2-weeks in Bahamas

[Group9]

15 days can be a tough schedule. I took a 14 day trip from Fort Lauderdale, to Bimini, then through the Berries, then down to Nassau, and then to Andros, then to Cat Cay, and then back to Fort Lauderdale when I was much younger on a 38 foot sloop.

The only thing that made it work was getting the snot kicked out of us twice crossing the Gulf Stream with 20 knots of wind out of the north. I vowed I would never do that again and I have waited longer than two weeks since then, for the weather I wanted, to even cross over to the Bahamas.

[jstevens]

I think the recommendations to target the Abacos is good advice if you want to limit your trip to around 2-weeks. No need to go down to Lake Worth to depart, just head down to St. Lucie and go out the inlet targeting the Mantanilla shoals or White Sand Ridge to get onto the Little Bahama bank. The St. Lucie Inlet is subject to shoaling. It was dredged in 2013 when I last used it and I never saw less than 15' in the well marked channel. Of course since then a little thing called Mathew may changed that situation. The alternative is to head out the Ft. Pierce inlet and then head south along the coast until near St. Lucie and head across, allowing for an average 2kt current for the entire passage.
IMO, the main reason to go to Lake Worth is to allow for a stop at the resort at West End. If the resort stay appeals to you then the Lake Worth route is the way to go. West End would also put you in a good position to head back to Ft. Pierce if a TS is threatening.

Thinking about it further, if you want to keep to a 2-week schedule, the West End is probably the best option. You can hang out at the resort for a week and/or spend some time anchored off Great Sale Cay. Trying to get all the way to the Sea of Abaco and back in 2 weeks is probably a stretch and not a laid back way to see the Bahamas.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

John

[nautical62]

I'd like to point out that you are supposed to check at the nearest entry point and not sail across the banks to check in at points south. You may very well get away with doing so, but boats have been turned around and told to go back to WE to clear in.

[Lowcountry]

West End isn't what it used to be. The financial crisis of 2007/8/9 really wrecked that place. It was fantastic when Ginn sur Mer owned it, but has been less than good since (i've stayed there 3 times since then, most recently Feb 2017). Hurricane Matthew destroyed the beach bar there, knocked all the electric pedestals and lights out on the docks, uprooted trees, etc. There is NOTHING to do at West End. Clear in there if you feel that you must, but I would personally just go straight onto the banks and shoot for Spanish Cay/GTC.

[nautical62]

Originally Posted by Lowcountry

....I would personally just go straight onto the banks and shoot for Spanish Cay/GTC.

Thank you for your part in discouraging people from visiting the northern Abacos, allowing the rest of us to have a beautiful, pristine anchorage or even entire island all to ourselves.

[Lowcountry]

Originally Posted by nautical62

Thank you for your part in discouraging people from visiting the northern Abacos, allowing the rest of us to have a beautiful, pristine anchorage or even entire island all to ourselves.

I didn't discourage anyone from visiting anywhere other than West End. Do you disagree with my assessment of what Old Bahama Bay has become?

[pete33458]

Originally Posted by Lowcountry

I didn't discourage anyone from visiting anywhere other than West End. Do you disagree with my assessment of what Old Bahama Bay has become?

From my perspective, it was very useful. I haven't been there in about 5 years so it is good to know what the situation is. Pete

[nautical62]

Originally Posted by Lowcountry

I didn't discourage anyone from visiting anywhere other than West End. Do you disagree with my assessment of what Old Bahama Bay has become?

My comment wasn't about West End, Grand Bahama, it was regarding the part of your previous post I quoted about shooting across the banks to Spanish Cay and the southern Abacos. I'm glad this is what most cruisers do as it leaves the northern cays much more unvisited for those of us who enjoy having an entire island all to ourselves. I think it's pretty cool that one can find such isolation so close to the large boating cities of southern Florida.

As for WE, personally, I'm not much into marines, especially in the Abacos where there are so many wonderful anchorages, add to that WE is more expensive than most. I tend to check in after a day crossing, anchor out and be on my way early the next day.