Crossing the Gulf of Mexico - specific scenario

[VChild]

Originally Posted by tradrockrat

That is definitely the plan once we get around the Keys.

But I swear, the lack of, "In May, the typical weather and currents send sailors from Galveston towards "point A" and then to "point B" etc" is crazy scarce.

I heard from another Tayana owner that they have gone Galveston - Mississippi river - Marathon. So that's the first time somebody told me a specific route they have taken.

I can tell you that "typical" weather in May can be very unpredictable. A few years ago I sailed from Pensacola to Key West in the beginning of May and then, the following year, did it again, also in the beginning of May. The weather was completely different the second time. The plan was Pensacola Pass to St. Petersburg (48 hours), with bailouts in Panama City or Port St. Joe. Then St. Petersburg to Key West (36 hours) with bailouts in Venice Inlet and Ft. Myers. The first year was essentially motoring the entire way. The winds were 0-2kts and Gulf was as flat as a mirror.

The next year, however, was quite different despite leaving on the same date at the beginning of May. Before exiting Pensacola Pass, we had to anchor at Fort McRae for 2 days waiting on a strong late season cold front to pass. After the front passed and the Gulf waves calmed down a bit (still 6-8 ft.), we headed out straight toward St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, a second front quickly followed and we had to divert to Panama City. We tied up at Panama City Marina a few hours before the front hit. It was another strong one, strong enough that the dredging boats were brought in to harbor which, according to the marina, doesn't happen very often. There were white caps in the marina. A large Grand Banks Trawler was blown around in its slip so hard that it damaged the pier and the pier tore up the entire side of the hull.

After conditions finally calmed down, and the small craft advisory was lifted, we headed out toward St. Petersburg. As we neared the Tampa area, we elected to take a slip at Clearwater city marina due to slip availability and an approaching third cold front. The front passed through Clearwater the next day and that night we had wind speeds around 50kts in the marina. Notice TWS on the image of the chart plotter.

After things calmed down in Clearwater, we finally made an uneventful passage straight to Key West. What should have been a 48hr leg and a 36hr leg from Pensacola to Key West actually turned into about a week and a half.

Even on the way back home, toward the end of May, there was another strong front crossing the Gulf. The plan was a straight shot from Key West to St. Petersburg but we had to divert into Ft. Myers. We didn't make it in time and around 3:00am the winds quickly piped up from 18kts to about 35kts. The waves felt huge but we couldn't see them due to total darkness. We did hear the Coast Guard on the radio responding to a Mayday call. It was a fishing vessel farther out in the Gulf taking on water. We arrived at Pink Shell Marina in Ft. Myers just after daylight. Completely exhausted, we treated ourselves to a nice breakfast in the resort while looking out at the breaking waves in the Gulf. We then retreated back to the boat and slept the rest of the day.

So much for mild, predictable weather in May.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by makoman

If you choose to go into Marathon, Marathon marina is deep and has deep water access to the channel going under the 7 mile bridge. Its a known stop over for deep draft boats.

Yes I call on the marina 2-3 times a year on deliveries.

The issue is west of the bridge and ICW to the GOM.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Catboat Willy

We did this trip in early April/May from Kemah, Tx to Fort Myers, FL on a Swan 55 with four sailors aboard. It was the first leg of a trip to Aruba. We headed south until the end of the safety zone out of Kemah. We purposely left so that we had the light of a full moon to navigate by as there are many unlighted stand pipes and oil rig paraphernalia in the gulf that are poorly marked or unmarked on your chart plotter maps. Always keep a sharp look out at night. Route was direct to Ft. Myers, FL as it has excellent repair and re-provisioning facilities. With your draft, I'd head from Ft. Myers and a one day trip over night to Marathon in the Keys. (If you need to see Key West, take the county bus from Marathon to Key West . Once on the east side of Florida.....well, you have good advice by others. But use the Gulf Stream. Good luck.

Good advice. Ive dont LOT of sailing in GOM. Have made the trip from TX to FL and vice-versa several times using both the ICW and offshore and a mix thereof depending on weather/schedule/breakage etc.

First, respect the GOM. The conditions can get very ugly very quickly, life threatening ugly. Add extensive areas of commercial hazards (both fixed and underway) and you have a risky environment for a small boat.

TX coast routing offshore. I like to run the edge of the safety fairways until out of the dense areas of the oil patch. This keeps you clear of most fixed hazards and out of the way of big traffic.

GOM Route. If you just want to get from TX to FL as directly as possible then go in March when you can still catch a good cold front, but are out of the worst of the Winter fronts, and head straight to Key West or Ft. Myers on the back edge of a cold front. You are however missing many good cruising venues by taking the direct route. One reason you may not be finding a fixed routing recommendation is that the possibilities are nearly infinite depending upon your objectives and constraints. There are lots of great stops along the way, seems a shame to just skip them all.

When. The OP seems to be looking for some form of absolute routing for May...this is not possible. The winds, currents, weather, and sea state are all very dynamic in the GOM. The Pilot Charts etc give you a general idea of when to go and routing, but it all comes down to what is actually happening in the next few days. May is not a bad choice, but April would be better and give you more lead time, March gives you the option to use cold fronts. April - June are the calmest months per the Pilot Charts, but Ive had my butt kicked by the GOM in all three!

Gulf Loop Current. Get famailiar with it and get position update immediately prior to departure. It is highly variable in both location and velocity. I have encountered it as far N as 160nm S of Mobile!

My suggestion is to have a genaral plan and route, but leave it open to change based on immediate conditions (as many above have detailed). I too have had to re-route several times due to unexpected severe weather and/or equipment issues.

[tradrockrat]

Thanks again everyone.

Just to be clear - I was primarily asking for actual examples of routes traveled by sailors. I'm not actually looking for some absolute route, nor am I looking for ways to sneak on by in the ICW, so there's no need to worry about whether I could or couldn't. But I do appreciate all the information shared by all of you.

As I stated in my OP, while everything has to be flexible of course, there are limits - it's a specific scenario.

I can not go before May. I don't WANT to go later than May.
I am moving the boat to Maryland and not planning on a pleasure cruise - I want to do it as efficiently as the weather, crew, inevitable boat repairs, and conditions allow. That and my boat's draft / mast height take the ICW off the table.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to force myself to sail on some "time limit", but I'm not spending multiple days in ports sightseeing either.

I will certainly study the weather, gulf stream, etc and plan accordingly, but thanks to all of you on this thread, I now have some common routes to plan for. Thanks again!

[Sailmon]

We have not made the trip from Texas, but do spend a lot of time cruising the Gulf. A number of our cruising friends who have made the trip from Texas tell harrowing tales of contrary currents (adding substantial time to the trip) and bouts of frightening weather. I think the most important thing to take into consideration when routing and weather planning are the dangers (in the Gulf and riding the stream up the East Coast) of wind opposing current - which can create conditions ranging from uncomfortable, through frightening, to life threatening. I also second the notion that despite the fact that you are considering this a delivery, there are a number of amazing places to stop in Florida - especially since you will need to stop occasionally for fuel & provisioning... possibly repairs. It’s possible to keep moving AND stop to smell the roses. As a reminder, we own sailboats that travel at 6 knots for a reason. You could make the trip a lot faster in an express cruiser with 500 HP ‘under the hood’. As the saying goes - a power boater usually arrives at their destination when they arrive at their destination. A sailor arrives at their destination when they set foot aboard the boat No judgment intended - just apples and oranges. I happen to enjoy & deliver both power and sail. We live aboard sail.

[SV_Sea_Life]

Jump on top of the loop current and ride it south. AIS is imperative until you get halfway to Florida (though a good idea anywhere, any time). Deepwater oil drilling is happening on the outer continental shelf and the bigger rigs and platforms have exclusion zones up to 2 nm radius. AIS will have the details. Lots of work boat traffic in addition to shipping.

I did the trip from Ft Lauderdale to Seabrook TX Last year. Make sure you’re ready for the thunderstorms. Lots of energy being released by GOM’s warm water.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Mickeyrouse

Right. Lake Okeechobbe doesn’t have tides. But the locks at Port Mayaca, west of the bridge, are in place to prevent salt water incursion into the lake, so since there are no other control structures between Mayaca, and St. Lucie Inlet it's safe to assume there is tidal influence in the St. Lucie Canal.
According to current Navionics charts- at some point, we either accept charts or we don’t- The Florida East Coast Railroad Bridge is fixed at 55 ft.
I will point out that this is a variance- Florida has raised a lot of bridges, especially on the East Coast- since we were last there, and the bridges at Mayaca and Indian Town (Published 50 ft. at the time) were known then for cruisers employing 55 gal drums of water on their side decks to heel enough to make the bridge clearance. Sounds like more weight than I want on my decks, which is why we didn’t do Okeechobee.

You’ve killed off the st lucie locks? But why!?!

I can also promise you....that rail bridge is NOT 55’.