Hi, Well it's down to two months to go so I thought I'd ask for some opinions. We're taking our h37.5 to the Bahamas in April and wanted to get recommendations for places to go or stay (or NOT). It's our first trip over. Because our time window is fixed but the weather may not be cooperating we're planning two cruises: Plan A: West Palm Beach to the Abacos via West End and Great Sale Cay. if the weather is not cooperating then Plan B: We drop south to Miami and cross to Bimini and then on to the Berrys. If that gets closed out then we just keep heading down the Keys. Sadly, we only have two weeks. Any input is appreciated. If you want to contact me directly then e-mail is jwewing@earthlink.net. Thanks, Jim "Prospect"
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Mark Johnson
Jim..check out this site@
www.geocities.com/andraecium/ I came across this site about two guys making their first trip to the Bahamas. It's interesting and might be helpful to you. I've never been, so I'm no help. Have a good trip...I'm envious. Mark Johnson
www.geocities.com/andraecium/ I came across this site about two guys making their first trip to the Bahamas. It's interesting and might be helpful to you. I've never been, so I'm no help. Have a good trip...I'm envious. Mark Johnson
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John Van Stone
Bahama Cruising
Jim We have just finished 2 months of sailing in the Bahamas. We went over in December via your "Plan A". It is a very nice trip if the winds are right ( not from the north or east). We cruised Abaco, Eleuthra, Exuma and the Berries. We liked the Exumas the best but I don't think that you have time for that. We enjoyed Abaco (plan A)better than the Berries (Plan B). The biggest problem that I see with your plan is having a fixed time to bring the boat back. It is not unusual that you may have to wait several days or more for decent weather to cross back. I guess, with your living in Palm beach, if the weather is bad you could leave your boat at Marsh Harbor or Treasure Cay, fly home and then going back on some weekend when the weather was good. If you go to Abaco be sure and listen to the cruising net on VHF 68 at 8:15 every morning. It is very helpful. Also Steve Dodges crusing guide to Abaco is very useful. It is updated every year and has the best waypoints. I think you will enjoy the Bahamas. Our Hunter 450 is currently in Marsh Harbor and we are going back for a month on March 15th. If you have any questions Email me John.vanston@columbia.dciinc.org
Jim We have just finished 2 months of sailing in the Bahamas. We went over in December via your "Plan A". It is a very nice trip if the winds are right ( not from the north or east). We cruised Abaco, Eleuthra, Exuma and the Berries. We liked the Exumas the best but I don't think that you have time for that. We enjoyed Abaco (plan A)better than the Berries (Plan B). The biggest problem that I see with your plan is having a fixed time to bring the boat back. It is not unusual that you may have to wait several days or more for decent weather to cross back. I guess, with your living in Palm beach, if the weather is bad you could leave your boat at Marsh Harbor or Treasure Cay, fly home and then going back on some weekend when the weather was good. If you go to Abaco be sure and listen to the cruising net on VHF 68 at 8:15 every morning. It is very helpful. Also Steve Dodges crusing guide to Abaco is very useful. It is updated every year and has the best waypoints. I think you will enjoy the Bahamas. Our Hunter 450 is currently in Marsh Harbor and we are going back for a month on March 15th. If you have any questions Email me John.vanston@columbia.dciinc.org
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John Griffin
look for the widow.
Jim, I live in west palm and go every year to the abaco's.We leave at night for an early sunrise arrival on the bank and onto great sale for the first anchorage. If the weather turns bad we stop at west end,if not we clear customs at either walkers cay or green turtle, which we find to be more civil. If it is your first time, there is a good anchorage at crab cay halfway to green turtle, look it up on your chart. Do not cross the gulfstream unless you have a good weather window, S-SW-W is the easiest ride.You will become addicted once you're there. As R.Kippling was noted to say- There are only two kinds of men, those that stay at home and those that don't.
Jim, I live in west palm and go every year to the abaco's.We leave at night for an early sunrise arrival on the bank and onto great sale for the first anchorage. If the weather turns bad we stop at west end,if not we clear customs at either walkers cay or green turtle, which we find to be more civil. If it is your first time, there is a good anchorage at crab cay halfway to green turtle, look it up on your chart. Do not cross the gulfstream unless you have a good weather window, S-SW-W is the easiest ride.You will become addicted once you're there. As R.Kippling was noted to say- There are only two kinds of men, those that stay at home and those that don't.
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Bob Bass
Plan A
I highly recommend Plan A with going directly to Memory Rock, Great Sale, then clear customs at Green Turtle. You should have a high chance of a good window in April for that crossing. We usually do the crossing at night. Be sure to stop in at Baker's Bay (go around to the ocean side with you dink and see the most beautiful beach in the world), catch the pig roast at Nippers on Great Guana and enjoy the great visual treat in Hope Town. Most of all, you will enjoy the beautiful people of the Abacos. Be sure and check in with the Cruisers Net on VHF 68 at 8:15 each morning. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at tucandream@aol.com. We will be there by the first of April so give Tucan Dream (the fishing maching) a holler.
I highly recommend Plan A with going directly to Memory Rock, Great Sale, then clear customs at Green Turtle. You should have a high chance of a good window in April for that crossing. We usually do the crossing at night. Be sure to stop in at Baker's Bay (go around to the ocean side with you dink and see the most beautiful beach in the world), catch the pig roast at Nippers on Great Guana and enjoy the great visual treat in Hope Town. Most of all, you will enjoy the beautiful people of the Abacos. Be sure and check in with the Cruisers Net on VHF 68 at 8:15 each morning. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at tucandream@aol.com. We will be there by the first of April so give Tucan Dream (the fishing maching) a holler.
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Guest
JohnVanStone-info please
John, Eleuthera was reportedly hard hit in the last hurricane season. Would you update us on how you found things during your recent trip? Thanks. Robert Pancza
John, Eleuthera was reportedly hard hit in the last hurricane season. Would you update us on how you found things during your recent trip? Thanks. Robert Pancza
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John Van Stone
Eleuthra
Eleuthra was hard hit by the hurricane, but is recovering fast. Hackett bay still has many very damaged boats up on shore and some still under water. There are still walls missing from the marina building. They are hoping to get help from the government, but it is not coming fast. Governors Harbor is pretty must back to normal. The major highway has some badly damaged areas but is passable, albeit at slow speeds in some areas. Harbor Island and Spanish Wells are during fine. There are very few cruisers there now, which to me makes it a nice place to visit. We stayed in Hackett bay for almost a week and enjoyed it very much inspite of its condition. Great fishing.
Eleuthra was hard hit by the hurricane, but is recovering fast. Hackett bay still has many very damaged boats up on shore and some still under water. There are still walls missing from the marina building. They are hoping to get help from the government, but it is not coming fast. Governors Harbor is pretty must back to normal. The major highway has some badly damaged areas but is passable, albeit at slow speeds in some areas. Harbor Island and Spanish Wells are during fine. There are very few cruisers there now, which to me makes it a nice place to visit. We stayed in Hackett bay for almost a week and enjoyed it very much inspite of its condition. Great fishing.
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Bill Bowen
Bahamas Cruising
Jim We took our first trip to the Bahamas in July 1998 and had a wonderful time. We opted for plan A, and followed Steve Dodges Waypoints, they are so accurate that they could be followed at night (but don't). We trailered our 27'to W. Palm Beach launching at Phil Foster Park and left at 11:00pm to arrive at the West End in the day light (when customs was open) and anchored at Mangrove Cay our first night. The next time we go we will skip the west end an check in Customs at Green turtle to save time. Wind direction is very important, we had a following sea which resulted in an SOG of 1.2 knots & boat speed of 6.0 knots. It took 16 hours for an 11 hour crossing, so plan your time well, so you reach Indian Cay Channel in the day light hours (or Memory Rock). A direct trip to Hopetown will take 4 full days or longer if you don't get to Whale Cay Channel in good weather. An additional 3 days to your trip will allow a more pleasurable trip and allow the exploration of many of the beautiful islands along the way. Get a current copy of Steve Dodge's Cruising Guide to the Abacos, it is invaluable. I have prepared a float plan of this trip if you would like a copy, e-mail me. Unfortunately,it is not clear how Floyd has efforted Dodges waypoints. Bill Bowen SVToybox@aol.com
Jim We took our first trip to the Bahamas in July 1998 and had a wonderful time. We opted for plan A, and followed Steve Dodges Waypoints, they are so accurate that they could be followed at night (but don't). We trailered our 27'to W. Palm Beach launching at Phil Foster Park and left at 11:00pm to arrive at the West End in the day light (when customs was open) and anchored at Mangrove Cay our first night. The next time we go we will skip the west end an check in Customs at Green turtle to save time. Wind direction is very important, we had a following sea which resulted in an SOG of 1.2 knots & boat speed of 6.0 knots. It took 16 hours for an 11 hour crossing, so plan your time well, so you reach Indian Cay Channel in the day light hours (or Memory Rock). A direct trip to Hopetown will take 4 full days or longer if you don't get to Whale Cay Channel in good weather. An additional 3 days to your trip will allow a more pleasurable trip and allow the exploration of many of the beautiful islands along the way. Get a current copy of Steve Dodge's Cruising Guide to the Abacos, it is invaluable. I have prepared a float plan of this trip if you would like a copy, e-mail me. Unfortunately,it is not clear how Floyd has efforted Dodges waypoints. Bill Bowen SVToybox@aol.com
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Bryan
Boat speed and the stream
In addition to all the other posts, a factor to keep in mind is boat speed. As the post from Bill Bowen indicates, a knot or two slower speed makes a big difference in time -- not just because your going slower but because the time increase is multiple by the fact that you are fighting a current. As an illustration, a boat going 4 knots against a 3 knot current makes 1 knot over ground, while a boat going 5 knots makes 2. A 25% increase in speed gives a 100% increase in SOG, and takes only half the time to travel the same distrance. Therefore, the slower your boat, the more it makes sense to head south thru the intracoastal and the bay, so when you cross you are not fighting the current as much. With a 37.5, you should be able to make pretty close to 7 knots, which is fast enough to shoot straight across and make it in 8-10 hours (maybe even a little less), but keep her moving unless you don't mind spending a few extra hours in the stream. Time is usually a factor for me, so I usually motor sail across (from Miami), unless the wind is just right.
In addition to all the other posts, a factor to keep in mind is boat speed. As the post from Bill Bowen indicates, a knot or two slower speed makes a big difference in time -- not just because your going slower but because the time increase is multiple by the fact that you are fighting a current. As an illustration, a boat going 4 knots against a 3 knot current makes 1 knot over ground, while a boat going 5 knots makes 2. A 25% increase in speed gives a 100% increase in SOG, and takes only half the time to travel the same distrance. Therefore, the slower your boat, the more it makes sense to head south thru the intracoastal and the bay, so when you cross you are not fighting the current as much. With a 37.5, you should be able to make pretty close to 7 knots, which is fast enough to shoot straight across and make it in 8-10 hours (maybe even a little less), but keep her moving unless you don't mind spending a few extra hours in the stream. Time is usually a factor for me, so I usually motor sail across (from Miami), unless the wind is just right.
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Jim Ewing
Thanks all
For the feedback. What we've decided to do for Plan A is to drop south to Boynton Beach and start our crossing there. That way we get our "southing" out of the way early and don't end up fighting the current too much. Since we only have a couple of weeks our turn-around is going to be Green Turtle. That way we can stop along the way and just kick back. Well... OK, and explore, gunkhole, snorkel, fish etc etc. but not move the boat. This will let us save the rest of the islands for later and we can savor them as well. As an aside... We took the boat from Palm Beach to St Lucie inlet for a long weekend. Great sailing, wind out of the south at about 15. Running wing-on-wing at 7 kts and escorted by dolphins (at one point 8 of them). Fun stuff! Thanks again, Jim "Prospect"
For the feedback. What we've decided to do for Plan A is to drop south to Boynton Beach and start our crossing there. That way we get our "southing" out of the way early and don't end up fighting the current too much. Since we only have a couple of weeks our turn-around is going to be Green Turtle. That way we can stop along the way and just kick back. Well... OK, and explore, gunkhole, snorkel, fish etc etc. but not move the boat. This will let us save the rest of the islands for later and we can savor them as well. As an aside... We took the boat from Palm Beach to St Lucie inlet for a long weekend. Great sailing, wind out of the south at about 15. Running wing-on-wing at 7 kts and escorted by dolphins (at one point 8 of them). Fun stuff! Thanks again, Jim "Prospect"
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