First Crossing

B

Brian747

Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
RO Number
33300
Messages
8
Hello all,

This is my first post. A few friends and I are going to head over to the Abacos in a few weeks. We are going to try and make the Regatta parties over 4th of July. This will be our first time across the gulfstream. The boat is a 1991 Carver 36AC. We have been preparing the boat and reading as much as we can get our hands on. The Dodge book will be our guide. We have an epirb, life raft, a ditch bag full of all the items listed on the active captain site, 3 gps's, 3 VHF radios, tons of spare parts, and an extreme desire to have fun. We are hopefully leaving July 1at around 3 am. We are going to cruise at hull speed. It is the only affordable option. Does anyone have any good advice? Or maybe something else we can do to try and make this trip safely?
 
Good for you.....
I am in the process of writing a post thanking the RO's that were so helpful with our first crossing. We just returned from the Abaco's two days ago. We have many memories and had great fun. Met some really nice people who we have become friends with.
You will get lots of good advice here on BE.
We were there about 30 days, only regret is not doing it sooner.
We have a 42 foot Aft Cabin, 3 gps/chartplotters. 3 VHF's, lots of parts and supplies, too many groceries, too much beer, etc.
Sounds a lot like what you are planning on, HUH?
We crossed at 17-18 knots due to sea conditions but the remainder of the cruise was at 8 knots to make it affordable. You have a good plan but crossing in 2-3 ft seas abeam at 8 knots didn't work for us.
Hope you have better seas...If I can be of any help just ask...
 
Don't stick to a schedule if the weather is not on your side. Other than that? Plenty of cash, plastic, and swimsuits. Make sure you have studied the charts and stick to the plan except if the weather dictates otherwise. Always have a secondary stop or agenda planned.
At hull speed from Lake Worth, consider stopping at West End for a night. If you continue on, then either Mangrove or Great Sale depending on wind and weather. Then run to Green Turtle (long run) and then to Guana or Elbow. I have always run around the Whale on the outside, but many have done Dont Rock. Make sure you have tide and calms seas if you try Dont Rock. If it is rough outside, Dont Rock can be bad also.
Check explorer charts web site for cheapest fuel.

Stranded Naked Bash is at Fiddle Cay while you are there. http://www.strandednaked.com/

Of course you have The Bluff House, Green Turtle Club, Nippers, Sea Spray, and Hope Town Inn and Marina. Also Pete's Pub.

If it all goes well, yer gonna have a terrific time!

edit: 2-3 on the beam at 10+ seconds might be ok but it never seems to be at that interval when it is 2-3. Usually 5 or 6 seconds. If the seas are out of the NE and short interval it's ugly. Out of the SE not so bad on the stream.
 
Get the Explorer Chart Kit for that area if you haven't already. And as others have said, keep a flexible schedule and a close eye on the weather.

Oh yeah, if you and your friends like beer, bring plenty. It's very expensive over there.
 
Yeah, but liquor and wine are affordable :-)
 
Sounds good. Thanks for the replies. We are bringing plenty of beer. We are also keeping an open schedule. If the weather is too bad we are going to turn south and stay on the ICW and head for the keys. I am sure we can find just as much trouble there. We are planning on the Stranded Naked party. That is the reason for the trip. I work with Bob Henderson, the guy who throws it. He describes it as a party that shouldn't be missed.
 
I keep telling myself that I am going to delay our arrival so we are there long enough to attend... I don't see the need to load a boat up with beer. When in Rome do as the Romans do. Rum!! BTW Bristol in Marsh Harbour or Treasure Cay are your best bets for beer and booze.
 
The Stranded Naked beach party is a great time. A couple hundred boats on a deserted island with all the booze and food you can eat and drink for free. We have been several times and really look forward to the party. Lots of Jimmy Buffet, hula hoop competitions, limbo, fun for everyone! In fact today we took the dinghy to Fiddle Cay for lunch and to take the kids wake boarding - a little quieter with only one other boat nearby.

We crossed Saturday morning. ahh, nothing like a 2 ft or less crossing. We like to stop in Lucaya on the way over and West End on the way back. Lucaya on a Sat night is a big party in the town square with some surprisingly good musicians.
 
Ok, it s probably just me but I don't go to the Bahamas to wait on line for a free burger and plastic souvenir... :) I go to the Bahamas to find empty beaches and sandbars :)

As Bill suggested, the most critical thing to bring is the explorer chart book. As a close second I ll say the garmin app on your phone or tablet with thir Bahamas charts,,,
 
We are making our first crossing next week. We are shooting for Tues or Wednesday from Miami to Bimini. Then we are moving on to Chubb, Nassau and the northern Exumas. We will be gone for 2 1/2 weeks. Very excited. We have also put together all the necessary items and spares. Now we will watch the weather and carry on. Any suggestions out there? We cruise at 10 kts in a trawler. Our longest leg is Bimini to Chubb the balance will be 40 mile hops. Great chatting with you all.
 
The only thing I can add to the above (Explorer Charts and/or a chartplotter - like Garmin - that has them built in are a MUST!) is that you may want a Chris Parker weather subscription. A month of daily Bahamas reports costs $50. This year was the first we we subscribed and I feel it was well worth it. While we take 4 weeks off, by the time we get the boat launched and on our way to Lake Worth we really only have about 2 to 2.5 weeks to spend across the Stream. This past May, due to what Chris Parker was forecasting we decided not to cross and went to Key West instead. The pattern was just too active on such a short schedule to make the trip worth it for us (it would have been our 5th crossing).

Information on Chris Parker subscriptions can be found here: http://mwxc.com/marine_weather_services.php

As sample forecast for the Bahamas here: http://mwxc.com/sample_weather_reports.php#bahamas

If you don't have an SSB and will rely on e-mail you may want to take along some sort of unlocked GSM devices (smartphone or modem). You can buy a pre-paid SIM from BTC for $50 I believe (that includes 1 gig of data as well as the SIM card). You may also be able to roam on your US carrier (Verizon, for example, is $25 for each 100MB used).
 
Randy

Skip chub and anchor out off bird cay, or if you want to dock, go to Berry island club. Chubb is overrated, overpriced, and full of sportfishers :) There is a lot of good exploring near bird, just north of BIC just north are a bunch of sandbars and tons of starfish

Watch out for the run between the Berrys and Nassau, it can be rough

In Nassau, I usually go to yacht heaven or yacht harbor. Flat rate water and easy walk to the supermarket to top off before the exumas. The new supermarket that opens a few months ago in the shopping center is nice and much better than the old city market. Cheaper dockage than atlan**** or hurricane harbor

With about 12 days left for the exumas I d do...

Normans, 2 nights
Warderick, 2
Pipe cay decca station, 1
SCYC, 2
Bitter Guana, 1
Shroud and hawksbill, 2
Big majors 1 or 2
Compass cay, 1

These are the stops we make on charters and those out guests always like the most. W don't stop at Allen cay, highborne, or Samson anymore,

If you had another 4 to 5 days, I would really suggest pushing further south with a stop at rudder cay (easy inside run from bitter Guana) and then 2 days at lee stocking, a very nice anchorage with higher elevation and very boats around.

Again, get the garmin app with the charts and update its active captain data before you leave

We ve done 3 trips there so far this year , and are probably going back in July, can't wait,
 
Randy are you planning to anchor out most of the time or stay at marinas. The itinerary is different. Also, do you have kids with you and what age cause that also may change what is best.

Pascal, while we most enjoy the Exumas, the Abacos are also a lot of fun. More of the quaint village type stuff. There are many deserted beaches and islands that are accessible by dinghy. I have to say that the Stranded naked party is unusually fun. We don't do the boat raft - florida (25 center consoles with blasting music) sand bar thing much, we prefer a deserted beach in the Bahamas. But.. the Stranded Naked party is very unique as most of the participants are cruisers or regatta participants all getting together on a remote deserted island for a day.

This year we are mixing it up with some time in Eleuthra, Harbor Island and Spanish Wells. We will stay at Atlantis for a couple of days also cause the kids love it there. Gotta keep the whole crew happy.
 
I will second the notion of skipping Chub. Everyone I know that has been there has come away saddened by the notion that another development has failed half finished. As far as Atlantis goes, I would stop in for a night or two if you have youngsters or you are young at heart. Yes it is expensive but stopping in once is ok. Fuel will be cheapest in Nassau and Spanish Wells.
If you require marinas to stay over at, Sampson, Highbourne, Compass, and Staniel are all good. Pricey but good. Make sure you have all the food and booze you need before leaving Nassau. We have stayed at the Yacht Haven as well. It can be a bit lumpy there due to traffic and we have also heard good things about the supermarket across the street.

And everyone, don't forget to call the Harbour Master when entering Nassau Harbour. Have your documentation ready because they will ask for your numbers.
 
I know, I was kind of joking around.. Atlantis is ok if you have kids on board but there is no privacy whatsoever, you get tons of people walking by and looking at what s in your plate :)

I don't find Staniel to be expensive, it is $2.50 a foot which is a bargain by New England standards... Power is now metered and very unlivable although not the marinas fault. Be careful using shore power in Samson, it is the most expensive electrical I ve seen anywhere...
 
Thank you all for your very useful suggestions. I am already dialed into Chris Parker. I am traveling with my 3 kids, so Atlantis is a must. I will call the harbor master upon arrival--Thanks for that tip.

I will look into Bird Cay for anchoring in lieu of Chubb. I assume anywhere off the south side would be fairly protected, right? I will also look into the Berry Island Club. I then have reservations at Staniel which I will hit after 3 days at Waderick Wells. I am hanging loose the balance since I need to get back to Miami by 7/11. Any other cruising tips, as far as safety, etc.

Anyone traveling next week? Thanks again.
 
The Berry Island Club could be as out back as you will find. Don't expect much. I have heard that it is improving since we were there.
 
Bird cay, I usually anchor on the west side, just south of the shallows, and not far from the channel entrance to BIC. With a 6 foot draft I can get in far enough to get out of the surge. There is no significant current. There is an abandon end resort on the west side of Bird, just north of the anchorage, kind of fun to check out. First her around the corner there is an abandoned house with a couple of old boats and a few pieces of airplane behind the house. Also the lighthouse on the tip of whale is fun to visi, kids will enjoy all that.

BIC has moorings but there are reports of failure. Last time I went there with the dinghy, they had fixed up the place nicely ( last year) and seem serious about staying open.

You need to call Nassau harbor control before entering the harbor. Call them on 16 then you ll switc to 9. They need the boat name, home port, documentation number, last port of call and where you re going in Nassau. Occasionally if cruise ships are leaving they may ask you to wait till they clear the jetties to proceed.

Atlantis often make you wait a little bit before letting you in their channel as well.

Oh,,, important.. Watch out for what s left of the NW channel light leaving the bank, it s broken and just sticks out of the water a low tide, submerged and invisible at high tide. Position on E charts is accurate, at least garmin app. Be careful. You can't go too far out north because of the shoals.

Again, check out the data on active captain, it s pretty good.

For communications, beware of roaming charges... It s a lot cheaper to buy a BTC prepaid droid with data. Wifi in Nassau is rip off and doesn't work well... Even at Atlantis, despite paying $5 a ft they charge you $15 a day for wifi... See my older thread on BTC phones.

I now looks like we may be there as early as the first week of July... Our guests usually fly in and out of Gtown but we usually stay close to Staniel as they often have people flying in and out on watermaker (Staniel "airline"). It s hard not to notice us, the music can usually be heard 1/2 mile away :( which makes picking up anchoring spots a bit challenging :)
 
quote:
Originally posted by boatbum

And everyone, don't forget to call the Harbour Master when entering Nassau Harbour. Have your documentation ready because they will ask for your numbers.

Click to expand...


It's Nassau harbour control you call to clear into the harbour. Not Nassau harbour master.

I only point that out because I have heard them on a number of occasions not answer a radio call to "Nassau harbour master". Even though they know full well the person calling was looking for harbour control.

You want to tell them which entrance you are requesting to come into, East or West. And they will ask for the name of your boat, doc./reg. numbers, where you came from and where you are going to in the harbour.
 
Fuel, as Boatbum mentioned, is cheapest in Nassau, but stil about $1 more than stateside. Staniel has fuel but another $0.40 more and they sometimes run out. Gas too, make sure have a couple of spare cans for the dinghy, last trip we almost ran out as they were out for 3 weeks (Samson too)
 
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