Quote:
Originally Posted by Falbala60
Needed lot of researcj because I did not found it on FP site...
it is Air draft: 63’4″.
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The Seven Mile bridge is listed at 63' at MHW, might be able to make it at low tide but the current can be very strong.
I assume you can get South to Ft. Myers/Naples on your own. I like to anchor at Middle Cape to break up the trip to the Keys. From there if I was worried about going under the Seven Mile bridge I would
head West to some place like Boca Grande (the real Boca Grande listed on
charts from the 1700s till today) and anchor there or in the
Marquesas and then on to the
Dry Tortugas. At that point you could
head East to Cuba (there are entire threads about sailing in Cuba) or head to the Bahamas on several routes. I will assume you are not going to Cuba so that leaves how you will get to the Bahamas.
My choice would be to head to BKH on basically two or three day
sails. From BKH you could head to Riding Rock and across the banks. I would check in at Morgans Bluff, but Chub Cay or Nassau are other options. Or you could head East to Anglefish or Rodriguez and cross to Bimini/Cat Cay for check in. Then across the banks to Morgans. The advantage of the second option is it is basically day
sails in daylight while the Riding Rock/Morgans/Nassau is a long haul; but you could anchor on the banks if you get tired.
The biggest variable you need to consider is cold fronts rolling South. It is common for boats to wait at BKH, Anglefish, or Rodriguez for two weeks or more for a
weather window to cross the Gulf Stream. Same is true if you check in at
Bimini, you might have to wait to cross the banks till a front passes. Another consideration is you are leaving at the height of the tourist season which means slips or
mooring balls may not be available any place you stop. Not to mention damage from Irma has reduced the supply.
One other note on fronts. They start out blowing like stink from the North which means crossing the Gulf Stream is no fun at all. Still some folks still do it. Then the wind clocks around. At some point it starts blowing out of the South shifting to out of the West. This is the weather window you want to cross the Gulf Stream in. In fact sometimes there is no wind at all and the
water is almost like a mirror; which means you will have to
motor in dead calm seas for a quiet easy passage.
Not sure just why you want to include Nassau in your trip as lots of cruisers avoid it at all costs. Maybe an explanation would help answer some of your questions.