# Sailing a small boat ( San Juan 23) from Florida to Bahamas questions



## cdy (Nov 10, 2013)

Thinking about taking my trailerable from Miami to the Bahamas this fall - aiming for Bimini and then maybe Abacos - or something closer. 
The boat is in good shape with fairly new rigging - it has a shoal keel with a centerboard than helps going to windward - the centerboard is not part of the ballast.
Main has on reef, have several sized headsails but no rollerfurling, I would go solo.

I have sailed much larger boats offshore in races on Florida's east coast - both with crew and without - have singlehanded boats as large as a Cal 36.

I obviously would pick my weather window carefully - I beleive the boat would be fine - more worried about me - haha.

Concerns I would have - attachment of the rudder - reinforce pintails possibly ( or carry extra rudder and tiller). Ability to carry enough gas - have a 6hp 4 stroke on the back with extra long shaft - I would prefer a larger boat to do it in - but have 4 teenagers - so a larger boat will have to wait. Also being trailerable easy and fast to get the boat to Miami or Key Largo to cross.

Any other items I should be thinking about?


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## cloudwarmer (Sep 14, 2011)

Lord Bless, Keep, and Shine upon you, keeping your voyage safe and pleasurable.


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## timangiel (Sep 8, 2006)

Do you have a way to call for help should you need to?


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

What is the worst thing that could happen? Right?


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## cdy (Nov 10, 2013)

I would have fixed vhf and a handheld plus probably get personal tracker device.

worse things that could happen, no 
different than on a big boat, hit something hard - land reef or other boat


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Certainly has been done in smaller boats. What kind of navigation equipment do you have? How are your navigation skills? Heck the crazy Russian drifted most of the way across the Pacific in his San Juan. 

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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

Because of the short water line length of your SJ23 and its relatively slow 'hull speed' .... Id recommend to start MUCH further south for your crossing - say, Anglefish Creek (bottom of Biscayne Bay) or Rodriguez Key so be able to 'make' Bimini. Assuming a nominal 4Kts cruising speed and the GS at _sometimes a max_. flow of 2-3kts., and if you left from Miami would require you to steer about 35° more southerly than a direct rhumb line to Bimini. Going at 30-35° 'into' the GS current will take you _twice as long_ to cross that ~50-60 miles. Better to ride 'with' the GS current than 'against' it. Such a crossing of the GS 'with' the current is much faster even with more distance travelled.

The same would apply if crossing from Ft. LaDeDah to West End or to enter the Little Bahama Bank at 'Memory Rock' (Abacos). 
For the return - WestEnd / Little Bahamas Bank to Ft. Pierce. ... or Bimini to Palm Beach.

Obviously, in a SJ23 you'd need a wide 'weather window' to insure 'smooth seas'. For weather info, Id suggest getting a portable *SSB* / 'short wave' radio receiver (with a 'long wire' antenna that you can raise in the rigging), and then 'listen in' to a router, such as Carib Weather/Chris Parker on 4.014mHz (Upper Side Band) at 7-8AM. https://www.mwxc.com/ The Sangean 909 series are probably the best. NOAA is very inaccurate for 'smooth' Gulf Stream crossings, especially when there are large swells on the Florida Straits.

Amazon.com: Sangean ATS-909X AM/FM/LW/SW World Band Receiver: [email][email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com[/email]/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@41KrLXklC4L


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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

CalebD said:


> What is the worst thing that could happen? Right?


you'd eventually make land in .... Ireland.


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## Lake Superior Sailor (Aug 23, 2011)

I think it's more about you than anything, So you should know better than anyone!....Dale


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

I have seen some tiny boats in the Bahamas. How did they get there?

Sailing a Com-Pac 16 Sailboat to the Bahamas Single-handed

A recent thread over at CF - An old man takes a small boat to the Bahamas... - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

A nice blog about "Microcruising" - Microcruising


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

Here's a thread on the Catalina Direct forums about a couple that crossed and spent six weeks in a Catalina 22:
Bahamas



> Yes we made it safely back from the Bahamas after spending six weeks over there. It was a real adventure and a learning experience!!! We covered a total of 831 nautical miles. We launched in Key Largo and then crossed over to Bimini. From there we went on to: the Berry Islands - New Providence - the Exuma chain - Eleuthra - the Abacos - and then back to Vero Beach, Florida by way of the Ft. Pierce Inlet. We were the smallest cruising boat (either power or sail) that we saw the entire trip.


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## WheresTheBrakes (Sep 29, 2008)

Worth mentioning, I read somewhere that there may be a ferry that could bring the boat across to the Bahamas.

Someone said, Don't look for "ferry" companies -- you need a "freight forwarding" company that specializes in automotive transport to the Caribbean/Bahamas. Most of them will be out of Miami or Ft Lauderdale


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I agree that you should depart from Rodrigez Key, then you will, weather permitting, be able to make the crossing in a long day.

Additionally, I would purchase a Spot Messenger, which would allow you to keep in touch with family and friends, and additionally, have a bit of added security. 

Good luck,

Gary


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

Unless you really want to go to Bimini, just skip it. Go to Great Harbour Cay in the Berry's to check in. Once you are there, it's an amazing place once you make your way to the east side. With a shallow draft like yours, you can spend weeks there easily. Check our your Explorer Charts. For some reason, many cruisers ignore the Berry islands. No idea why. They are a gem.










With the typical east to southeast winds, you get a nice angle down to Nassau too, if you are heading to the Exumas.










Ralph


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

I've done a considerable number of Fla to Bimini or the NE/NW Providence Channel and back and have found a good average current for the crossing is 2.5 miles north per hour on the water.
Since Ft Ldle is 49 miles from Bimini. If you do 5 knots it would take you 10 hours. 10 hours at 2.5 kn is 25 miles, so you aim for a point 25 nautical miles south of the entrance to Bimini and you should end up right where you want to be.
At least it nearly always worked before electronic navigation.
The one thing about the Ldle/Bimini crossing is that it's really short and can be done in daylight, on most boats. Miami is definitely a better angle on the Gulfstream, but more time on what can be one of the most treacherous bits of water I have ever encountered on this planet.


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

capta said:


> Since Ft Ldle is 49 miles from Bimini. If you do 5 knots it would take you 10 hours. 10 hours at 2.5 kn is 25 miles, so you aim for a point 25 nautical miles south of the entrance to Bimini and you should end up right where you want to be.
> At least it nearly always worked before electronic navigation.
> The one thing about the Ldle/Bimini crossing is that it's really short and can be done in daylight, on most boats. Miami is definitely a better angle on the Gulfstream, but more time on what can be one of the most treacherous bits of water I have ever encountered on this planet.


On our first crossing from No Name Harbor to Bimini, I tried a corrected course to compensate for the stream. Problem is, it would drop our speed too much. Not sure how that has worked out for others? I gave up and steered more north, allowing us to keep a decent speed of 5 knots or a bit more. We ended up 9 NM north of N. Bimini. That's why we skip Bimini, and hit the Banks north of there, then on over to Great Harbour Cay. It's also easier to make Great Harbor than the NW Channel Light if there is a moderate SE breeze.

Ralph


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## Ulladh (Jul 12, 2007)

Take a look at sailFar.net - Index

Some of the boats on that forum have made crossing to the Bahamas on small boats.


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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

capta said:


> ............ a good average current for the crossing is 2.5 miles north per hour on the water.
> Since Ft Ldle is 49 miles from Bimini. If you do 5 knots it would take you 10 hours. 10 hours at 2.5 kn is 25 miles, so you aim for a point 25 nautical miles south of the entrance to Bimini and you should end up right where you want to be.


*NOT* with a 20 ft. waterline boat!!!!

*Ft. Ladeedah to Bimini* is 125°M @ ~50 nMi.
The GS runs from ~180°M TO 0°M
Thats moving 55° *AGAINST*/across the gulf stream (and with no corrections for 'set & drift').
A SJ23 has a 20 ft waterline --> hull speed (when 'light') is 5kts, so

Assuming a .80% efficiency thats 4 kts. 'cruising speed':
Cosine 55° = 0.82
.82 X 2.5 GS kts = ~2 kts MINUS (against you)
4 - 2 = 2 = speed over ground - SOG = 2 knots
50 nMi ÷ 2 kts. = *25 HOURS*

*Anglefish Cr. *(bottom of Biscayne Bay) *to Bimini* is 71ºM @ ~54nMi
GS still @ from ~180° to 0°
Thats moving *WITH* the GS
Cosine 71° = 0.94
.94 X 2.5 GS = 2.4 kts 'boost'
4 + 2.4 = 6.4 = speed over ground = SOG
54 nMi ÷ 6.4 = 8.4 HOURS when sailing a rhumbline.
However, once you pass the 'center' of the GS (youll be about 10 miles out from the FL/Hawk Channel reefs, then add ~15-20°M and GET ACROSS the GS to stay out of the way of ship traffic in the Florida Straits, head for between Bimini and S. Riding Rock .... because in summertime and with your shallow board-up draft, you can easily run behind one of smaller cays (Cat or Gun, etc.) well south of Bimini to shelter from the 'usual' 4 o'clock thunderstorm. At boat speed of 4 kts. + 2.4kts 'boost', should take you about *10+ hours*, once you thread your way through the reefs. Time your approach into the Bimini entrance cut for close to 'slack' tide. With a SJ23 I'd avoid and wait when the tide is strongly ebbing through the cut. Use NEW (Explorer) charts when entering the NEW (2013?) cut into N.Bimini - or exactly follow the day marks or 'follow someone'.
Only problem with Bimini is that its a looooooooong way to go to the Berries, the top of Andros, or New Providence in a small waterline length boat.

For a 'first time', I suggest Ft. Lahdeedah (at before dawn) to West End (marina and entry port) ... then with a 3ft. draft consider to go slowly tiptoeing through the old shallow Indian Cut channel towards Mangrove Cay and then on to Great Sale Cay, then... Sea of Abacos towards Spanish Cay, Powell Cay, Manjack Cay etc, and then work your way east, island for island - no overnights, etc. If you have the time - Hopetown!!!!! Going back - Memory Rock (at dawn) to Ft. Pierce (GS 'with' you), etc. ... weather permitting.


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## cdy (Nov 10, 2013)

Thanks for the insight on the route - nice thing with a trailer - easy and fast to get further south to start the route. I go back and forth if I should plan a trip to the Bahamas or head to Key West and scoot over to the Dry Tortugas - I know lots of small baots that have done that - also avoids the hassles of checking in. This would be more for the adventure than going somewhere specific - Bahamas - Tortugas - either would be fine with me. As pointed out above more of a question of the sailor than the boat - I feel confident in my abilities and worse case scenario - the wife gets double the insurance if I die in an accident.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Actually, the trip to the Dry Tortugas would be more taxing than the trip to the Bahamas. During the 75 mile trip to the Dry Tortugas, you could transit the Lakes Passage after crossing the Northwest Channel, and make it to the Marquesses Keys in a single day - distance 25 miles. The next leg of the voyage, however, is about 50 miles and your route will take you across Rebecca Shoals and through some wild, open waters. I know of several boats that spent as much as 3 weeks awaiting a good weather window to depart from the Tortugas and return to Key West. That open stretch of ocean can get real lumpy during the winter months.

Good luck,

Gary


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