St Maarten to Beaufort NC

[jaybee]

Has anyone done this trip?

We hope to take our Rustler 36 from St Maarten to the US east coast in early May this year, with the intention of leaving her there until early summer 2015, thence to NW Europe.

The plan at the moment is to head for Bermuda from Beaufort NC as the first leg of our return journey in 2015. We are unfamiliar with the ICW and the various inlets from the Atlantic Ocean, so would be grateful for any advice on the passage to Beaufort from St Maarten.

Thanks and regards to all.

[Hud3]

That route would be fine if you want to visit Bermuda.

In my opinion, a better route if you aren't up for a Bermuda visit is to head toward the Bahamas, passing north of them, so you can pick up the Gulf Stream and ride it up to the Beaufort vicinity. The passage to Bermuda will generally take you into the light winds of the Bermuda High, so motoring for several days is not unusual. The route I've sketched below keeps the Trades off your starboard quarter for a good part of the trip, and the 3 knots or so you can pick up in the Gulf Stream will knock some time off the trip.

Take care with weather. You can see some wicked storms off the East Coast, even in May.

[jaybee]

Thanks Hud
Apologies for this late response.
We have now decided to sail direct to Bermuda, thence to NW Europe via the Azores.
Regards
Jaybee