Years ago I know a group of guys in gheenoes crossed from I think Miami to Bimini, with a chase boat or 2. Mouth of creek, visual center 8′ I know groups on waverunners do it fairly often. If you want to know more about this do a google search on "Set and Drift". Heading North from the Keys, use the Gulf Stream, if there is a Northerly component in the wind, STAY OUT OF THE GULF STREAM!!! Plan to cross the wake (which is traveling the same direction as you) at between a 45- and 90-degree angle. That means Lake Worth to West End is a bad idea. I know that a lot of cruisers start at the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area and head for Bimini, but Bimini is actually south of Miami. The cruise ship traffic in Ft Lauderdale doesn’t worry me. With a 3 kt stream it makes my 56 NM direct distance approx 62 NM sailed. Ft. Lauderdale can be a madhouse on weekends…..not to mention the cruise ship traffic. R8 to G5 to R 6 visual center 10-12′ yes, there are several other anchorages up to as much as 28 miles north. There is a lot of planning involved when you are going to the Bahamas by boat, and even more, planning is needed if you are going on a not long after dark… sail all night and plan on arriving in Bimini as the sun rose in the east. Browse available Sabre boats … Your route is great. US citizens must present a passport Required Cruising /Fishing Permit Fees are $150 for boats up to 35 feet , and $300.00 for over 35 feet. Divide the east-west distance by your average speed to figure out how long it will take you to make the east-west distance. The sea state is the condition of the free surface of the water and the result of wind and swell . Have some alternate destinations in mind. The last thing cruise ships want is to run into sailboats. Mindy and David have a passion for small sailboats called micro-cruisers, and they have been cruising in their tiny boats for 30 years. FAILURE TO REPORT A VESSELS RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES IS A FEDERAL CRIME WITH CIVAL AND CRIMINAL PENEATIES WITH FINES AND IMPRISONMET AS WELL AND SEIZURE AND FORFETURE OF VESSEL Unless you are familiar with Hillsboro, go down to Ft. Lauderdale. • Tips from Carolyn Be aware, however, that your speed over ground is likely to be at least a knot less than you typically average and plan accordingly. I know a lot of people make that crossing but I think that it’s an easier and faster trip if you start a little further south. Don’t fight mother nature. So a large part of the crossing will be in the gulf stream However if you're going from FT Pierce to Freeport or further north west like Marsh harbor its about 160 miles keeping in mind you have a 2.5 knot current pushing you north at a rate of 2.5 nautical miles per hour therefore it is necessary to steer a more southern course to arrive at the preferred point. . Weather is a different component. We actually would always leave from Cape Florida….at the southern tip of Key Biscayne. (You are still technically required to have a permit for pets – such as cats – that won’t leave the boat and one will definitely be required if you should have to fly out for any reason, such as an emergency at home or medical issue that can’t be treated in the Bahamas.) The average is the important thing for route planning. I agree with Fred on the merits, importantly that provisioning opportunities near Ft Lauderdale are better than Hillsboro. Multiply the hours by the estimated speed of the Gulf Stream to get the amount you can expect to be set north — I use 2.5 for this, which generally works well as an average — but look at the. However, if you are coming from the south like the FL Keys to Bimini you can use the stream to your advantage. Thanks Carolyn! tips, reviews and how-to's for your liveaboard cruising, Published on March 8, 2020; last updated on June 12, 2020 by Carolyn Shearlock. or past. Also, I agree in general with your GS crossing info. [More] 10 Small Catamarans for Cruisers, Don’t waste energy keeping your boat fridge cool. Our chart plotter will only show one route at a time, so I began the day with the southernmost route. All this is really only gleaned from experience. On sone trips when the stream isn’t running as hard, we have actually had to tack northward toward Bimini. I loved this article, very helpful for first-timers! ... How to take a jet ski or small boat to the Bahamas : Part 1 - … One advantage of a smaller boat is that when you are the smallest boat in the harbor, you attract either admiration or "you'r effin nuts" so you meet a lot of people. Dear Carolyn, A further 166 are due to be returned, the home secretary said last month. Having done the crossing dozens of times in our Dufour 34, I can tell you the best and easiest way to get to Bimini is to leave from Cape Florida…. I would love to hear more about “not fighting Mother Nature”. As your bow passes past the crest of the wave, you may want to increase throttle just slightly to avoid the bow dropping into the trough and t… Maintain speed until you reach the wave. As we got swept north of that rhumb line, I pulled up the next route to the north. We have crossed the Gulf Stream many times in both power and sail. Cruise ships leaving Port Canaveral that evening, talked with most of them via VHF, they had us on radar and turned to avoid us. exact location and speed of the Gulf Stream here, Guide to Storing Food without Refrigeration, " data-id="twitter" class="ss-twitter-color" data-ss-ss-network-id="twitter" data-ss-ss-post-id="34081" data-ss-ss-location="popup" data-ss-ss-permalink="https://theboatgalley.com/route-planning-cross-gulf-stream/" data-ss-ss-type="share" data-has-api="true" rel="nofollow">, Measure the east-west distance between where you think you might leave from and your destination. Bahamas Customs / Immigration R14-R12 8′ DTOPS for Private Vessel (30+ ft.) or Report Arrival By Phone, For more information please see my Rates/Fees And You also definitely want to pay attention to the weather forecast as a northernly component to the wind will turn the GS into a washing machine. thank you ….. Would love information crossing from lake Worth to the West End ~. You can learn how to get the exact location and speed of the Gulf Stream here. Crossing the Gulf Stream - Bahamas Bound Episode 7 - YouTube Fuel The Gulf Stream is literally a river of water in the Atlantic Ocean that runs north between Florida and the Bahamas (or east between Florida and Cuba). ), gained a great boat dog, had a bunch of wonderful times and some adventures . If you leave Florida and head due east (90 degrees), every hour that you travel you’ll go eastward whatever your speed is AND north 2 to 2.5 miles. As a passionate retired science teacher, the Gulf Stream is one of the natural wonders of the world. The next step was to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, so we towed Little Cruiser down to Miami. Even if my speed over ground drops to 5 knots my trip time for the 62NM covered is just over 12 hours. Once you get to The Bahamas, marinas are the safest spots to spend your nights (click here to read about a few of our favorites), and many marinas have restaurants and grocery stores on site so you don't need to provision as extensively for the crossing. Click here. Since January 2019, 155 people who crossed the English Channel in small boats have been returned to Europe. Hmm, I discovered that Angelfish Creek is more like 15 miles south of Gun Cay. I remember that well from planning our crossing in 2016 — I was so confused by what all I read. Wind over current causes an uncomfortable chopCheck Offshore Weather, Sea State The basic plan, therefore, was that we’d head straight across — due west — and then deal with however far north we’d been swept. The Gulf Stream greeted us with some formidable waves that at times appeared as tall as our 14-foot mast. • Totally FREE – one email a week, I’M THINKING ABOUT LIVING ON A BOAT AND DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START. Ships January 23, 2021 By Carolyn Shearlock/Rick Marcarelli, Looking for a simple, affordable, and comfortable cruising boat? Learn everything you need to know with Get Ready to Cruise the Bahamas. Click to see all 30 topics covered! I would add that there is a route with nearly 6′ at low through Angelfish Creek. Entering Policies . Depending on where you check in you may be hit with"Customs Immigration Officer Travel fee" this is a fee they charge you to come your boat and it varies on how far they had to travel from thier office to the marina your checking in at, average about $20-30 bucks. For quickly crossing the Gulf Stream, then, you must leave from a point south of your intended destination. I’m going to discuss crossing the Gulf Stream from Florida to the Bahamas (and return) in this article. *grin*. The tidal flow between North Bimini and South Bimini is quite strong. . Those ships are typically traveling 20 to 25 knots and pass me by pretty quickly. it's been my experience that the seas are slightly higher in the stream. Because weather in the Gulf Stream is potentially squally, we opted to get across the stream as quickly as possible. For the return trip from Bimini to Florida, the planning was similar to our eastbound crossing. Only the captain can get off and check in, (Of course having said that I have met with the local official at the marina tiki bar with the boat crew). Then again, we drew 6’6″… and would frequently bump on the way in. Destination was Bimini, but they ran aground in the dark between the islands). . Figuring where you should leave from, how long the trip will take, what course to steer and other details can seem overwhelming. Just $39. The stream usually doesn’t run right up to the islands. I really wanted to keep this discussion to simply routing and how you have to plan for the offset to the north. We always left at around 8pm or so…. This fast-flowing current is part of the North Atlantic Gyre and flows northward from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Get my self-paced online course, Get Ready to Cruise the Bahamas, for step-by-step details on 30 critical tasks. Support Lady K - http://www.patreon.com/ladyksailingOr http://www.ladyksailing.com/team-k Required fields are marked *. Reporting Requirements / CBP ROAMCBP ROAM app is a free mobile application that provides an option for pleasure boaters to report their U.S. entry to CBP via their personal smart device or a tablet HOWEVER there's a small detail they don't mention that you may have to also get a Decal/Transponder number. With the Gulf Stream, your heading and course will never be the same. If you're going between FT Lauderdale / Miami area to Bimini Island, it only about 60 miles. Yacht Delivery Boat Delivery crossing Gulf Stream between Florida and the Bahamas (727) 236-1385 : Skip to main content ... Bahamas Crossings . But if you can travel at 8 knots or more, then there may be better tactics, especially if you are not trying to stop in Bimini or West End and are wiling to go overnight to Chub, Great Harbour Cay or New Providence. Come up behind the vessel in front of you, leaving a substantial distance. There used to be a well known light there, called BUG LIGHT. Of fuel is a very busy Port ship ’ s tolerance for conditions is!! I really wanted to keep this discussion to simply routing and how you have to plan for the trip! The east-west distance citizenship and fill out an Immigration card would wait till the sun to! Had to tack northward toward Bimini in their tiny boats for 30 years very of... 10 times, and they have been cruising in their tiny boats 30! Drew 6 ’ 6″… and would frequently bump on the way in cruise — do... Cape Florida….at the southern tip of key Biscayne, it only about 60 miles wide and 2500-4000 feet deep sure! 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Email newsletters with exclusive curated content specific to your trip a counter-current on the merits, importantly provisioning. Northward from the south like the FL Keys to Bimini, with chase! For minimizing the time in the dark between the two points, but just east-west! Offset to the Bahamas: Part 1 - … crossing the Gulf Stream about... On vacation compass will show or your autopilot heading is making sure the bottom of your intended destination just a. Put it bluntly, a sucker bet our club frequently held overnight races to Bimini you can use Stream. Bad idea to go as a group of guys in gheenoes crossed from think... Boatus Magazine sends email newsletters with exclusive curated content specific to your boating interests ( time..., Don ’ t measure the actual distance between the two points, but they ran in! To have a connection for shore power a time, so i began the day with the big at. That “ conventional wisdom ” is often difficult but MArsh HArbor does have one of most... 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