Sailing to Bahamas

[team karst]

Stay west of 80 deg long. But dont hit the PB inlet jettys, or the divers at the Breakers reef. Its busy near shore in Palm Beach County

[MicHughV]

Hug the coast means just that....you want to see the color of the eyes of the people on the beach...ok...maybe not that close, but you get the idea.

Some years back (before the advent of Seatow), I left WPB in company with another boat on a night crossing...we weren't a mile out the inlet and his engine quit..but, by the time I got to him and we arranged to tow him back in, I was surprised to see how far north we had drifted...it took several hours to tow him back.

Not sure how close the Gulf Stream flows next to WPB, but my guess would be 1/2 mile to 1 mile...maybe less...???...would love to hear from others...

[DougR]

According to “marineweather.gov”, today the west wall of the stream is approx. 12 miles E of WPB.

[NakedCity]

I leave Jacksonville and hug the coast south and start looking for an opportunity to turn left when I start getting hear Ft Pierce. Best trip was 52 hours Mayport to Great Sale

[Pitchondesign]

Originally Posted by DougR

According to “marineweather.gov”, today the west wall of the stream is approx. 12 miles E of WPB.

Take a look at the currents tab in Windy. It shows the Stream is virtually at the coast at Lake Worth inlet.

[s/v Jedi]

I have sailed back and forth from Port Canaveral many times. Here is my recommendation:

Coming from Jax, check out South-East shoal at Cape Canaveral. It has two red markers, 2 & 4. Go through the channel in between them, to the fish haven just south of the Port Canaveral approach channel.

From the fish haven (go right through it), steer for the Bethel Shoal marker, keeping it close to starboard. Crom there aim for the St Lucy Shoal buoys. Round them tight, we have experienced 1.4kts current just to the east of them. Now keep hugging the coast, aiming to keep the red/white outer LW (Lake Worth) buoy to -port-.

Check the screenshot: you see a red and purple dotted line east of what I describe: this was our last return trip, where we were doing 11 knots over ground riding the current. Along the coast you see the red buoys or the blue shallower (<50’) line south that you follow to keep out of the current. But by the time you are at the red/white LW marker, you will have 1-1.5kts against you.

On the way here I can recommend stops in Ft Pierce and Lake Worth / West Palm Beach. We normally skip them but sometimes you have good weather to sail south but not to cross so they are convenient stops then.

When you are at the LW marker, the best thing to do is change course to a heading of 115 degrees and make speed. Use the engine if there’s not enough wind. The current will push you north, don’t counter steer, keep that heading and observe your course over ground. It will go further and further north, then it’ll stabilize and start ticking back towards east again.

For timing, our goal is to cross onto the bank at Memory Rock at 4pm. Now you have a choice: proceed towards Mangrove Cay (just anchor there) for a night rest, or enjoy the calm waters and keep sailing towards Great Sale Cay, aiming for the north side. There’s rocks there as shown by the chart and we did this during the day our first time there, but when you have good navigation and maybe radar, with good weather, I would say it’s pretty safe to continue at night.

For checking in we prefer to go to Coopers Town harbor (China Harbour) where you moor at the seawall and on weekday mornings can check in. We have been able to check in during weekends when a customs officer happens to be on site for a commercial ship coming in. There are no extra fees here and it is a very protected harbour.

[wheelerwbrian]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

As a side note.....at night, I thought I would sea the lighthouse at Hope Town...but I never saw it.

On another trip I was returning from Bermuda and was making for the Abaco's from the east.... making right for Elbow Cay, again, I was hoping to see the lighthouse at Hope Town...but never saw it....even though I was in range to see it....at least I thought I was....

It is supposedly visible from 20 nm offshore....

20M is the distance the light can be seen...on a flat surface. That's the nominal range based on candlepower. You then have to correct for your height, the light's height and curvature of the earth.

Fortunately there are tables for that --

[Amapola]

We cross in Florida to take advantage of the Gulf Stream.

[kapnkarl]

From the Nation Weather Service in Miami...

The approximate location of the west wall of the Gulf Stream as of
Feb 24, 2022 at 12 UTC...

26 nautical miles northeast of Fowey Rocks.
9 nautical miles east of Port Everglades.
3 nautical miles east northeast of Lake Worth.
6 nautical miles east northeast of Jupiter Inlet.

[theBigKahuna]

There's a reason our ancestors mastered the Trade Winds and using the Gulf Stream. Personally, I'd rather learn from the learned than trying to reinvent the wheel and then... use the Trade Winds and Gulf Stream. IMHO.

[Moontide]

There are various sources for seeing what the Gulf Stream is doing. From the north it makes great sense to cross the GS early then try to hook onto a counter current at which time the GS actually turns into a boost.



The trip down the coast can be great with the ability to do day hops with many places to stop / hang out. Kind of "the journey is the destination" deal. If one wants to get to the Bahamas quicker and likes being at sea then direct is also a great trip (with the right weather window).


Enjoy the journey.

[wheelerwbrian]

https://ocean.weather.gov/sst/GulfStream_compare.php

https://ocean.weather.gov/index.php

Amazing amount of data in the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center. Your tax dollars at work.

[Tin Tin]

Go to passage weather https://www.passageweather.com/, select the yellow box Fl-Bahamas, then click on gulf stream, it will give you a perspective on how to sail a path through that.

[JanetGroene]

WE made the crossing many times, always by sailing south as far as Miami area or the Keys to get a better bite on the Gulf Stream. In meeting people who made the jump from more northern spots I find that many were in such a hurry to make landfall, they never got beyond the northern Bahamas, thus missing some of the best cruising and a chance to meet the full range of Bahamian culture.

[MicHughV]

Most people leaving from WPB make for West End in the Abaco's, B'mas.
I find this requires too much southing to battle the Gulf Stream.

Far easier to cross just south of Memory Rock...