# Trailer sailer to make it to the bahamas?



## GCASKEW (Aug 24, 2011)

After a long heart to heart and tears, we are not going to buy a catamaran to live aboard. So I'm now looking at a total change of our plans.

I now need to find a trailer sailer that can make it to the Bahamas, with the given of waiting on a weather window.

So will a Macgreger make it with the motor to shorten your window needs? A Catalina or maybe the hunter 25?

If you folks can at least give me a direction to look or something to avoid....

Thanks


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## jtaylo9576 (Feb 19, 2011)

Why not just stick to Florida and the ICW? Crossing the Florida Straits is not the issue but crossing the Straits in such a small boat and small engine will be the challenge. Plenty of people have done it in small boats. We met a young fellow in Porta Lucaya Bahamas in May on a 27ft McGregor who was transiting Freeport on his way to Bimini (We had just sailed up from Nassau via the Berry Islands on our way back to US). He got the heck beat out of himself and the boat during a not-so-bad storm. Torn dodger and Bimini, some of his non-marine electronic equipment failed, waves crashing into cockpit etc. but he left early one morning and we all wished him well.
He was maybe 27 years old, determined, highly intelligent and idealistic. I am pretty sure he made the trip safely and I bet he has stories. Do it if you feel good about it but also talk to others who have done it and prepare yourself as best you can. Thats a lot of water between Florida and the Bahamas and in a large sailboat let alone a small one. It can, has been, and is being done all the time in small boats but proper preparation and knowledge are the factors that determine whether it will be a good trip or one that scares you out of sailing. I wish you well and maybe we will see you out there!


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Well, you could make it to Europe on a paddelboard so any trailersailor can make it to the Bahamas.

The weather window is important, but if you have to ask--then the crew propbably is not up to the job. Yet.

Get something that has a good market, easily resold. Get some experience on that, and eventually you'll be up to taking it across, or easily able to sell it and get what you feel is more suitable.


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## rgscpat (Aug 1, 2010)

A lightweight trailer sailer crossing would seem potentially painful. 

If the weather is at all rough or choppy, I'd worry about the motor popping up out of the water and the boat getting thrown around a lot. The boat might make it okay but the crew might not be so happy. A boat that's a little more solidly ballasted and stiff would probably cut through the waves much more nicely. Something like a Catalina 27 (either inboard or outboard in a motor well), or perhaps a Hake Seaward if you need to raise the keel, might be pretty decent.


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## HeartsContent (Sep 14, 2010)

The Macgregor 26X/M not only can but has done it a multitude of times.

Check out the macgregorsailors website, there are stories of several trips and you can likely join up with some others heading over.

It's draft makes it a great boat for the shallow waters of the Bahamas.

Good luck!


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

Did it many years ago in a San Juan 23. Lots of trailer sailers out there can do it if you are willing to wait for the right weather.

Remember that you need to wait for the right weather coming back, also. That means you cannot plan to wait for the right weather, go across, and then come back a week later. Might be a week later, might be two, might be three. You have to be just as willing to wait coming back as you were going across in the first place.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

denverd0n said:


> Remember that you need to wait for the right weather coming back, also. That means you cannot plan to wait for the right weather, go across, and them come back a week later. Might be a week later, might be two, might be three. You have to be just as willing to wait coming back as you were going across in the first place.


Coming back is MUCH easier and although you might get unlucky and have a prolonged period of north winds I would think that 80%+ days would be suitable for the return trip.

Keep the washboards in though just in case.


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

GCASKEW, what is your tow vehicle and your budget? Our club, the MMA, occasionally sponsors a trip to the Islands. The flotilla has included a Hunter 23, a McGreagor 23, up to a Hunter 28.5. All came back safe and sound. The key as other posters have pointed out is wait for the weather, don't be on a schedule and keep the washboards in.


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## sww914 (Oct 25, 2008)

You could do it in a kayak. You'd better be a damned good kayaker and have great weather. A small trailer sailor is just a step up from that. You'd better be good and plan well. Might as well stock up on good luck talismans too. You can do it but you have to do it right and be ready for when it goes wrong.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

GCASKEW said:


> After a long heart to heart and tears, we are not going to buy a catamaran to live aboard. So I'm now looking at a total change of our plans.


This is quite a downgrade. I'm wondering how satisfied both will be if it was this emotional to change direction.


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## emoney (Jun 2, 2010)

I think a lot of questions like these are usually answered by the poster after they've spent a certain amount of time on the water. If you've never sailed before, the answer is "no". If you're an "old salt" at sailing, then obviously you wouldn't be asking. (Am I making any sense?)

Everybody is different, much more so than the boats we sail in. Spend some serious time on a sailboat, get yourself 8-10 miles offshore (or however far it takes you to no longer be able to make out even a hint of land) to where the water starts to get "bluer" and then you'll know. 70 miles doesn't seem like a lot, when your frame of reference is land. 70 miles on open water, traveling about 5 1/2 miles an hour, is an entirely different scenario.

In other words, it's much too early to be asking the question, let alone making decisions based on a theoretical answer.


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

emoney said:


> I think a lot of questions like these are usually answered by the poster after they've spent a certain amount of time on the water. If you've never sailed before, the answer is "no". If you're an "old salt" at sailing, then obviously you wouldn't be asking.


Very good point. There are a whole lot of questions that should always be answered "no," just because anyone who is ready for a "yes" would not feel the need to ask in the first place.

In this case, I would say that asking "can such-and-such a boat make the journey?" is a question that can be answered either yes or no. (But then, the answer is pretty much always "yes" as it is the sailor, not the boat, that really makes the difference.)

If the OP had asked "am I ready to sail across the Gulf Stream?" then I would say "no." And I would say "no" to anyone who asked that question. Simply because, by the time you are ready for it, you won't need to ask a bunch of strangers on an internet forum. You'll just know.


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## MarkCK (Jan 4, 2009)

Macgregor make a boat that can handle a fifty horse outboard (maybe 25). If you purchase that model it may be a good choice to make the crossing. If you are new to sailing, empty the water ballast crank up the outboard and make the crossing quick and simple.


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## tomfl (May 29, 2011)

While there are lots of unknowns the OP may well have no issues launching a boat from a trailer, sailing it across the Stream, cruising the Bahamas for a while and returning. On the other hand there could be real problems just getting the boat off the trailer and in the water.

My first thought when hearing "trailer sailer to the Bahamas" was a Corsair 31. It is one of the easier boats to get in the water from a trailer, sails like a bat out of hell, has lots of deck space, and standing head room if there is rain. There is limited storage, but that is true for most boats you can put on a trailer. Shoal draft is also a big OK.

I doubt there is an easier boat to sail to the Bahamas that you can put on a trailer. Even a novice can sail the C31 very fast. While it is possible to get in trouble if the weather turns this is true for any boat.

Other options would be a Dragonfly (harder to find than a unicorn) and a Telstar. The Telstar is more suited for cruising, but slower and lacks the fit and finish of the C31. You can put a 50HP outboard on the Telstar if you like that idea.

I am not so sure the OP was asking if he could cross the stream as much as asking for advice about which boat would be best for him to do it in.

Just as an aside I would ask where he lives and how long he expects to sort out the boat before he leaves for the Bahamas. Even a couple of weeks sailing around SE Florida and maybe the Keys would provide enough knowledge to assess if he was ready to go to the Bahamas.


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## Yankee (May 11, 2012)

Don't let yourself be fooled by the lack of complaints from those who tried and never made it.
What ever you decide, Good Luck.


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## solarfry (Sep 6, 2008)

There are a lot of McGregor 25, 26, 26x and 26s that have cruised the Bahamas after motoring across. There are some newer McGregor sailboats that are powered by up to 110HP and can achieve 20 knot cruising speed. At 20 knots it is only 3 hrs to Bimini from Miami. Most motor over and then sail from island to island. Sailing across is not recommended as you will have to deal with the Gulfstreams 2 to 3 mph northward flow. Always Keep all hatches closed when sailing offshore. In case of a knockdown you don't want the water to flow into your cabin before the boat recovers. BTDT.

There are some posts of McGregor cruises with pictures and adventures online. There are also couple of MacGregor forums. 

Do not forget to take a decent GPS chartplotter and a VHF radio. 

The key, like in any boating adventure is to pick the right weather. Never go across to bank with a Northerly wind as this tends to make waves steeper and closer together. There are a lot of weather windows lasting 4 or 5 days. The best times are usually from March through June so you don't have to worry about Hurricanes. I usually cross in May with a flexible return window so I am not pressed to venture back in wrong weather.

People go across on Catalina 22's all the time. Quite a few go in 13 and 15' whalers. Heck there's a site by a couple in an HMS Potter 19' that cruised the Bahamas.

There are a lot of "experts" that would not leave the dock in anything smaller than 100 feet and specialize in scaring others from attempting any voyage in a small boat. They are afraid to get wet. Also watch out for the experts in sailing (salespersons) trying to sell you a boat of their choosing.

It's not the boat as much as it is the sailor that goes across. Boats with hatches closed can take much more than any sailor. Then again, some sailors are so clueless they should stay in a lake.

If still afraid, try going across with a group. Lot's of people gang up in groups to go across. This is one group that has done the trip -> New England Trailer Sailors. You can also google "Chinook in the Bahama" Mcgregor sailors.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Our 23 footer has been to the Bahamas and back, to Newfoundland and back, and seen three of the five Great Lakes. There is no susbstitute for waterline when it comes to making the ride more comfortable, BUT that doesn't mean it can't be done in a smaller boat. LOA does not necessarily define amenities, comfort and seaworthiness. I have no doubt a macgregor powersailer can make the crossing. Personally, I find the cockpit to be cramped, i don't like the "up and over" aspect of the deck layout, I like having a v-berth one can close off and I like having an inboard diesel and a transom ladder that is designed for real people, not anorexics.

A Seaward 25 can be had for damn near the same money as a Mac 26M, and is a better sailboat.


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

bljones said:


> A Seaward 25 can be had for damn near the same money as a Mac 26M, and is a better sailboat.


Heck, if we're talking about prices for new or recent model trailer-sailers, why not buy a solid older 27' keelboat for $3-5k, then invest the rest of what you were planning to spend conservatively and use that to pay for the slip?


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