NY to Bahamas - First Time - Offshore

[SV Coronado]

Originally Posted by GordMay

* Atlas of Pilot Charts ➥ https://msi.nga.mil/Publications/APC
Oct ➥ https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications....pdf&type=view
Nov ➥ https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications....pdf&type=view

Hey GordMay, it looks like you pasted in the URLs for the S. Atlantic. Here are the pilot charts for the N. Atlantic.

Pilot Chart of N. Atlantic - October
Pilot Chart of N. Atlantic - November

[Nickodemus]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

So, I've never done a trip south. I keep going north. But:

It's 2-4 days to Bermuda.
It's 6-10 days to go south.

It seems to me that even in hurricane season, modern weather predictions seem to give that much notice. You make a plan, but don't actually depart untill the forecast is clear.

It is very possible that my perception is colored by the fact that I live on the Chesapeake, and that's close to a week further along in the hurricane life cycle. Maybe they go from a low to a hurricane to "here it is NOW" in the Caribbean much faster.

Sorry, but in what world does a CS 30 do 600 nautical miles in 2-4 days? And that’s leaving from Norfolk.

[PineyWoodsPete]

Welcome to the Atlantic hurricane season! #1 is Franklin, well-developed and strengthening, gusting over 100kts now with 35' seas, to pass W of Bermuda (Hamilton on the attached real-time Windy chart). The "dot" of the pointer is at roughly 25-65. TS Idalia is expected to intensify and become #2 hurricane, tracking NE in-shore of Hamilton, also tracking NE. The E coast will become a maelstrom of wind against Gulf Stream. And as always, more to come!

[Nicholson58]

Salty Dawgs is noted twice above. There is an open webinar series available now. Deadline for the fall rally is approaching. See post 9

[Kitegirlz]

Bahamas is very windy in winter isolated and shallow. Suggest proceed to BVI, ( the kiddy pool) great for beginners especially in a monohull. Bring a very experienced savvy sailor with you for passage.

[Nicholson58]

Here are two similar to Montanan #4. There is no safe place on the OP’s route before November. Note Trinidad in the clear. That’s why we summer season in Chaguaramas, Trinidad every year. No worries. Headed south to Power Boats in October.

[Solmate47]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Salty Dawgs leave From Hampton, Va and a few other East Coast locations around November first. This departure date is pretty hard due to insurance restrictions on most boats. Consider joining the rally. There are benefits including rout planning and weather routing. This will help you avoid storms and give you a favorable entry to cross the stream. Lots of other assistance is available. The Dawgs have a booth at the Annapolis sail boat show. The main rally goes to Antigua but many cruisers also have the Bahamas as a destination.

https://www.saltydawgsailing.org/

I concur with Roxy's suggestion. Go with a group. Take advantage of other sailors that have done it before. Exchange weather, thoughts, ideas, strategies, spares. Have shore-based weather routing and coordinators. The Salty Dawgs also offers seminars on everything from passage planning, fishing, navigation, weather, etc. Going to sea (really offshore) for the first time is a fantastic experience, don't mess it up by not having the education and support you need.

[Peeew]

I believe that weather forecasting is best for a few days. Outlooks for big stuff can be a bit better. So I try to give myself an “out” in case I need one. Consider planning a stop in the southern Chesapeake bay. Not much out of the way and you can still sail at Night etc. When the weather suits you you can head past Hatteras and keep going until you are past the Gulf Stream. Then straight for the Abacos. Norfolk to Little Bahama Bank is 5-6 days for me in a 46 ft monohull. If the offshore weather only seems good for a few days you can follow closer to the coast until you want to cross over.
I enjoy the Bahamas a lot more than the Virgin Islands for longer trips. 700 islands and lots of shallow water to anchor securely. To each their own.

[TMarvin]

First time offshore I assume your planning involved much more than routes. You do have life raft with supplies, flares, epirb, sat phone (vhf won’t work out there) cold/wet weather gear, and the list goes on. Otherwise stay close enough to shore for cell phone or vHF to work like 10 miles. Not trying to make you more nervous just be prepared there is no help offshore except for you and the crew. With that said it’s the most exciting freeing thing you can do with your life! The adventure and stories will last a lifetime. Don’t forget enough fishing gear sailboat are perfect for trolling!

[Sun and Moon]

Easiest route is to hop down the coast and wait in Miami for a weather window, then just a 60 mile day trip across to Bimini. Any other route means you should really wait at least a few more weeks and you better be prepared for serious stormy ocean weather.

Going down the coast I would certainly advise going inside on the ICW around Hatteras. I found the swamps of S Carolina to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Here are two similar to Montanan #4. There is no safe place on the OP’s route before November. Note Trinidad in the clear. That’s why we summer season in Chaguaramas, Trinidad every year. No worries. Headed south to Power Boats in October.

Every place on OP’s route is safe before November when there is no storm. Storms can be everywhere incl. outside hurricane zones and with just as much force.

This is why you do weather routing.

[jalmberg]

Originally Posted by CS30 Lee Rig

Hello all !

Planning to leave from NY to the Bahamas in October 2023.
I would like to hear your recommended routes.
I've heard about heading to 25N65W and then south.
Is it any other shorter way or more wind/weather favorable to head to Bahamas ?

Any comments and experiences are very welcome !

First, check your insurance. Many policies have restrictions about heading south before November, for example.

Second, 25N65W is just north of the BVIs. Not on the way to the Bahamas.

Third, a 30’ boat can sail beautifully to windward in a light chop, but will struggle offshore in adverse weather. You will need to be strategic to make this trip.

Presuming your long distance experience is limited, it’s prudent to take it easy on the first trip down, in my opinion. The wind heading south will often be against you, or just plain nasty. You can jump from one all weather inlet to the next when the weather looks good, and then continue to make progress south on the ICW when the weather is adverse.

In the spring, when the weather is generally better and the prevailing wind more favorable, you can try sailing direct from the Bahamas to Hatteras (or even beyond if your luck holds out) non-stop.

Sailing south outside the Gulf Stream would be faster, but you and your boat would need to be ready for whatever King Neptune throws at you, because there won’t be time to run for cover. You probably want to work up to that.

Good luck!

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by Nickodemus

Sorry, but in what world does a CS 30 do 600 nautical miles in 2-4 days? And that’s leaving from Norfolk.

You are right. I live in Annapolis, 200 miles up the Chesapeake, and I've always remembered that Bermuda was 600 miles -- but I thought that was 600 TOTAL miles (ie, 400 ocean miles! Ooops). I haven't done that trip in something like 30 years. So using a 150 mile/day number (what I was using in my mistaken assumption), we are talking 4-6 days. (6kts to 4 kts -- a reasonable assumption if some motoring is permitted).



With that more appropriate 4-6 day window, and looking at Franklin (bashing Bermuda as we speak), go back to Advisory 007 (early Tuesday AM). https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/gra...track#contents
It predicts for the Bermuda area (not on their map, but a guess) earliest TS winds Sat AM (5 days). Moving forward to Advisory 33, and it looks more like Mon/Tue. Of course, Idalia makes a mess of the whole plan.....(and Idalia went from Advisory 001 to currently predicted TS winds at Norfolk in under 4 days -- disproving my hypothesis, and worse, initial advisory to landfall in FL in just 3 days).



My point is NOT that you should run out in front of a Hurricane with 1 day of grace before it hits. But rather, that you can see when there is one that is likely to hit during your passage. They don't tend to pop up in under 7 days from "never noticed it" to "OMG."


It would be interesting to make a log. Look at the run from Norfolk to Bermuda, departing "today" (but don't log any day where the forecast shows a hurricane of concern). Watch for the next 6 days. See if that would have been a prudent departure.


The challenge is that we "know" it's hurricane season. And we "know" they are horrible. But no one ever sits down and armchair analyzes the actual impact. And real world experience is much harder, more dangerous, and a much smaller sample set (you only get to record the ones you actually did).



Of course, we have contemporary real examples of skippers who made those choices. The Bounty. El Faro. But was their forecast "clear" or "we can handle it."

[catalystcat]

If you can't match up with Salty Dawgs for some reason, you can still sail with an "almost flotilla" if you leave from VA in Nov. Pretty much every weather window heading out around then has a group of boats sailing So.

Lots of company to be had, most of whom have done this route before.

[jheyland]

"First Time - Offshore"...


For first time offshore in hurricane season I would suggest that hops down the East coast may well be appropriate, crossing the Gulf stream in from FL. Mark the entrances to harbors/ICW so if nasty weather is coming, you can duck in. If you have good weather, you can stay outside. It's a longer route but staying no more than a 24 hour sail from the coast will be exciting enough for a first time offshore.