Anyone have some Gulf Stream magic?

Ft. Lauderdale and Cooley's. We're getting pretty sick of it. So are about 20 or 30 other boats. We probably could have gone last Wed. as we were in Lauderdale then. But it was 2-3 and we roll quite a bit. If we had another foot of beam we would have been ok with it. It looks as though we are another week now.
So far we have been waiting since the beginning of November. We had one other opportunity but we were in Stuart then and did not want to use that inlet. So we elected to sit it out and do some extra maintenance.
I don't think we've seen a day where it was 2 feet during the day in a very long time. Maybe if we pay those new global climate penalties we'll get a break :D
 
Hey boatbum,
You have got to be anxious by now.

When you do get a window what will you cruise speed be for the crossing? Also, what is your motor yacht and where was that picture taken at the heading of your blog? I love that shot......

Hope you get to move out soon, I'll keep checking in.....
 
Hey boatbum,
You have got to be anxious by now.

When you do get a window what will you cruise speed be for the crossing? Also, what is your motor yacht and where was that picture taken at the heading of your blog? I love that shot......

Hope you get to move out soon, I'll keep checking in.....
 
Jerry that shot would be from "Boo-Boo Hill" at Warderick Wells. An absolutely awesome stop for anyone that wants to cruise the Bahamas. Our speed depends on the conditions. If we get out there and it bounces at 8 knots I will probably kick it up to 13 to get the bow up and punch into the water.

DSC02571.jpg
 
Hap-e-cruzer, below are 2 links that you may find useful to better understand the historical weather patterns. We go to the Bahamas a few times a year, but as we still work full time, I am unable to wait days or weeks. We also have kids in school so for a two or three week trip we have to wait for June anyways. We always go in June and July, which is when many FL locals go as well, if you call the marinas I think you will find that June is considered the "high season" in the Abacos. Without a doubt, if your insurance allows, June and July are the most settled as far as wind and average wave height in the gulf stream.

The first web site is a link to historical hurricane data by month. Although June is considered the start of hurricane season, I dont think June has ever seen a Cat 3 or bigger storm. Look at the data and get a real feel for hurricane frequency. Of course if you go in June or July you must have a hurricane plan, but odds really are quite small you will have a problem in the northern Bahamas in June or early July. Look at the storm track data for the months as well to see what storm track tendencies are.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/

The second link is to historical wind and wave heights for Buoy 41009, the best buoy for gulf stream data. Go down and look at significant wave height and wind data as a function of month. You will see that Oct and Nov are the worst and that April still has average wave heights of 4 ft and the consistent 2 ft seas are not seen until June and continue through July. When you look at the data, pay close attention to more than the average wave height and standard deviation, the data also show a histogram so you can see the number of days per month with 2 ft waves or 5 ft waves.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_history.php?station=41009

We like to Scuba dive and spend a lot of time in the water, swimming, fishing, snorkeling etc. so June is very comfortable and July starts to get warmer, but with the light trade winds in the islands we still find it comfortable especially if you have ACs and a gen set. The tuna, wahoo, and Mahi fishing are also still good in June and even early July. If you have a finite time frame, you will find June and July a much more consistent time to cross the gulf stream than even May.
 
Great information SL...now I'm really in overload. Our trip would probably be late May to early June....
Thanks
 
Right now, it looks like next Saturday and Sunday are your best chance. BUT, the stream still looks really iffy at 3'-6'.

FWIW, up here in the Daytona area the weather is God freakin' aweful.

Bob
 
Yeah the Ft. Piece buoy is logging some height at 8 feet and 9 seconds. We are hoping that it lays down Sat. or Sunday.
 
Alright Boatbum,
It's been 5 days and no word. Don't leave us hanging, did you start across?
GoodLuck and be safe.....
 
He tried today, but came back due to the conditions.
 
Yeah, for us it was rough. Freedom is neither a sporty nor trawler so she does not punch into the water well at slow speeds. We did not want to run her hard all day and slam which is what it was going to take. We didn't even make it into the stream since we were only three miles out going right into it. The pulpit was nearing the water several times and Deb was into the sea sickness pills twice.
Given all of that it was a no brainer the ride was going to be evil so we turned around. All in all it was a good thing we turned around as instead of getting better it the forecast changed for the worse. The winds never clocked to the South and the water was building. A small craft caution was added to the forecast. Maybe they heard our swearing. Instead of 2-3 at 9 seconds we had 2-3 of chop outside the stream.
At least on the way back we had a following sea and the ride was comfortable. We probably could have made Bimini but West End and Lucaya were off the plate.
PITA.
 
Finally made it across the stream today. 2-3 at a relatively short interval but the difference this time was that we could quarter them instead of going smack into them. An "Ok" day but not a great day. Plenty of salt on the boat.
 
Glad you got to move, I'm sure you was bored with Florida..
I was watching the weather on one of the sites for passage and it looked like a fair time to go. Keep us posted, I am checking in daily.....
Your comment about the salty boat brings up a question, with water in tight supply in the Bahamas how do you wash down your boat when you arrive? A salty boat would drive me crazy....
 
We stopped for a night at West End. Why people don't stop here instead of anchoring out I don't know. Diesel is the same price or better there. Once filled up you can make it to better anchorages on the other side. Additionally the customs and immigration folks were terrific and gave us a 6 month stay as compared to other stops. The next day we left and went through the cut at Indian Rock onto the bank. Not far along we all hit pea soup fog for about 5 miles. After that it was calm until we went South after passing Crab Cay. We pulled into Spanish Cay Marina and spent a great night having had a very good meal of grouper. The cool thing about that place is with transom lights the snapper all hang out in them and the sharks come in.
And today we came around Whale Cay. It's yet another spot along the way where patience with the weather pays huge dividends. As we moved South from Spanish Cay as we passed all the cuts we noticed there were was no swell coming in. Cool! So we shot out Whale Cay passage around it and over to Hope Town.
It's not that water is in short supply. It's an expensive supply. And depending on your agenda, mooring or staying in a marina, washing a boat can be a challenge. We had just enough in the tank to get most of the salt off but we need a complete wash down and we're shot for the day.
 
Enjoy your time over there. You sure had to wait a longgg time to make the passage across.
Hopetown is a great destination once one arrives. Take Care and Enjoy.
 
Noticed you stated we ALL hit pea soup. Are there other boats traveling with you, how many? If so, how do you all get connected for the passage?
Sorry to bother you with all these questions but I am seriously considering the trip and really like hearing your actual experiences (much better that reading articles).
thanks
 
Not at all. Actually we met many people at various places and new many of their situations prior to our departure. You get a feeling for what someone prefers or can accomplish based on discussion. As a result we knew many people would be crossing that day and we happened to be one of them. Once at West End, there are a few options. You go fishing, diving, to Lucaya or to the Bank enroute to Abaco. Since many crossed coincidentally the next day many were ready to go across the bank with the good weather. Many folks were stalled in Florida waiting on the Gulf Stream to lay down. Several of us were waiting over a month.
I will also say this is the first time in four trips over that we were able to run from Florida to Hope Town without a lay over caused by the weather. We were always stuck at West End with high winds or the Whale waiting on calm seas.
 
We're glad you made it, Dan. I also agree about West End; we have always been treated well there. They even squeezed us in for one night on Memorial weekend a couple of years ago. That place is a welcomed oasis after a crossing.

This is my first post on BE in months. Let the fun begin?
 
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