CBGUY1,
Are you wanting to cross the Little Bahama Bank to get to the Abacos? Does your
draft allow for this? Our
draft is such that we prefer to take a longer
route in deeper
water.
We've done the trip several times from further north of you. Each time electing to hop down the coast to West Palm Beach then head due East. It's direct into West End (easy uncomplicated entrance mid-day/early afternoon) - with the right winds you hardly have to adjust the sails! (One trip the winds were so calm and the stream so flat - it was had to grasp we were "in the middle" of the
gulf stream, of course, we had to
motor across rather than sail, but there are much worse problems!)
Other option, leaving WPB mid-afternoon
cruise across overnight arriving at Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama late morning the next day. This is a well marked straight forward entrance into the Bahamas. Is an easy jumping off point for further exploring.
We have yet to feel that the time required for hopping all the way down the coast of FL to
Miami, Ft L, etc., is worth the advantages of the streams help going east/northeast. (somehow - it seems counter productive, however, many people elect that path every day and have fun trips too. It's all okay, to each his own. )
Good luck and save travels,
Sailing Mermaid