South through Bahamas

[Tom]

I am going to sail from Miami to the USVI through the islands ( draft 30" ) and want to know best places to go and places to avoid.

 

[Bob]

Depends on the Wind

With the prevailing winds, that trip is lots into the wind. You might want to set up two separate routes for different winds. If the winds are from the southeast, which is the predominant pattern for much of the year in the Bahamas, you might want to think about sailing down the lee side of the exuma chain. Because you'll be motoring and not sailing, being out of the waves of the open sea will make the trip a lot less taxing, especially if your boat is not well suited for blue water conditions. Although it involves a lot of easting, Eleuthera, Little San Salvador, Cat Island, and the rest in that easternmost chain are all very nice. With the exception of Eleuthera, they are very lightly traveled and offer almost no opportunity for provisioning of food or water. But the fishing can be absolutely SPECTACULAR, so fresh fish should be in ample supply.

 

[Jack Tyler]

It's not about the wind...

Tom, it's a great trip but only if you exercise patience about the weather, which oscillates up & down in strength, back & forth (E to SE) like a Cat's tail during the Fall/Winter period. The wind is always there, always a factor, just moreso some days than others. On top of which is added the frontal passages, which shift the winds to the N quadrant as I'm sure you've already seen in your home waters.Bruce VanSant's book is a wonder. You'll find there's far more useful info in there the 2nd time you read it than the 1st; even moreso the 3rd time. He not only tells you how to monitor the weather and use it tactically to your advantage but also how to appreciate the cultures you visit along the way, even the one in Puerto Rico that goes incognito behind 800 #s and a U.S. highway system. There's really only one route, in a sense. Some folks fight it and try going direct, and even some of them end up island hopping. Enjoy the brand new guide about Puerto Rico by Steve Pavlidis (something no cruisers have had the option to use before, including his ultra-accurate chartlets), spend time smelling the roses, and move as Mother Nature invites you to, not based on an arbitrary sked or some notion of where you 'should' be.Why is it not about the wind? Because the Fall/Winter period *always* brings wind. It's what you do with it, and how sensitive you are to its variability, that makes successful passages worth writing about in your log. It's not about the wind; it's about you.Jack