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Baby steps toward the Bahamas

  • Thread starter Thread starter egaito
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egaito

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Jun 27, 2005
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1,153
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  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
41' CONVERTBLE-Series I (1964 - 1971)
We've been getting used to handling Sanctuary in "baby steps". With a couple of successful overnight trips under her belt, and the experience of CDR on the horizon, we're starting to plan to venture further from the slip with her.

Now that Biscayne Bay feels pretty comfortable, the next step is to take her into he Atlantic for a bit to see how she handles with swells and ocean chop. I want to try her out in relatively calm weather, running in head, beam, quartering and following seas to see how she feels. We're hoping to get a chance to try this over CDR weekend.

At the same time, we're starting to plan her first Stream crossing to the Bahamas, probably Bimini, and are looking for input ont he crossing itself. Some initial questions that come to mind:

Considering the size and weight of the boat (58', 80k lbs), what conditions would constitute easy, challenging and "wait it out" conditions to watch for? Consider that as first timers, we're likely to consider anything high on the challenging scale to be "wait it out" conditions for us, and also consider that we're not stabalized.

I've heard to stay away from the stream when the wind has a North component to it. If the stream runs generally North to South, I'm guessing this increases the swell, right?

Conversely, it would seem that South winds would have the potential to kick up a good bit of chop, pushing against the direction of the swells. What is the most favorable wind direction for a crossing, and at what wind speed do you consider it more trouble than it's worth?

What about wave height? When Misty (41c) came down the coast, the captain was maintaining 22kts in 6' seas, stating it was comfortable. Is that a reasonable expectation for a 58 MY?

For those experienced in this crossing, what do you look for, and where do you look for your data/predictions?

Finally, we're thinking it might be nice to cross with another boat, so maybe there's a Sams Marine Classic Hat regatta to be planned. Right now, we're thinking Spring '07, but it will ultimately come down to time off from work and all of the other usual suspects that conspire to interfere with a boating lifestyle, but it's never too early to start planning......

Thanks,
 
I may be reading your post wrong but it appears you think Gulf Stream runs south, It runs North.

Try running the ditch to Ft pierce then crossing to WestEnd , only 75 miles. West End has a very nice resort with a very nice marina. Whe i do the crossing that is where i plan to go first. also go with at least one other boat. safer in pairs.
 
67hat34c said:
I may be reading your post wrong but it appears you think Gulf Stream runs south, It runs North.

Try running the ditch to Ft pierce then crossing to WestEnd , only 75 miles. West End has a very nice resort with a very nice marina. Whe i do the crossing that is where i plan to go first. also go with at least one other boat. safer in pairs.
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Yeesh, I knew that....old age catching up, one more reason to start planning now!
 
Ed, I've made the crossing many times. Given your Miami origin point, I'd suggest you stick with your initial Bimini plan. I've heard West End is nice (haven't been there), but between the coastal run north and the crossing, you're looking at a lot more miles. Bimini is just 45m east of you. Piece of cake.

With your boat, I wouldn't hesitate to make that crossing in anything up to 4-6', and that would be comfortable. You could certainly handle higher safely, but you shouldn't have much trouble waiting for 4-6 or better, so why stress yourself? Especially on your maiden crossing. North or northeast winds will always stir up the strait more, but at least the swells with seas from that direction are usually fairly long and gentle.

The clear choice for where to stay at Bimini is the Big Game Club. Very nice marina, very helpful staff and dockmaster, complete with daily weather reports, etc. They've got a nice pool deck and the place is full of seasoned boaters you can always chat up about the crossing back. No prob with having suitable dock space for your 58MY.

Approaching Bimini is very easy, and you'll have no prob with depths. What's your cruise speed? Mine is about 20 kts., and my run over there is about 52nmi. I count on about 3 1/2 hrs. going over, 2 1/2 coming back, but given that I'm coming from north of Lauderdale and having to travel with a more southerly slant than you would, I'd expect your numbers to be closer to the average going and coming, if you know what I mean.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions I can answer for you.
 
The GPS on the boat (Sanctuary) says Bimini is only 42 nm from her slip. Previous owners used to take her there and have the course plotted on the GPS. So why would we need to go to Ft. Pierce or Jupiter to get there, making it a much longer trip??? :confused:
 
yep, the stream still flows northward, ole Al global warming warnings have materialized yet :-)

so, the worst conditions are after a cold front when the winds shift out of the north, seas can built to over 10'. Usually, winter isn't the best time of the year to cross, unless you have plenty of time to wait it out...

spring / early summer is best. starting july, you start worrying about tropical systems and those big thurnderstorm building up offshore...

from miami, the best destination is Bimini, just 50 miles away. The beach that runs on the north west side of the island is worth the trip alone... Entry in the harbor is a little tricky, at least it was last time i went aout 4 or 5 years ago. line up a range to go thru the reef and then turn along the beach.

I think the two most important things to prepare for going out in the ocean are fuel filters and loose stuff. Since the boat hasn't been out in rough stuff in a long time, chances are that you have some crud in the tank which will come loose and may result in clogged filters... make sure you have spare filters and your priming pump handy...

preparing the boat means eveything needs to be secure... TVs, furniture, fridge, etc... and yes Angela's basil and persil pots... :-)

i once took the boat out of Port Everglades, going to watch the air n sea show, in 2004. it was a good shakedown... buried the anchor in the waves in the inlet, went a few miles north to were i was planning to anchor only to realize i could probably barely make it down the ladder and to the bow to anchor... came back in and spent 3 hours cleaning up the mess... That evening the genset fuel filter got all clogged up ...

the boat was doing fine, yes it was rolling when we have a seas on the beam but always controllable. you do have a edge thanks to the larger engines and the ability to get on plane which should help make it more comfortable.
 
I was at Bimini in March 06 ( Big Game Culb )on my 2nd maiden voyage and all went well and they were dregging the channel to get into north Bimini and they should be done by now. I went the old way lining up the range markers on land and I draw 5ft and had no problem the water is really clear with white sand so 2ft and 6ft look the same so I had some one stand up front and idled in :cool:
 
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Bimini "Cut"

I was just there. The channel is in fact dredged and even more incredible is a series of buoys that well mark the channel (RRR). Don't have the nums with me but it's a little further north from where the range markers were.

Look for Bimini Sands (Pink Condos) and the channel and buoys are out in front. Thx.
 
Once you clear the reef vectoring in on the range markers, you have pretty consistent 8-10' depths for most of the short run along the South Bimini beach en route to the inside where the marinas are on N. Bimini. The depths I was actually seeing compared very well with the chart data I had. It ain't no nail-biter.
 
Buy the Skipper Bob's book "Bahamas Bound" There's a lot of good stuff in it.

Doug
 
Hey Doug,
Have you thought about a side trip to Bimini when you make the trip around the keys? If it's only 45miles over there, maybe you could run over with some of these guys. BTW, I bookmarked your blog page for the trip so I can follow your progress. I wish I had the time to do it with you. Best of luck for a safe and enjoyable trip.
 
Great suggestion, Doug. And with that in mind, I recalled seeing some Bahamas books in the pilothouse, so looked through the drawers and found some, but not Skipper Bob's. The most recent guide I have is 2002. So, I'll get the most recent Skipper Bob's book so I have up to date information.

Funny thing....in the first book I opened that I found in the pilothouse, and the first page to which I turned had a photo of a marina and guess what was sitting there.....a Series I 58MY just like ours. I guess the Island Gods are calling me......

Now that I've gotten this boat out a few times while still working on the updating of her, I get more and more excited about all that I have planned for her, and I'm really looking forward to going to the Bahamas. Heck, I think I'm just as excited about going to Elliott Key for Columbus Day Regatta, too! I wish I had found this boat many years ago so I could truely have more of a "lifetime" with her, but then again, I could not have afforded her back then. :)

I'm now beginning to regret all those years I spent with show horses instead of Hatterases, but that's hindsight. Oddly enough, my first boat ride ever was in the summer of 1991 on a 16' runabout, and I was already 27 years old then. By fall of that year, the horses were gone and I had the first boat of my own in 1992. What a journey it's been! And now the Bahamas are realistically within reach. Who would have thought???
 
Angela said:
Now that I've gotten this boat out a few times while still working on the updating of her, I get more and more excited about all that I have planned for her, and I'm really looking forward to going to the Bahamas.
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The Bahamas is a suitable reward for all your hard work on Sanctuary. I think you'll really like it. I'm very partial to the Keys (who wouldn't be), and especially since the Bahamas pretty much doubled their cruising/fishing permits/entry fees), but I've got to admit that it's hard to beat the water you'll find over there. People who have gone there by air or on cruise ships really miss what you get to see on the water in your own boat.

Once you're up on the bank on a clear day that unique turquoise-green color is so vivid it literally stains the sky for about 15 degrees of elevation. Incredible. One of the most vivid memories I have is when I crossed at Gun & Cat Cay (about 12 mi south of Bimini) en route to Chubb, and you're out on that bank for several hours without land in sight until you come off the bank a few miles shy of Chubb. That color was just like somebody painted it.
 
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