Customs, Can I Make it to Nassau?

[alexleclainche]

Hey guys, departing from Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas this Friday. The weather does not look to be in our favor Friday, but getting better with northwest winds on Saturday. We are on a schedule and would love to make it to Nassau Sunday afternoon/evening. We should have no problem in doing so, I was just wondering if we could be in Bahamian waters and clear in Nassau as opposed to our usual routing (clearing in N. Bimini) to save some time. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Alex

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by alexleclainche

. . . departing from Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas this Friday. The weather does not look to be in our favor Friday . . . We are on a schedule . . .

I hate to see those phrases together, but I wish you the best.

TaoJones

[imagine2frolic]

On my way to the Exumas I always pass everything by, and head straight for Nassau . Might save you a quarter of a day?

[rtbates]

A NW wind in the Gulf Stream is better?? Better than what, a hurricane I suppose, but I believe you'll find that any wind N or NW in the stream will make for a pretty lumpy ride..

good luck with that schedule thing!

[alexleclainche]

we will have crossed the gulf stream by the time NW winds kick in... The NW winds will put us on a downwind coarse almost all the way to Nassau . My question which I am pretty sure was already answered is can I skip all the of the little islands and clear in Nassau .?

[Ram]

Yes you can skip all the islands and go direct to Nassua,

[CSY Man]

Yes, you have 24 hours to check in and Nassau is fine. Some guys do Chub Cay and some Androws..I always do Bimini out of old habits: 23 times now....

[alexleclainche]

Thanks guys!

[camaraderie]

I'm showing 20k out of the south on Friday...and clocking more westerly on Saturday.

[FlyBri737]

And a North wind over the Gulf Stream isn't ALWAYS a bad thing.

Headed out with a couple of friends to Bimini with a wind forecast 10-15 from the North. We decided to head out and see how rough it was since we could always turn back if the ride was bad.. We were able to cut the motor almost from the start and enjoyed a beam reach sail over and you would have never known we were even in the Gulf Stream except for the N push.

Of course the majority of the time it would have been rougher than heck.. I wouldn't 100% say "no go" due to a North wind as long as I have an exit strategy if the GS is messy.

Brian

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

I'm showing 20k out of the south on Friday...and clocking more westerly on Saturday.

Clocking is the normal pattern - suggesting Northerly on Sunday (or thereabouts), finally returning to Something-Easterly (perhaps Monday).

As Brian suggests, the first few hours of Northerlies aren't always too bad in the Stream - but I'd NEVER start out with a Northerly component. I'm not too worried, if it catches me as I complete my crossing.

[Vasco]

Have not checked in at Bimini since 1990. Do it in Nassau . Weather looks good today (Thursday). It's best to keep going once you get across the Stream.

[jzk]

What kind of boat? Would you mind a few hours of some fun seas? I always enjoyed the ride across the stream provided by a nice northerly and some fun square waves. Are you a powerboater? (We do both. In the sailboat, we have never been concerned with the state of the stream. The powerboat is a completely different matter). We raced to Bimini or Lucaya, and the race was scheduled well in advance, and the stream was what it was. If it was "lively" it was a blast. If it was calm, it meant no wind which meant drifting north until finally breaking down and firing up the engine. In fact, the sailboat I had at the time couldn't carry enough gas to motor all the way across the stream. 15-20 footers were much more welcome than the doldrums. Once on the way back I had to tow the boat the last 4 miles to Fort Lauderdale with the dinghy. Even went through the 17th street bridge that way (this was before the new bridge).