Anyone cruised the Bahamas?

ryder · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 6:03 pm Post subject: Anyone cruised the Bahamas?

Just curious if anyone has crossed the gulf stream with their c-dory and cruised the bahamas. Wife and I would like to tow the boat down their perhaps next year.
Thanks

Ryder

thataway · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 6:26 pm Post subject:

A number of the C Dorys have cruised to the Bahamas. The trip is only 60 to 100 miles--but watch out for wind against current of the Gulf Stream--and pick a calm day and run over rapidly. There are times when even 50 footers have to wait weeks to get a good window--so be prepared to wait to get a time to run back. The C Dory, with the shoal draft is an excellent boat for the Bahamas. Get one of the Bahamas guides before comming down so that you have some idea of what the problems are. During the middle of the winter there will be hundreds of boats in the more popular harbors--but with the shoal draft, you can go places were no other dare tread! Be sure and get the proper charts. Many US NOAA charts are very much out of date--there are private charts--and some chart chips (such as C map) are updated with the private chart data base.

The late spring is more likely to be better weather when the Northers die down and the crossing is likely to be smoother. The further South you can go in the Winter, the more pleasant it will be.

William and Beth Tucker · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:19 pm Post subject:

Ryder to the bahamas: We took our 25 foot C-Dory to the Bahamaas,100 miles each way and burned 41 gallons of gas with twins 90 hp hondas...It took us 5 hours to go over and 5 hours comming back...We called the Bahama tourist board and they sponsor some trips which we did with them at a cost of $75.00 ..Plus they had us docks and partys going and comming.......By the way we are going this January with our neighbor and will be missing the boat show and the C-Brats in seattle...Keep your life jacket on ! tucker

Doryman · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:59 pm Post subject:

thataway · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 10:48 pm Post subject:

There is an excellent book by Bruce Van Sant--"Gentleman's Guide to Passages South". Could this passage be done in a C Dory--most likely. Would it be a comfortable passage? Probably not. Bruce wrote this book on sailing down the Caribbean with minimal over night passages and shortest distances, and least amount pounding into the trades. Bruce subsiquently went to a Trawler (Shucker 44--a sailboat hull with larger engine) and that boat is for sale; Bruce is in poor health, so there will probably be no further updates to his book. My copy is the first edition--and it is now in the 7th or 8th edition. The updates are guaged toward motor vessels as well as sailing.

The first mantra is "Wait for Weather"--this means a relitatively unlimited time frame. The second is let your landfall stage your departure--a very valuable lesson when cruising in the caribbean or any area with coral reefs, where one wants to enter harbors with the sun high overhead.

Basically one goes down the Bahamas Chain to San Salvador, then to Mayaguana, Turks and Caicos, finally Luperon, DR and Puerto Rico. Basic principles is stay in protected water as much as possiable, and avoid going directly into the trades. When you have to go into the trades--it should be when the winds and seas are down, often during the night hours. My time in these waters was in a 62 foot, 60,000 lb displacement motor sailor with a good sized diesel and range of several thousand miles--and there were times we were uncomfortable going into the waves (those times when we had to do this).

One has to make the assumption that the C Dory has a range of at least 200 miles. Most of the legs are less than 200 miles, but with wind and current to deal with, you need this reserve. Fuel may not always be easy to get. Remember that the trade winds blow consistantly across 2500 to 3000 miles of ocean unabated, and there is the chop of 18 to 25 knots on top of that. The trades do vary from Northerly and Southerly of due East, during the year and you want to try and do the passage when the Trades are South, to get better protection from the Islands.

Security is an issue--especially in Haiti. I would choose a CD 25 as the best boat to do this trip--but it probably would be done at lower speeds, because of the chop--the seas would be high enough that the Tom Cat would have to be run at lower speeds--and with these types of seas, there would be too much slap and slam. (typical 6 to 8 foot seas which are short and very choppy, with 20 knots of wind dead ahead)

If anyone is serious about doing this route--please contact me off list--because there are many details which have to be observed for a successful voyage.

Doryman · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 11:35 pm Post subject:

Sounds like it could be done, but not by the prudent mariner. Thanks for the real-world report.

Warren

ryder · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:43 am Post subject:

Thanks for the replies. I don't want to do a carribean cruise in a boat the size of a c-dory. However putting around the bahama islands does interest me. My wife and i have been the bahamas a few times but never on our own boat. I have read alot about the crossing. As a mater of fact I have had a set of charts for the area for over 10 years. I was just curious if any other c-dorys had been there and I appreciate the replies.

Ryder

Papillon · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:58 pm Post subject:

Check out this thread and use the search tool for "Balhamas" for more threads on the subject. This is a good example why you should not be on any schedule when planning a trip to the Bahamas.

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=5969&highlight=bahamas

ryder · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:53 pm Post subject:

Thanks Mike

captd · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:53 am Post subject:

Ryder,
Do it, it is my 1st and best reason to own a boat. We have crossed over to the Bahamas at least a dozen times . We have crossed the stream 4 time with the 22 ft. Hunky Dory. On labor day or memorial day weekend I have seen a dozen small boats waiting at West End in the Abacos for the sixty mile run back to Palm Beach.( open boats) Yup! you have to wait for a good weather window. Nothing out of the North. Don't totally believe what the weather report says. When they say 2 to 4 ft. seas. It can be as flat as a pancake. I get on the radio and ask others who are out there, what it is like. If they say it is good, we go out to see for ourselves. So far we have never had to turn back. Early morning is the best.

We have a schedule to meet my daughter and son in Law on Islamorada on the 10th of Feb. Than plan on going to the Bahamas. As I have said before on this site, " The wind clocks from the west to the north to the east to the south. Be ready to go when it is ready to turn to the south. (South wind helps flatten the stream)Only one time were we fooled. Mother nature done a Hillary Clinton on us. She flip flopped. She did a 180 from the south right to the North. It got a little lumpy that time.

With the twin 40's (Hondas) we made it across in three hours. If you head out of Palm Beach in the dark, say 4:00 am. You will see the lights of West End before it gets light. The crossing is a real joy to me. Maybe not so much for Dee.
Have patience, wait for a good window.
captd

Byrdman · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:25 am Post subject:

I'll be ready after the trip to Seattle, but may need to wait till Feb-May time frame. So...who all whats to go, and what travel windows do we have in mind??

Byrdman

ryder · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:52 pm Post subject:

capt said

captd · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:00 pm Post subject:

Byrdman,
End of Feb sounds good to me. My kids will be on Islamorda until the 25th.
But if we put together a flotilla of C-Dorys, ECT. for later in March, that would be fine Too.... April and May are the better times to go and to be there. The winter breeze eases up some by then. Peanut Island is a nice place to hang around waiting for a good window to cross. ( Palm Beach)

Anyone else think they might be interested? If you like fishing , snorkeling, diving,or just plain exploring. Nippers and Petes pub would be on the agenda.
Anyone want to follow along on the charts. West End to Clear customs and top off fuel, around the top of Mangrove island, into Sail Cay anchorage, over to Allens Pensacola. Fox Town, Fish Cay and Moran cay. Powell Cay on to Man Jack, Green Turtle club with Black sound anchorage. Settlement Point ( nice little town ) Pass by Don't Rock, Great Iguana with Nippers, Marsh Harbor ( Supplies and fuel ) Man of War Cay, Hope town on down to Little Harbor ( Pete's Pub ) And thats not all................

Not necessarily in that order, but maybe you get the picture. Just to wet some interest.

captd

ajens · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:19 pm Post subject:

Byrdman · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:44 pm Post subject:

CPTD: yes, let's stay in touch. I am pretty flexible but have one or two items that have to be firmed up prior to inking the calendar. I have books inbound now. Feb-end of March/Apr timeframe sounds good to me. I can take about 3-4 weeks on this. I will have to be sure to be able to get there safely with weather windows, fly Sherryl over for a week, and be able to wait out another weather window for the return.

I will be taking a wall map/calendar up to the Seattle/Hawthorn Suit's gig Jan 23-26th 2008 to attempt to get a good feel for my 2008 travels. I know they will have some folks from the NE corner there too who have worked with those gatherings. Not sure any of our FL folks are signed up yet to open up some of those waters we have not yet traveled in the last couple of years...??

Byrdman