NY to Bahamas - First Time - Offshore

[CS30 Lee Rig]

Hello all !

Planning to leave from NY to the Bahamas in October 2023.
I would like to hear your recommended routes.
I've heard about heading to 25N65W and then south.
Is it any other shorter way or more wind/weather favorable to head to Bahamas ?

Any comments and experiences are very welcome !

Thank you
Marcelo

Lee Rig

[SailingHarmonie]

The answer is always, "it depends." Nobody knows today what the weather will be when you leave, so the exact best course is not to be known. If the weather is AVERAGE, then you do what the books say. What do you think the chances are of having exactly average weather?

I would strongly suggest that you do one of two things. Subscribe to, and how to use, Predict Wind's weather routing software, OR subscribe to a weather routing service. Chris Parker has a popular one.

If the weather is anything CLOSE to average, you might find that a sail to Bermuda, and THEN on to the Bahamas is a good plan.

Many people are scared of the open ocean, and they sail down the coast to Miami, then over to the Bahamas. It works, but takes a LOT more time and fuel. We MUCH prefer the offshore route. Neither one is wrong, it all depends on your risk perception.

[Enfant Du Vent]

Ahoy CS30:
SailingHarmonie is correct that it all depends on the weather. But whatever weather routing service you chose, the fact is that Mid-September to Dec. 1st IS hurricane season. A routing service could tell you it's safe to make a run for Bermuda, but the 800-900 mile passage to the Bahamas--and you'll be getting closer to the average hurricane track--will leave you much more "exposed" to the risk of a new hurricane.
And if you leave NY in October, spend a week or so in Bermuda, then scurry to the Bahamas it will STILL be hurricane season! What will you do then? Back in ancient times--the 1990s--wisdom suggested getting the boat to Bermuda in September/October and then staying there until the end of November. (The rum is cheaper, but the food MUCH more expensive there.) That would mean your total time to the Bahamas would still be longer than Sailing Harmonie implied.

Telling others what experience you and any possible crew have, what safety gear you have/plan to get would help us all give more useful answers?
PS: As for fuel, each time I sailed my 32' boat south I spent more time waiting for the best wind. Last trip still took the same amount of time; but I used only 5 gallons of diesel from P.E.I, Canada to Cape Canaveral, FL. I'd wait for a "window", then go offshore 40-50 miles and make a 2-3 day (24 hours a day, obviously) "jump".
Whatever you decide, have a great trip--it's worth all the effort!

[Montanan]

October, perhaps consider later in the year especially given the extreme warmth of the ocean this year is likely to extend hurricane season.

Restated: You want to go where, when?

Recommend later part of November / early December with a favorable weather forecast.

[s/v Jedi]

Don’t forget that the gulf stream is the big factor voor routing.

I bet that proposed route keeps clear of it

[sailingharry]

So, I've never done a trip south. I keep going north. But:

It's 2-4 days to Bermuda.
It's 6-10 days to go south.

It seems to me that even in hurricane season, modern weather predictions seem to give that much notice. You make a plan, but don't actually depart untill the forecast is clear.

It is very possible that my perception is colored by the fact that I live on the Chesapeake, and that's close to a week further along in the hurricane life cycle. Maybe they go from a low to a hurricane to "here it is NOW" in the Caribbean much faster.

[CarlF]

If you are just going to the Bahamas instead of the Caribbean, there’s no reason to go far offshore.

The other problem is that the NE gales now start October 1 in New England. It’s possible to get trapped in New England for the winter with no weather window. I go from Maine to the Bahamas every year and now leave New England the last week of September.

I then make a stop in Norfolk to wait for a weather window around Hatteras (which become few after November 1).

As you round Hatteras cross the Gulf Stream and head for the Bahamas. Or stay inside the Gulf Stream and spend a week in Charleston enjoying the restaurant scene and then head for the Bahamas.

Obviously, you have to watch for hurricanes but the Chesapeake and Charleston are rarely hit and are good place to shelter if one is a risk.

[Tin Tin]

Check your insurance policy for named storm timing, many have the window to mid November. Because I am not on a schedule I prefer being within helicopter range - about 300 miles offshore, but that's just me.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by CS30 Lee Rig

Hello all !

Planning to leave from NY to the Bahamas in October 2023.
I would like to hear your recommended routes.
I've heard about heading to 25N65W and then south.
Is it any other shorter way or more wind/weather favorable to head to Bahamas ?

Any comments and experiences are very welcome !

Thank you
Marcelo

Lee Rig

Salty Dawgs leave From Hampton, Va and a few other East Coast locations around November first. This departure date is pretty hard due to insurance restrictions on most boats. Consider joining the rally. There are benefits including rout planning and weather routing. This will help you avoid storms and give you a favorable entry to cross the stream. Lots of other assistance is available. The Dawgs have a booth at the Annapolis sail boat show. The main rally goes to Antigua but many cruisers also have the Bahamas as a destination.

https://www.saltydawgsailing.org/

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Marcelo.

The Atlantic trade winds, and the Gulf Stream, the are the most important factors, in how you sail south, to the Caribbean. They start around 22°N to 25°N, and blow from an easterly direction. Mostly it's southeast, but in November, and into the winter, there's often a northerly component.

On the [so called] “I-65" route, you sail [South] East, across the Gulf Stream, until about 66° or 65°W, then you turn south, and sail straight for the Caribbean [usually the Virgins], with the trade winds as more of a reach, avoiding a beat, to windward. “I-65" will take you East of the Bahamas.

The trades blow 15 to 25 knots most times, and are consistent in direction. With them on your beam [or behind you], they make for good sailing. But on the nose, they make for a long, uphill slog, which can carry on for days. See the S. Atlantic Pilot Charts, for October & November.*

Depending on boat speed, you may be offshore from seven to twelve days, more than enough time to be caught by a serious weather system.

As has been noted, the Best Time to take “I-65" [or any crossing] is [mid to late] November.

Hurricane season runs into November. By mid to late December, the winter storm season in the Atlantic has picked up and the trade winds have freshened. From January onwards the odds of a harsh winter storm are high and sailing offshore is inadvisable.

* Atlas of Pilot Charts ➥ https://msi.nga.mil/Publications/APC
Oct ➥ https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications....pdf&type=view
Nov ➥ https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications....pdf&type=view

Recommendations from Don Street:
➥ https://www.caribbeancompass.com/south_from_us_2020.html


Route 1: Sail in September from Newport, Rhode Island, to Bermuda, leave the boat in Bermuda, then return there in December to sail to St. Thomas.
Route 2: Depart in November from Little Creek, Virginia, sail south-southeast until the easterlies fill in, typically somewhere near 65 west, then sail south to St. Thomas.
Route 3: Depart in November from Beaufort or Morehead City, North Carolina, sail south-southeast until the easterlies fill in, then sail south to St. Thomas.
Route 4: Depart in November, hugging the coast to Charleston, South Carolina, then sail inside the Gulf Stream to approximately Jacksonville, Florida. Time your departure from Jacksonville so you leave a day or two ahead of a forecast norther. Sail east until the norther dies, then hard on port tack to a landfall in the Islands.

[GordMay]

You might also be interested in:
"Passage Planning” ~ by John Kretschmer
Planning an ocean passage starts with knowing when to go and which way will get you there fastest.
➥ https://sailingmagazine.net/article-...-planning.html

”... Timing the right seasons and prevailing winds for offshore passages with the need to avoid hurricanes and heavy weather requires a bit of forethought.

Sailors have been following the prevailing winds for millennia and for now, at least, global wind patterns are still quite predictable. We will examine some of the classic routes from the U.S. coasts in this article, however there are two indispensable references that budding world cruisers need to have aboard ...”

[Snore]

Originally Posted by CS30 Lee Rig

Hello all !

Planning to leave from NY to the Bahamas in October 2023.
I would like to hear your recommended routes.
I've heard about heading to 25N65W and then south.
Is it any other shorter way or more wind/weather favorable to head to Bahamas ?

Any comments and experiences are very welcome !

Thank you
Marcelo

Lee Rig

Marcelo,

There is no single route. Routing is a dynamic decision of forecasted weather versus vessel size/design, vessel condition, and crew condition. With all respects, any other comments are based on historical statistics.

Assuming your vessel is a CS 30 and since you are asking advice here, assuming you are learning about blue water- it would be prudent to route conservatively.

As mentioned in my opening, crew condition is also a factor. Is this a 3-person crew seasoned or a rookie crew? If 2-person what shape are they in?

Let's route super conservative. I would recommend (based on weather) NYC to Cape May, with option of either down the coast or inside. Next hop is Cape May to Chesapeake, same thing- exception this one is touchy. You need fairly calm conditions to slip a 30' between Hatteras and the Gulf Stream. Once south of Hatteras lay for Charleston, with option for Savannah. St. Augustine is a solid stopping point. From there you can catch a nice window and pass north of The Bahamas and slide into the Abacos, or continuing hopping to Ft. Pierce and head for Grand Bahama.

PLEASE tell me you have an EPIRB, and all the appropriate safety gear....

[Mbenjamin]

If this is your first passage, consider joining a rally with other boats. You will learn from more experienced sailors and feel more confident. Also fun social events. Check out the Salty Dawg Sailing Association.

[Kitegirlz]

Do not leave until December after hurricane season. Am concerned you are unaware if this.

[billreilly]

Marcelo:


I can help you with some weather routing advice if you'd like.


https://www.passageweather.com/services.htm


Send me an email and we can discuss it.


Bill