Florida to British Virgin Islands - Route on Power ?

[Gelfling]

Outstanding! Thanks Hud! The Chessy being the only place I have sailed but considering a southern trip....this will be a great tool to start with! Thanks!

[speciald@ocens.]

I just brought my Sea Ray 460 from Baltimore to Sint Maarten last Fall. It carries 400 gallons of Diesel. Between Baltimore and Fort Lauderdale, At cruising speed of 17 knots, we arveraged 1.5g/mile (< 300mile range). From Fort Lauderdale to Sint Maarten (over 1000 miles) with fuel at over $6/gallon it would have cost over 10k to motor the boat. I put it on Dockwise and picked it up in St Thomas and made the 100 mile trip to Sint Maarten. It cost about 15K to ship but there was no wear and tear on the boat and it got there undamaged. I could have gotten better milage at displacements speeds but I would probably have taken months to do the trip.

[Bill_E]

There are lots of contributors on this board who have made the trip, including me. If you want to PM me I'll give you my experiences and opinions (probably worthless opinions).

I'd think that the most difficult part would be finding a good boat at the price you are willing to pay and then outfitting it to suit your personal expectations and lifestyle. That could take the entire three months that you are allotting.

I have a sailboat, not a trawler, but I'd think that a diesel would be the best bet. Probably cheaper fuel and certainly a lot safer. With a motor boat, I'd think that there are enough well protected anchorages that you could probably be safe at the end of the hurricane season. Hud's absolutely right there have been some late bad ones. Google Hurricane Lenny.

Also, beware, you may think that you've found the perfect boat but you'll spend a lot of money getting her set up the way you want and fixing those little things that you didn't anticipate.

You want Van Sant's Gentleman's Guide and I also suggest that you download the free cruising guide ( Dominican Republic Cruising Guide ) and check out noonsite for information on entry and exit requirements, etc. Noonsite: The global site for cruising sailors

Good luck and have fun!!
Bill

[Alecadi]

Originally Posted by Hud3

..................
Here's a spreadsheet with my first stab at a route through the Bahamas, T&Cs, DR, PR, and VIs. It might be of some use to you in getting started on your plan, especially if you buy an express cruiser, which would have the speed to make the longer jumps in daylight. My friend wanted to make the trip with our wives, stay in marinas, and not do any overnights, so the preliminary passage plan shows that approach.

Great! Thank you for posting this
To CF moderators: It should be a VERY good idea to have a library of that kind of spreadsheets ready to be downloaded.

[Alecadi]

I think 2 to 3 month to get a boat new to you, will not be enough.
We bought our sailboat in June 2010 and are still working on preparation and upgrading to have her ready for next winter to cruise the Bahamas, Caribbean and the Gulf.
There is some work on a boat before getting her ready for Blue Waters.

[Highland Fling]

IF you are genuine i am questioning your sanity - you dont know anything about sailing or pilotage or navigation - you still have to purchase the boat AND you have get her sorted for this trip - you only want to day sail - from marina to marina - and you want to make this trip in the Hurricane season. This has to be a joke - a wind up surely

[lostviking]

Originally Posted by speciald@ocens.

I just brought my Sea Ray 460 from Baltimore to Sint Maarten last Fall. It carries 400 gallons of Diesel. Between Baltimore and Fort Lauderdale, At cruising speed of 17 knots, we arveraged 1.5g/mile (< 300mile range). From Fort Lauderdale to Sint Maarten (over 1000 miles) with fuel at over $6/gallon it would have cost over 10k to motor the boat. I put it on Dockwise and picked it up in St Thomas and made the 100 mile trip to Sint Maarten. It cost about 15K to ship but there was no wear and tear on the boat and it got there undamaged. I could have gotten better milage at displacements speeds but I would probably have taken months to do the trip.

Months?
How do you figure that? One month maybe, but you thing it could take two or more months to go there?

[Cheechako]

August/September is the peak of the hurricane season, so wait it out in florida until Nov..... there is really no where to go that's completely safe enroute, and the likelyhood of a pretty good storm is pretty high. The trawler is going to have to be pretty fast to make day passsages only on a few of the crossings. Check the distances from: T & C's to Luperon, Dominican republic, Luperon to Samana DR, Samana to PR and PR to the Virgins. Plan around those distances.

[lostviking]

Originally Posted by Highland Fling

IF you are genuine i am questioning your sanity - you dont know anything about sailing or pilotage or navigation - you still have to purchase the boat AND you have get her sorted for this trip - you only want to day sail - from marina to marina - and you want to make this trip in the Hurricane season. This has to be a joke - a wind up surely

Hehe! I am sure Nansen, Amundsen and Thor Heyerdahl wore called crazy too. Especially the last one. Heyerdahl could not even sail and he tied up nine balsa logs and sailed across the pacific.

Anyway, a little bit of adventure is desirable.

I mean, if i get a sturdy diesel and slowly go from marina to marina with a thorough weather forecast it should limit the amount of nasty surprises.

"So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?"


— Hunter S. Thompson

[btrayfors]

I gotta agree with Highland Fling. Your plans are wildly naive and optimistic. The chances of you getting away with it are slim.

You need much more time to get a new-to-you boat -- motor or sail -- ready for what is a very difficult slog to windward.

You need much more time to learn the basics of marine navigation, piloting, communications, and seamanship.

You need much more time and experience actually on the water.

You need much more time to learn about boat maintenance and upkeep, and all the skills needed for such a voyage with just you and your wife aboard.

Your plan to leave in the midst of the hurricane season is deeply flawed.

You need to realize that there are VERY VERY FEW hurricane holes enroute from Florida to the BVI (that's why insurance companies generally won't insure a boat in hurricane season in these waters until you get as far south as Trinidad or Venezuela). You can't just pull into the next marina along the way and expect to be safe.

For heavens sake, plan on a much longer period of preparation before you set out on this trip. Only a "3-month" visa is a very poor reason for putting yourself and your wife into such danger.

IMHO,

Bill

[lostviking]

Hi Btrayfors.

Okay. How does it sound if i stay until late late November in the US, and then go to Bahamas to find a hurricane hole and stick around there for a few weeks?

I am from a smal Island in Norway, and I have spent a lot of time on smaller boats, in the ocean, at smaller islands etc. I used to work with maintenance too, so i am a DIY guy, but i do not have any boat specific skills yet.

I do not, by any means, intend to go straight in to a hurricane with the intentions of making it my b***h

This thread is part of my research to do this trip, and I really want to do it.
I am open for adjustments and change to my plan.

[btrayfors]

Originally Posted by lostviking

Hi Btrayfors.

Okay. How does it sound if i stay until late late November in the US, and then go to Bahamas to find a hurricane hole and stick around there for a few weeks?

I am from a smal Island in Norway, and I have spent a lot of time on smaller boats, in the ocean, at smaller islands etc. I used to work with maintenance too, so i am a DIY guy, but i do not have any boat specific skills yet.

I do not, by any means, intend to go straight in to a hurricane with the intentions of making it my b***h

This thread is part of my research to do this trip, and I really want to do it.
I am open for adjustments and change to my plan.

That sounds a lot more sensible and do-able.

Take your time in Florida to get the right boat and put her in the best condition you can. Try to get your visa extended, if you can't, plan on a short trip to the Bahamas or Mexico or Canada or wherever.

Then, after hurricane season, bide your time and make a run to the Bahamas. Plan on spending most of the winter season there. A good spot for you initially might be Marsh Harbour in the Abacos for a few weeks.

Then, plan on working your way down to Georgetown in the Exumas. Plan on staying there several months -- along with about 200 other cruising boats there.

In doing just these things, you'll accumulate first-hand experience and have plenty of time to compare notes with others who've a lot more experience. You'll also have a good appreciation of your boat, the challenge ahead, and of your own skills.

Formulate your plans from that point forward.

Wishing you good luck...

Bill

[Highland Fling]

Originally Posted by lostviking

Hehe! I am sure Nansen, Amundsen and Thor Heyerdahl wore called crazy too. Especially the last one. Heyerdahl could not even sail and he tied up nine balsa logs and sailed across the pacific.

Anyway, a little bit of adventure is desirable.

I mean, if i get a sturdy diesel and slowly go from marina to marina with a thorough weather forecast it should limit the amount of nasty surprises.

"So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?"


— Hunter S. Thompson

NO Problem with these adventurers..................BUT you seem to be keen on breaking every rule in the book ................and expecting it to work out fine. Then your answers and posts show a dangerous amount of naivety...........Sailing to a deadline is ALWAYS BAD NEWS..............YOUR deadlines are ludicrous that and your timescales and basic plan are IMHO totally unrealistic. BUT if you make it down to Tortola in one piece - safe and sound then for sure you have a guardian angel watching over you. Have you experienced a Hurricane on land or at sea - that i doubt - really scary stuff is nature when she gets angry. Even a TS will give you a hiding. Also you seem to think you can get to a hurricane hole in time to safely sit it out.................What if you dont? you have no experience of storm procedures. In fact very limited experiences altogether in this new to you boat :-( Will it have one engine two engines and will the fuel tanks be clean and not full of crud so that at the first sign of a lumpy sea never mind a TS or a Hurricane you have no engine(s)

SENSIBLE OPTION............Why dont you find YOUR BOAT in the VI's PR or in the Leeward or Windward Islands then you can learn in a 'safer ' environment..............

Do let me know if you do this so i can give you plenty of sea room if our paths cross and ensure that you dont anchor in front of me should we share an anchorage

[lostviking]

I have endured floods and hurricanes on land, I have been camping outside in minus 43 Fahrenheit and I have been in the army for a few years clearing landmines in the middle east during sandstorms.

I know the sensible thing is to buy a boat in the BVI, but the cheapest trawler i found there cost US$ 85,000. I do not have that amount of money. I might have 20-30k to buy for. Also, I need to take a captaining course and the STCW95 in Florida as I am there.

I seek advice on this forum, that is why I ask you.

If I wanted to get yelled at for following my heart I would just visit my grandmother, hehe!

I have also for two years ago rebuild a land rover defender 1999 model td5 to run on used vegetable oil instead of normal fossil fuel. All the experts said it could not be done and that I would ruin my engine and car... I did it though. I drove from Oslo to Morocco, through Italy and back... running on vegetable oil... All diesel cars can run on renewable plant oils by the way.

If you guys know of any OK trawlers around the VI ready for sale in September, please tell me.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Hud3

... I did a little preliminary research and passage planning, enough to come up with and estimate of the fuel cost. He decided to put it on a freighter, which cost him about the same as the fuel would have...

Good point to consider for a power vessel. Putting it on a transport vessel may not be nearly as interesting, but it is likely to be quicker and cheaper.

This is certainly one area of dramatic contrast to sailing. On a past run under sail from the Bahamas to Belize via Jamaica and Honduras we only burnt about 30 gallons of fuel total. Mostly just for charging batteries and occasional motor-sailing.