Bahamas crossing

Posted by SatisfactionDry94@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 20 comments

Next winter i want to take my boat from miami to the bahamas in hopes of having a good time and finding some surf. Ive done the crossing the opposite way (bahamas to miami). Was in a much bigger boat, 46 ft. Im looking to do it in a 25 footer. I get how strong the gulf stream can be and also that u will have to keep an eye out for coral heads Couple of questions: \-is there anything different to consider going from miami to bahamas \-in winter, looking for surf it may be some swell in the water probably no more than 6-7 feet on the high end. Is this sketchy in a 25ft boat? Any other advice/ recommendations would be appreciated

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20 Comments

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Lowcountry25@reddit

Best surfing in the near Bahamas that I know of is Elbow Cay, Abacos (Hopetown). Going to Eleuthera in a 25' boat won't be much fun, that's a lot of open water to get there.

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CanadianStiggy@reddit

I was looking through the Facebook group for Mirage owners, someone trailered their Mirage 24 (early Perry design, fairly barebones boat) from Ontario to Florida, and sailed it to the Bahamas with one other similarly-sized boat. It's definitely doable. I wish I could send you the post but I think you'd need to be part of said group

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BuddytheYardleyDog@reddit

You should research Elbow Cay in the Abacos. You can rent a slip in the Marina and walk to the surf in under ten minutes.

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No-Sail-6510@reddit

Ok so if you like surfing you must go to hatchet bay in Eleuthera. Very easy to get to and a perfect all weather anchorage with an excellent little bar on the dock. Hitch hike (get picked up in 5 minutes) to surfers beach 15 minutes away for excellent surfing on a super cool beach with beautiful cliffs. Best part is you never need to get into the Atlantic side of you don’t want. It can be achieved almost all over banks. As for the sailing, if you have an easy east take it. If you make the mistake of going north when you could go east it will make life more difficult. The thing I wish I had known is THE CURRENT!! I think people leave this out because they have big fast boats and motor a lot but in a small boat like this it can be very slow. Passageweather.com has maps for up to date Gulf Stream data which was very very helpful. And btw I’m not just talking about the Gulf Stream I’m talking about currents between islands and in open water like in between abaco and berrys for example. It can be a knot or more which if you’re going up wind in a small boat can really complicate things.

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SatisfactionDry94@reddit (OP)

Ok thanks! Thats exactly where id be headed, but i was thinking to go up & down the coast of the east side of the island and dingy to the surf breaks. Is that possible? Im wondering if it gets too shallow to anchor close enough for a dinghy ride

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jonathanrdt@reddit

No one anchors on the east side of the bahamas except on absurdly calm days. In an entire season, I only anchored with eastern exposure once. You are chasing a fantasy that is not really practical. Everyone sailing avoids surf in their primary boat and dinghy.

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SatisfactionDry94@reddit (OP)

I hear ya, thats why i asked. As far as a fantasy its not that crazy, ive gone from new york to belmar nj on a 3-4 ft day, anchored right ouside the break and paddled in surfed all day. I just didnt know if it would be different in the bahamas. Theoretically if its 3-5 ft and u anchor outside the break, ur boat just floats on the rollers while you surf. Is that not right?

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jonathanrdt@reddit

That's fine for an afternoon off the US coast with a safe harbor in sailing distance. The Bahamas is not like that. Getting from surf locations to safe locations is not quick or easy, and sometimes it's legitimately dangerous. And there is very little support if you get into trouble.

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No-Sail-6510@reddit

Yeah, don’t do that. It can get very rough out there and in the Bahamas it is pretty vital to have an escape plan for bad northerlies which can leave you exposed. There’s not really places to anchor safely there and you could find yourself in a situation you wish you weren’t in pretty easily. That being said it’s so easy to hitchhike and if you find a place you want to try it’s pretty easy to get up and down the island. Infact you can just walk across the island to the other side from hatchet bay and surf. It’s pretty rocky and sharp but you can. Abaco has some Atlantic side places to anchor which I know are good for surfing (never surfed there) but nothing beats Eleuthera for ease. Also there’s clearly hidden gems on cat island but you’re going to need to stay on the bank and walk to them.

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joesquatchnow@reddit

Check the fees, I’ve heard they jumped up a bunch …

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Sinn_Sage@reddit

You do know about the increased fees for cruising the Bahamas now? Unless, they changed it back.

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SatisfactionDry94@reddit (OP)

No, it was years ago when i went. They charge you to cruise there?

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sola_mia@reddit

It increased exponentially this past year. But under 30' there might be allowances. Anchor and fishing license fees also. Be sure to research it

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jeffeviejo@reddit

If there's swell when you get there, you've got to go thru it to get there.

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idgafau5@reddit

As long as you pick a good weather window, crossing on a 25ft boat is doable. Shortest route is No Name Harbor to Bimini then you can choose where to go from there.

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RedditIsRectalCancer@reddit

Bimini is south of no-name, the gulf stream flows north. He'll end up in west end, or have to crab in the stream and take 2x as long to cross. He needs to start much further south.

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wychimp@reddit

Lots of good reading out there on this topic, weather window is everything, but yea shouldn’t be a problem on a 25’

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Floriderp@reddit

The surf can be great there, we spent a few good seasons scoring around the Bahamas. But I can't think of only a couple where your sailboat was anchored anywhere near the actual surf. You will not be anchoring at the surf spots themselves, at least you shouldn't be. You will be anchoring then riding the dinghy, or at times, walking/hitchhiking to spots. A bike really helps for some of the main surf islands, ebike would be even better.

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jonathanrdt@reddit

Exception: Eluthera. You can anchor on the west and walk to the east side. It's a bit of a fantasy to want to sail a tiny boat in search of surf. Seems like a trip that will be difficult and uncomfortable. When the nor'easters blow by to the north, that little boat will have a rough time.

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Competitive-Army2872@reddit

Swell is sketchy, dependent upon a few factors. Period, secondary, tertiary.. Crossing the Gulf Stream, you don't want any wind with a Northerly component, else it'll stack the swell.