One key to faster speed is making sure the bottom of your boat is clean. It’s the recreational weekend warriors I worry about. Click to see all 30 topics covered! Our active and passionate readers enjoy powerboating, sailing, cruising, fishing, and water sports on boats both big and small. 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. Mindy and David have a passion for small sailboats called micro-cruisers, and they have been cruising in their tiny boats for 30 years. We always left at around 8pm or so…. Don’t fight mother nature. If you've not been there before, you're in for a splendorous treat. The faster you get across the Gulf Stream, the less you’ll get swept north. Even if my speed over ground drops to 5 knots my trip time for the 62NM covered is just over 12 hours. With the Gulf Stream, your heading and course will never be the same. The 45 gallons of fuel is a bit light but will get you to the Bahamas without needing to tank up. Our club frequently held overnight races to Bimini or to West End. 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. I think we have crossed the stream about 10 times, and it is always different. Our average speed, without current, is about 6 knots, so we know it will take about 9 hours (6 x 9 = 54 which is close enough for estimating). If we arrived early, we would wait till the sun started to show in the east before attempting the entry. An overview and comparison of 10 of the most popular small catamarans. In my 6kt boat this is a 4.5 hour trip added on to my approx. The master of the boat must report to CBP telephonically and be directed to the nearest Port of Entry to satisfy the face-to-face requirement, or report to the nearest designated reporting location along with the boat's passengers for inspection. The Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism is offering boating "flings" to Bimini, Harbour Island, Eleuthera and the Abacos through Aug. 5. Gulf Stream Our chart plotter will only show one route at a time, so I began the day with the southernmost route. There used to be a well known light there, called BUG LIGHT. Be aware, however, that your speed over ground is likely to be at least a knot less than you typically average and plan accordingly. A cruising permit is required for all foreign private, non-commercial, pleasure boats (and occupants) to sail in Bahamian waters. Divide the east-west distance by your average speed to figure out how long it will take you to make the east-west distance. Because weather in the Gulf Stream is potentially squally, we opted to get across the stream as quickly as possible. The Boat Galley can be overwhelming with over 1,200 articles. . It’s perfect as you progress across the stream, you wash northwards toward Bimini. I would love to hear more about “not fighting Mother Nature”. DTOPS for Private Vessel (30+ ft.) or Report Arrival By Phone, For more information please see my Rates/Fees And Click here. Take a day as you’re waiting for your weather window and head south to a different anchorage — which one you choose will be determined by your draft. Hi, Enjoyed the article. Boats 30 feet or longer in length must pay an annual fee of $27.50 for a border crossing decal (also called a “user fee decal” by … However- the formula remains the same. All this is really only gleaned from experience. Should you have engine problems on the crossing and have to sail at slower speeds, be aware that you’re almost certainly going to end up further north than you had expected. Plan to cross the wake (which is traveling the same direction as you) at between a 45- and 90-degree angle. Planning to cruise the Bahamas? The exact location and speed does vary slightly from day to day. For crossing the Gulf Stream as fast as possible, your heading should never be any amount south of due east on the way to the Bahamas or south of due west on the return. Bahamas Crossing : From South Florida to Bimini. To figure this with a real-life example of leaving from Angelfish Creek: I always plan for alternate “destinations” on the crossing so that if we get swept more or less than expected we have options already plotted and examined. Featured Articles . Get my self-paced online course, Get Ready to Cruise the Bahamas, for step-by-step details on 30 critical tasks. Bahamas Customs / Immigration Mouth of creek, visual center 8′ If you want to visit the Bahamas by boat and are leaving from Florida, Crossing the Gulf Stream is one of your most important things to consider. [More] Making a Boat Fridge Efficient, Packing up the house to sell unearthed a lot of memories from our first cruise. Our options were to either fight the current or get across and then make our southing inside Hawk Channel. Even a 25-year old Sabre 38 will still command a price of $75,000 for MK I, and well over $100,000 for a MK II. I can see why minimizing my time in the stream is important if the stream is rough that day, but if thats the case I’m probably not going. 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 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. We left the Keys around 4:00 pm and were in West End around 2:00 pm. We actually would always leave from Cape Florida….at the southern tip of Key Biscayne. 9 hour crossing for a total time of 13.5 hours. A late start in the morning and you’re ariving at night. This article was originally written on January 18, 2018. That got us about 15 miles further south than just leaving from Gun Cay — but only about 4 miles south of Angelfish Creek, our target on the Florida side (we were heading back to Marathon, in the Keys). Want more information about going to the Bahamas? The last thing cruise ships want is to run into sailboats. Fixing stuff in the bahamas is often difficult but MArsh HArbor does have one of the best hardware stores I have ever seen. Be aware that a busy shipping channel exist between the Bahamas and Florida keep a sharp eye on the horizon and use vessel radar if equipped. and waiting for a window that is more favorable than another. Try to avoid a north wind. The Gulf Stream greeted us with some formidable waves that at times appeared as tall as our 14-foot mast. Now, that north amount is an average. It’s what your ship’s compass will show or your autopilot heading. Where do these migrants come from? Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and is a very busy port. and result of the wind patterns acting on North Atlantic Ocean. 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 Entering Policies . Lake Worth is too far North to cross to West End. I really wanted to keep this discussion to simply routing and how you have to plan for the offset to the north. In addition to the print publication, BoatUS Magazine sends email newsletters with exclusive curated content specific to your boating interests. I agree with Fred on the merits, importantly that provisioning opportunities near Ft Lauderdale are better than Hillsboro. My 28' S2 does not even have a connection for shore power. Fuel Check out all the special deals from our podcast sponsors! 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. Have some alternate destinations in mind. It should be less than 90 This is your heading to steer and should — on average — keep you near the rhumb line course to your actual destination (you will probably be north of the rhumb line in the middle of the trip, where the stream is the strongest, then come back towards the rhumb line in the second half). Ships Carolyn — thanks thanks thank! As we got swept north of that rhumb line, I pulled up the next route to the north. Leaving from that far north, you will be fighting the Gulf Stream the whole way, as I discussed. 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). Ft. Lauderdale can be a madhouse on weekends…..not to mention the cruise ship traffic. Be very, very cautious of trying to cross in front of another vessel — speeds are deceiving in the stream. Everyone must have proof of citizenship and fill out an immigration card. If you want to know more about this do a google search on "Set and Drift". • Tips from Carolyn First, figure the east-west mileage and then divide it by your average speed to know how far north you are likely to be swept. Crossing the Gulf Stream as quickly as possible will decrease the danger from both of these. Don’t measure the actual distance between the two points, but just the east-west component. Admittedly, we would have traveled fewer miles had we just fought the stream. The 2020 Virtual Boat Show. Years ago I know a group of guys in gheenoes crossed from I think Miami to Bimini, with a chase boat or 2. Either option is going to add hours to your trip. Even if the Gulf Stream is averaging 2 knots, that’s 18 miles of northing. or past. Just $39. Luckily, a friend who has made many, many crossings took pity on me and explained it in a way that I did understand. In the form of boat cards. Three Things to Know for Route Planning Lake Worth is too far north to have a good crossing to West End. time to look at alternatives. Landing Fees are one of the little unexpected fees you get hit with everywhere this is a fee a marina charges for you to tie up with for a short while example stopping to clear customs or stopping at a restaurant or some other attraction but not staying overnight landing fees can vary price depending on area and requested length of stay . (Note that Angelfish Creek is suitable for shallow draft vessels only — we draw just 3 feet.). For the return trip from Bimini to Florida, the planning was similar to our eastbound crossing. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to figure everything out. That being said, if someone was to organize a crossing … I loved this article, very helpful for first-timers! It is also very busy with lots of large cargo ships heading up and down the east coast and many small to medium-sized boats going between Florida and the Bahamas. If your crossing the Gulf Stream in a six knot boat you should pick a destination 25 nm North of where you start, in both directions. Bahamas Boating Regulations . Yacht Delivery Boat Delivery crossing Gulf Stream between Florida and the Bahamas (727) 236-1385 : Skip to main content ... Bahamas Crossings . Those ships are typically traveling 20 to 25 knots and pass me by pretty quickly. It was substantially updated and republished on January 4, 2019. Upon arrival, boaters must visit Bahamas Customs and Immigration at their Port of Entry to obtain this permit. • New articles & podcasts Thanks Carolyn! Hi! It typically averages between 2 and 2.5 knots. The average is the important thing for route planning. [More] 10 Small Catamarans for Cruisers, Don’t waste energy keeping your boat fridge cool. 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. I’m going to discuss crossing the Gulf Stream from Florida to the Bahamas (and return) in this article. Very confused seas as the current fights the wind. The result? 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. yes, there are several other anchorages up to as much as 28 miles north. Weather Come up behind the vessel in front of you, leaving a substantial distance. It is also very busy with lots of large cargo ships heading up and down the east coast and many small to medium-sized boats going between Florida and the Bahamas. It is worth noting that “conventional wisdom” is often unwise. The stream usually doesn’t run right up to the islands. Their favorite destinations have been the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Florida Keys and the beautiful islands of the Bahamas. I haven’t done that crossing but 8d analyze it the same way. The cruise ship traffic in Ft Lauderdale doesn’t worry me. . Another is to motor or motor-sail at your max cruising speed. R2a 75′ off 6.2′ In this example, we’re thinking of leaving from Angelfish Creek and going to Gun Cay — 53.2 miles. We had a great motor sail down to Nassau arriving early afternoon. We knew we couldn’t really start as far south as would be ideal — the Bimini chain doesn’t extend that far south. (One time a member of our flotilla decided to leave mid day as they were on vacation. Either way, you’ll be looking at a fast, easily-managed boat that will cruise in style. First, your heading is where you are pointing the boat. If you are planning to start further south, say at Rodriguez Key (Key Largo) and head for Bimini or Gun Cay, you’d start the planning in the same way. 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. CBP has designated specific reporting locations that are staffed during boating season for pleasure boats to report their arrival and be inspected by CBP. it's been my experience that the seas are slightly higher in the stream. It was very eye-opening to us to turn literally two degrees south of due east and see our speed over ground drop over half a knot — a few degrees more and it dropped nearly a knot! Now its TIME for another hidden fee. Oops! more than twice the significant wave height'. See the soundings, below. Choose which side you plan to pass on and turn toward that direction. Enjoy the comfort of the marinas, and then hop off the boat to explore the beauty of the islands! Upon entry into Bahamian waters it necessary to fly the yellow quarantine flag until the entire crew and passengers have cleared Customs /Immigration. That means Lake Worth to West End is a bad idea. R8 to G5 to R 6 visual center 10-12′ Between G1 and R2 center channel 6.0′ No obstruction found G3a to G3 center channel 5.7′ The Resource Center has four FREE mini-courses to guide you to just the info you need, whether you’re discovering what living on a boat would be like, preparing to cruise, overwhelmed with the first-year learning curve, or needing help with cooking aboard. Such a simple, straightforward and USEFUL description of the planning process! Second, your course (or course over ground) is the direction that the boat as a whole is actually moving and what is reflected on your chart plotter course. Some hours you’ll go more north and some less, depending on whether you’re at the edge of the Gulf Stream or right in the center. Support Lady K - http://www.patreon.com/ladyksailingOr http://www.ladyksailing.com/team-k You will not follow the rhumb line and your chart plotter will keep showing you being further off course until you make that turn on the far side of the stream. Then again, we drew 6’6″… and would frequently bump on the way in. Unless you are familiar with Hillsboro, go down to Ft. Lauderdale. ... How to take a jet ski or small boat to the Bahamas : Part 1 - … Also, I agree in general with your GS crossing info. You’re better off with what might be called the third option. Sail was the most fun as we left from Marathon , jumped into the Gulf Stream and rode that puppy North. Learn everything you need to know with Get Ready to Cruise the Bahamas. Fighting the Gulf Stream is, to put it bluntly, a sucker bet. For one, the Bahamas are one of the most "boating-friendly" of America's adjacent subtropical neighbors. The Gulf Stream, located along the east coast of the United States, it is a fast current . Your course over ground will always be north of your heading. Crossing the Gulf Stream - Bahamas Bound Episode 7 - YouTube Weather is another big component, but everyone’s tolerance for conditions is different! 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