Seek routing/weather advice Morgan City to Freeport

[Nani Kai]

My brother is having a custom aluminum, 50pax catamaran built in Louisiana. The boat is for his tour business on Maui. In late March we will be delivering the boat from Morgan City, LA to Freeport, Bhs for transport to Hawaii. The boat is 62'loa, 18' beam, 7' draft, 27' air draft, 78,000 lbs, twin 625hp John Deere diesels, 960gals fuel. Expected launch date is no later than March 21st. Estimated earliest rendezvous date with Yacht Transport in Freeport is April 5th. Our tentative route is Morgan City to Sarasota or Tampa with possible stop in Gulf Shores, Pensacola or Panama City en route. Alternate route is from Morgan City directly across to Tampa. As the maiden voyage will constitute the first open ocean sea trials, our preference is to stay closer to shore for the first few days in the event of mishap or malfunction. Hence the Gulf Shores/Pensacola/PanCity diversion. From Tampa we would make our way to Marathon Key for the passage to the Atlantic. I have made multiple passages from Port Everglades and Key Biscayne to the Bahamas on our Leopard Cat so am comfortable with that route and weather conditions. I am looking for input on the proposed routes or alternatives west of Florida as well as weather/sea state advice for the same. Thanks in advance for your time.

[SailingHarmonie]

For what I assume is a rather fast power cat, (250? 300 mile days?) the only weather issue to be aware of on the Gulf in March is avoiding the rough conditions around a powerful cold front.

In calm-ish conditions I assume you are making much better average speeds than a sailboat, (with 1250 hp pushing 78 klbs I hope so!). In that case, you should be crossing in 36 to 48 hours, even if you just jump to Key West, and forecasts will be short enough you can count on them. There isn't any magic here, it's an easy trip assuming you have done enough local shakedown to trust the boat.

With a 7' draft you'll find most of west Florida--outside the major commercial ports-- to be an issue. Staying close to shore is not much help if there is not a viable inlet for you to use. In fact, in the event of a problem it is likely to be MORE dangerous than having a lot of sea room.

[Nani Kai]

Thanks for your response. You are right the boat goes fast. It is also a strong, rough weather boat. However speed over distance is not the primary issue. In addition to moderate speed while doing preliminary sea trials, getting through the oil rigs, especially at night, will require a dramatic reduction in speed. We will have radar, a powerful searchlight, etc. but stories I've heard from locals are that there are many decommissioned rigs out there, poorly lit if at all, with steel structures protruding not very high out of the water. Avoiding these while making good time will be a major concern. Because of the narrow window between departure date from Morgan City and departure date of the cargo vessel, if there are any delays in getting the boat launched on time, we may not be able to choose what weather we run in . What I would like to know is what weather/sea conditions (wind direction, speed, swell direction, prevalent current, etc.) combine in this area to make travel inadvisable. E.g. Along the east coast of Florida, any wind with a northern component combined with a strong gulf stream component can dramatically increase the size of waves and make north bound passage difficult/dangerous. I am wondering if there are similar conditions on the west size of Florida that would impact go/no go decisions or route planning.

[mvweebles]

If I had to guess, and I've run a 52 foot 60k lb power cat with twin 435s, your boat will burn around 45 gph at 20 kts for a range of around 400 nms, a bit short for the 500 NM run. Should burn around 25 gph at 15 kts - 32 hours with total burn of around 825 gals. Leave at daybreak and you'll be through much of the oil patch by sundown on way to Tampa Bay area.

Personally I think it's nuts to take a newly commissioned boat anywhere more than a couple miles from the folks who will have to fix the invariable screw-ups they made. Ripe for a very frustrating start to boat ownership. But you didn't ask that question (you should). At the very least you should get a better idea of fuel burn - the engine ECU data is not always accurate. You also can't be certain the tanks are the size they are supposed to be. I know of one very interesting lawsuit where an owner sued a builder for undersized tanks that caused them to run out of diesel on a crossing.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Nani Kai

Thanks for your response. You are right the boat goes fast. It is also a strong, rough weather boat. However speed over distance is not the primary issue. In addition to moderate speed while doing preliminary sea trials, getting through the oil rigs, especially at night, will require a dramatic reduction in speed. We will have radar, a powerful searchlight, etc. but stories I've heard from locals are that there are many decommissioned rigs out there, poorly lit if at all, with steel structures protruding not very high out of the water. Avoiding these while making good time will be a major concern. Because of the narrow window between departure date from Morgan City and departure date of the cargo vessel, if there are any delays in getting the boat launched on time, we may not be able to choose what weather we run in . What I would like to know is what weather/sea conditions (wind direction, speed, swell direction, prevalent current, etc.) combine in this area to make travel inadvisable. E.g. Along the east coast of Florida, any wind with a northern component combined with a strong gulf stream component can dramatically increase the size of waves and make north bound passage difficult/dangerous. I am wondering if there are similar conditions on the west size of Florida that would impact go/no go decisions or route planning.

There are no significant wind against current issues in the northern or eastern GoM. As I said, Avoid frontal passages. There are not likely to be other significant weather issues in the GoM in March. But frontal passages can come very close together, so you might have to wait more than a day or two. If you are not sure, hire a weather router to help you decide when the time comes. A good one can be worth whatever it costs if you are inexperienced with weather in general, or just local conditions.

Running on a schedule without regard to weather is a VERY dangerous way to think. If the yard handoff is too late to pick a weather window, you would be far smarter to schedule a later sailing out of Freeport, or leave from a port in Mexico.

Aside from the weather if you have to short-cut full seatrials, to meet a schedule, that is also a bad idea.

You probably know these things, but it is easy to talk youself out of them if there is time/money to be lost. The bottom of the ocean is littered with boats who left when they should not have.

[sailorbobdeb]

We are originally from New Orleans and now home port for us is Gulf Shores, AL so we are familiar with the area you reference. Currently we are cruising The Bahamas. I echo the recent commissioning cautions.

We draw 6' and after 9 years of cruising the areas you reference I can rell you a 7' draft will limit your options.

Our go to for weather forecasting has always been Chris Parker Marine Weather. There are different options but we get the 2 day detailed forecast that is personalized for our preferences and boat. Actually we get the 10 pack for 6 month trips like our current one. The information is invaluable if you're not a meteorologist.

Best of luck to you!

[Nani Kai]

Aloha everyone,

My original post was cobbled together in haste and I see now that a clearer explanation of our trip is warranted.

We are not doing this loosey goosey. We are however operating under certain unavoidable circumstances. The boat needs to be in Hawaii for the summer season. If we don't make the April schedule to depart from Freeport, the next opportunity won't be until October. East Coast Yacht transport to Hawaii is not a regular route. We talked with multiple carriers.

The hand picked crew that will transport our boat to Freeport are all experienced mariners with lots of rough, open ocean miles. Included in the crew is a local captain with GOM experience, the owner of the boat yard himself plus a veteran diesel mechanic. We will also be carrying a plethora of parts including an extra prop and prop shaft.

The boat will be launched on or about April 21st, following which we will have two days of sea trials in protected water as we transit to the Gulf. During this time we will be checking steering, transmissions, boat handling, radar, radios, all electronics, thru hulls, raw water intake, hoses, fluid levels, hydraulics, bilge pumps, fuel pumps, filters, etc., etc.

We anticipate entering the Gulf south of Morgan City sometime around the 24th.

Once entering the Gulf we will head east toward Pensacola/Panama City specifically to keep us closer to shore should there be a mishap or malfunction. Insurance/memberships with Boat US and/or Sea Tow will be purchased prior to launch.

On this leg we will conduct open water sea tests, which is what I alluded to earlier, neglecting to mention we would do initial protected water tests before entering the Gulf. OW sea tests will add higher speed system checks: engine temp, oil pressure, stability, etc and get a more accurate burn rate. This is also where we hope to conduct MOB and fire drills.

We plan to overnight in Pens/Pan City area in part to test boat handling in docking and close quarter maneuvering. The next day we re-fuel, top off water, perform oil, fluids, bilge, hose and thru hull checks and head south toward Tampa/Sarasota. Possible stop here if needed. From there on to Marathon, then pass thru to Atlantic and probably up to Port Everglades to await notification of cargo vessel arrival time in Freeport.

Chris Parker will be working with us on weather forecasting and route planning throughout the trip. I spoke with him yesterday. After many trips up and down the East Coast and to/from the Bahamas I have learned to trust his forecasting and route advice.

We also will be using additional weather apps and multiple nav apps.

A reasonably solid plan. However, I always want more information prior to making any extended voyage, especially if it's in an area I am unfamiliar with. Hence my inquiry on CF. I really value the experience of folks who have actually been there and know about tricky areas or conditions where current, shallow water, wind, boat traffic, etc. pose particular issues.

Last and most important, we have no intention of risking the boat or its crew by going in dangerous weather. Even if it means missing our cargo connection. I know my earlier post made it sound the opposite. What I meant was that our objective might take precedent over our physical comfort. Whereas a cruiser, including myself, might make a no-go decision because the ride would be uncomfortable for an extended period, we might not have that luxury on this delivery. If we found ourselves making a go/no-go decision related to weather, in addition to Chris' knowledgeable input, I was hoping to get additional local knowledge as to what conditions might weigh in on the no-go side.

Oh, before I forget, the vessel's loaded draft is 5', not 7'. With the absence of 50 passengers she is designed for, we'll draw less than that. Thanks for catching that error.

I truly appreciate everyone's concern and hope this sheds a little more light on our plans.