the 20th century was Audrey (related link), a category 4 that hit SW Louisiana on June 27, 1957. Happy sails _/), MArk
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Tim Bastian
We'll keep a sharp eye on the weather
Thanks for the concern Mark. We'll keep a sharp eye on the weather and cross when the conditions are favorable. I'll also be practicing my storm tactics and be working hard to keep my boat and crew prepared for anything that might happen. We want this to be a safe and fun trip. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
Thanks for the concern Mark. We'll keep a sharp eye on the weather and cross when the conditions are favorable. I'll also be practicing my storm tactics and be working hard to keep my boat and crew prepared for anything that might happen. We want this to be a safe and fun trip. Tim Bastian Zephyr's Aura Hixson, TN
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