Other than being in a different country, whats the big difference between sailing to Catalina Island, CA and taking the same boat to the Bahamas.
Especially small boats.
Especially small boats.
catalina island vs. bahamas
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You can get to the Bahamas without night sailing if you wish. Miami to Bimini is about 60 miles if my memory serves me right. Most Bahamas cruisers that start from South Florida don't stop at Bimini now as GPS and Explorer charts make crossing the Bahamas Bank at night much easier. Miami to Nassau is about 26 hours if conditions are right. The main difference between Catalina and the Bahamas is the Gulf Stream. The crossing can be very difficult if you don't wait for a weather window.
Leaving early from southern area of Miami will take you across to northern Bimini Island. Once inside the Biminis you can enjoy sailing in shallow water that are WARM. You can swim with no WET SUIT. I have crossed in my older Hunter Legend 35 and later in my just sold Idylle 15.5. Both times I sailed in daylight. Cat island can be very crowded and expensive. Unfortunately Bahamas is another country and expensive to check in unless you're planning on visiting for a while. The course is just about 90 degrees but you need to point at least 15 farther south even with good winds.
I have often sailed to both. Catalina is 20+ miles depending on where you sail from and the Bahamas are 40+ miles between the closest distance. The biggest factor is the Gulf Stream currents and conditions. There is nothing like that between Catalina other than normal bad weather or Santa Ana's. The Bahamas offer considerably more cruising opportunities within a shorter distance. Chuck
"Twenty six miles across the sea
Island Catalina is a waitin' for me..."
I don't think the Bahamas has a song like that.
Island Catalina is a waitin' for me..."
I don't think the Bahamas has a song like that.
and weather can change much quicker with tropical storms.
not to mention the risks leaving good old USA. (BASRA =! USCG)
sometimes the markers are lit in the islands, sometimes not. and most locals run lights out at night...
3rd world country...
not to mention the risks leaving good old USA. (BASRA =! USCG)
sometimes the markers are lit in the islands, sometimes not. and most locals run lights out at night...
3rd world country...
Getting to Catalina is one thing, once you're there is another. Anchoring is difficult at best primarily due to depth. Even if you're adept at deep anchoring the anchorages get crowded in season so the massive scope becomes an issue.
Established moorings are the way to go, around $30 nightly.
Established moorings are the way to go, around $30 nightly.
Santa Catalina is awaiting for me... Four Preps, a long, long time ago."Twenty six miles across the sea
Island Catalina is a waitin' for me..."
I don't think the Bahamas has a song like that.
Dont know anything about Catalina, but do know about the Bahamas, The Bahamas is made of of several island groups that stretch over a 500-600 mile area. The areas inside of the island groups are areas of shallow water 8-15' deep-mostly sand bottoms and mostly very good anchorages. In between the island chains are the ocean-some of the deepest waters of the Atlantic. Exploring them all could take months or years.
Could a 22' sailboat do it? yea, but it would be a real adventure. While its nice, it is expensive to provision. Even the basics like drinking water costs .25-.50/gallon. Fuel isnt much more than the states (maybe $1-2 more per gallon). This is a 3rd world country-albite a nice one-friendly people, but if you need parts or something out of the ordinary, the only way to get them is to call the states and have it fedexed and wait.
A small vessel is limited on how much it can carry. Crossing the gulf stream can be ok or rugged. Many vessels spend many days waiting for that perfect weather window to allow for a smooth passage. Weater is preditable for 3 days so crossing isnt necessarily a problem. But remember 60nm requires a certain amount of fuel if the wind isnt sufficient to make crossing in a timely fashion-Ftl to west end takes about 11 hours. Mia to Bimini takes about 8. Dont count on a 15knt breeze in just the proper direction.
Is it a good adventure...you bet. Bob
Could a 22' sailboat do it? yea, but it would be a real adventure. While its nice, it is expensive to provision. Even the basics like drinking water costs .25-.50/gallon. Fuel isnt much more than the states (maybe $1-2 more per gallon). This is a 3rd world country-albite a nice one-friendly people, but if you need parts or something out of the ordinary, the only way to get them is to call the states and have it fedexed and wait.
A small vessel is limited on how much it can carry. Crossing the gulf stream can be ok or rugged. Many vessels spend many days waiting for that perfect weather window to allow for a smooth passage. Weater is preditable for 3 days so crossing isnt necessarily a problem. But remember 60nm requires a certain amount of fuel if the wind isnt sufficient to make crossing in a timely fashion-Ftl to west end takes about 11 hours. Mia to Bimini takes about 8. Dont count on a 15knt breeze in just the proper direction.
Is it a good adventure...you bet. Bob
Boat size for the trip is a "weather window" thing.. 12-18 hours for the crossing.. South or south-east winds 8-10.. Once you are there, there is a lot of cover where a shallow draft boat can anchor and be out of the chop.. Then ya have to have another window to go back.. Thing is... how long can you wait for the return window and how comfortable are ya on the small boat for those days..?? Prudence and good seamanship are the watchwords !
EDIT: ahhh Bob, ya beat my post.. yours is a bit more elegant.. Good one.
EDIT: ahhh Bob, ya beat my post.. yours is a bit more elegant.. Good one.
I was thinking, I could do a lot of cruising in my paid for catalina 22, rather than spend all my money getting a bigger boat. Not that I will be in florida anytime soon, just thinking about future possibilities.
I do not care about setting records or proving that I am crazy, but the Bahamas actually sound like a fantastic place for a C22, My only issue is crossing safely.
I spent 30 days on My boat in Corpus Christi, TX. I was in a slip in a marina, but I might as well have been on anchor as the breakwater did very little to calm the water in the marina.
I should be back down there in a week or two, but need a calmer slip with a reasonable price and the ability to stay on the boat(liveaboard).
I do not care about setting records or proving that I am crazy, but the Bahamas actually sound like a fantastic place for a C22, My only issue is crossing safely.
I spent 30 days on My boat in Corpus Christi, TX. I was in a slip in a marina, but I might as well have been on anchor as the breakwater did very little to calm the water in the marina.
I should be back down there in a week or two, but need a calmer slip with a reasonable price and the ability to stay on the boat(liveaboard).
bahamas isnt lying on a lee shore with uncharted rocks ye cannot see. the water is not freezing cold like in catalina, and ye gotta pay a fee to enter...is it still 300 usdollars.... you do not have to pay the fee in catalina, catalina is a disney ride anymore-- same alll the time and no more goats, is better to go south. follow me south.
cedros is a better place to go if ye like fewer people. more different islands farther south, i have been advised the san blas islands in nayarit are good to cruise. los encantados in sea of cortez are intriguing.....water is warmer also.
should be an easy tow to san felipe to cruise sea of cortez???? come on down to mazatlan with that rig..is nice here and pacific is nice here and WARM like 90 degrees now.....and islands to anchor at. food is cheaper and life is nice. and there is a launch ramp and place to park.
cedros is a better place to go if ye like fewer people. more different islands farther south, i have been advised the san blas islands in nayarit are good to cruise. los encantados in sea of cortez are intriguing.....water is warmer also.
should be an easy tow to san felipe to cruise sea of cortez???? come on down to mazatlan with that rig..is nice here and pacific is nice here and WARM like 90 degrees now.....and islands to anchor at. food is cheaper and life is nice. and there is a launch ramp and place to park.
The Catalina crosssing doesn't require anything exceptional in a small boat. Your Cat 22 with decent OB and navigation basics.... VHF, handheld GPS, charts, etc... will see you there under normal conditions. There are a few small challenges... i.e. an occasional weather challenge, commercial ship traffic, windy conditions in the San Pedro Channel... but all in all... a somewhat benign trip of around 20 to 30 miles, depending on departure point and destination, that can be accomplished easily in a half day or sailing or motoring. I know a half dozen adventurers who have sailed their beach cats to Catalina. There used to be a beach cat race to the island and back... not sure if it's still going though.
The gulf stream crossing is entirely another animal in your Cat 22, outboard. Weather will be everything... although the straight line distance is only about 45 miles... you will be compensating for the current in a small, slow boat... so the distance travelled will be considrably more... think 60 plus... which means you will either leave or arrive at night, motoring most of the way. Count on plenty of fuel, and a very reliable OB, that needs smoother water to perform well in... that means staging with other vessels in an achorage/holding area, waiting for that weather window. Chances are you'll hook up with other cruisers while you wait, and with luck, you'll find a buddy boat to share the experience with. It is very common in the Florida area for cruisers to have a "boat card", like a business card with your vessel name and contact info on it... have some printed up before the trip.
I think it's a challenge.... but... if you have open water experience in the Cat 22, I think you'll succeed.
I agree with the safety approach.
...but I might as well have been on anchor...
You are aware that they are two completely different things, right? However bouncy it might have been, you could still get OFF your boat and get supplies.
We spent a looong Labor Day weekend on our C22 stuck behind Rattlesnake Island on Clear Lake in Northern California. It was incredibly windy, and we'd sailed the boat on San Francisco Bay, so we understood wind. The boat got real small, real quick. As Chuck noted, supplies and water are an issue. To say nothing about a head.
We moved up to a C25, and the doubling of volume made a complete difference in the ability to stay out on the boat.
Catalina is "do-able" the Bahamas maybe not.
'Member "The Boat Babe?" She and her guy went on a 25 footer.
small boats to Catalina
when I was in my teens, we went to Catalina in a 14-17ft. skiboat many times....infact one of us often skied one direction or the other....... of course, once I was driving back with the bimini up, pulling a skier, and sort of forgot to keep my eye on the compass...and ended up in the waves in Huntington beach. (skier luckily was back aboard) Turned into the waves just in time to have the bimini washed off the boat, right over our heads and we had a topless boat after that... Took it back to his parent’s garage, knocked an old duster full of lint all over it and left town. It took his parents about 4 days to realize something had happened... wow, youth!!
when I was in my teens, we went to Catalina in a 14-17ft. skiboat many times....infact one of us often skied one direction or the other....... of course, once I was driving back with the bimini up, pulling a skier, and sort of forgot to keep my eye on the compass...and ended up in the waves in Huntington beach. (skier luckily was back aboard) Turned into the waves just in time to have the bimini washed off the boat, right over our heads and we had a topless boat after that... Took it back to his parent’s garage, knocked an old duster full of lint all over it and left town. It took his parents about 4 days to realize something had happened...
wow, youth!!
I love reading this forum. Good post and good advise. Someday maybe, if I can convince my wife, I would love to make that trip. I'd first have to do the ICW. i seem to remember a discussion on dumping rules. How convenient is it to get a pump out and what are the rules on dumping waste water/grey water. That could be an issue for a smaller and even medium size boats?
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