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Hoping to buy a boat now located in Galveston area, and need route advice from there to Tampa area. I'd appreciate any input regarding preferred distances offshore, recommendations for overnight stop locations, either in marinas or anchorages, and any other general advice for this trip.
Straight line distance is 750 miles. I hope it has big fuel tanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by z28jimi
Sorry I can't help but it sounds like a fun trip.
If I was comfortable with the boat and had made some local trips on it first I would go straight line fuel and insurance providing. You will most likely be more than 100 miles offshore at some point which may void your insurance, sea tow, etc. Your fuel capacity and weather will dictate the route as well. If it is a larger boat with 1200 or so gallons 750 miles is doable. Going by rule of 1/3rds you need to leave 1/3 of fuel capacity for emergencies. Normally its 1/3 of fuel going out 1/3 for return and 1/3 for emergency but if you are running straight line you could probably do 2/3 before you fill up. You need to know the fuel burn on the boat and speed you plan to travel. You could also put a bladder of fuel on the bow to help with range. If you need to hug coast here is a site with info on marinas, fuel, etc. With a new boat that would probably be best way to goQuote:
Originally Posted by SKYCHENEY
www.waterwayguide.com
It really depends on the boat, its condition, equipment, range, etc... i v only done that trip once, the other way aruond actually From FLL with a 53 that was in no shape to run far offshore. Being december weather was a problem too.
I ended up running the ditch from carabelle all the way to galveston. Because of strong northerly winds a more direct route was out of the question. The first half of the ditch to NOLA was fine, but from NOLA on to galveston it wasnt fun... fog so thick we often couldnt see anything and massive barge traffic. And an 8 hour delay at th lock in NOLA.
With a "new" boat i d run the ditch out of galveston for at least a day before heading offshore. Things can pop up after a few hours of running that a survey will not detect. Then if it s all good head out and do the next section outside.
If you havent yet, sign up for activecaptain.com and start planning the various fuel stops. The info there is up to date. Keep in mind it can be 15 or 20nm in before you can get to fuel so that will greatly shorten your days.
If the weather isnt ideal, or if the boat has issues, just run th ditch. I think i did the trip in 7 days, better than waiting for a westher window.
Obviously depends on the boat, but I wouldn't even consider a straight shot on a new to me boat, unless it had extensive, very recent cruising history. It would be a miserable trip vs the ICW, assuming you have the time.
I have made the trip offshore between Galveston , Tampa, and Key West several times on a sailboat. A sailboat has an advantage offshore in that if there is no wind or a sail failure one can rely on the motor. With a sailboat a direct route is the fastest.
I agree that the intracoastal is brutal between Galveston and New Orleans and I would not want to be running at night.
An offshore option is Galveston to Port Arthur to Lake Charles to Intracoastal City which is a good spot to continue in the Intracoastal to N.O. or to go offshore to Venice to Grande Isle, LA. I have not been to these stops in 20 years but I'm sure they each still have easy access from offshore with fuel available. Each leg is less than 200 miles.
From Grande Isle to Gulfport or Pensacola is an easy route but most likely 300 miles which might be a fuel concern. Once you are on the Florida side you have many options. Note that the Air Force does bombing practice offshore Pensacola & Destin so check with Coast Guard if you are running between Destin to Tampa offshore.
Be sure and do your research, but if the boat is in good shape, some offshore work can be faster and fun.
David Smith
Seabrook, TX
Thanks to all...excellent advice.
This will be a new"ish" boat, a 2007, but it will be new to me, so I'm hesitant to get too brave too quick. I'll also be carrying a rather limited fuel supply at 330 gallons, so my distances will be determined primarily by fuel stop locations. Going to survey next week, and if all goes well, probably start heading to Florida around first of June. My original thought was a series of offshore hops, but the more I read, and particularly based on some of the very good points raised above, I'm rapidly revising that plan.
330 gallons makes planning your route easy. :D
So does one of these...Quote:
Originally Posted by Freeebird
http://atlinc.com/rangeextender.html