Sailing BVIs to Florida

[tombriggs]

Can anyone help on an itinerary from the T&C to Southern Florida?
I'm a new user to this Forum and am trying to plan a sailing trip (45' monohull, 6'8" draft) from the BVIs to the southern Florida coast. Most of the guides (including "Passages South") go the other way (against prevailing winds). I'm going mostly downwind. I've gotten from BVIs around southern PR, to DR (Luperon) to Providenciales in T&C OK, but then the Bahamas get interesting.
Has someone done this in 6' 8" draft boat, and did you take the "inside" or "outside" (Eastern) route?
tombriggs

[CaptTL]

The only way way to do that trip, IMHO, is to sail west/northwest above PR and DR and through the old Bahama channel. When you emerge into the Gulf Stream, go around Key West to get to the Florida west coast or into the Gulf Stream for the east coast.

Some other sailors will tell you to go through the Bahamas. The problem with that is you have to clear customs ($300). Also, the run through the old Bahamas Channel is down wind, which makes for a pretty easy sail with the right sails.

Of course if you are now in the T&C, it may not be worth sailing south to take my route. It's better to have done it direct from the BVI's.

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[Hannah on 'Rita T']

Or go through the Northeast/Northwest Channels between Eleuthera and the Abacos. You don't have to clear Customs if you don't stop, it's one of the busiest shipping channels we've sailed through. Take the Northwest Channel to Lake Worth. Did it last month with no problem.

[tombriggs]

Thanks. That looks to be the route we want to take, T&C to Acklins Island, Crooked Island, east of Long Island, up into Exuma Sound, through the cut between Eleuthera and Cat Island (which appears plenty deep), out and up the east coast of Eleuthera, into Northeast Providence Channel, then into Nassau, then Northwest Providence Channel to Bimini and finally over to Florida. I guess Bahamian customs is expensive, but whatever, it's part of the trip.

[nautical62]

I sailed by boat from the BVIs back to Florida last summer beginning early June, most of it Solo. I anchored every night except for an overnight sail from the P.R. to the D.R.

My stops were:

Sun Bay Bay, Vieques, P.R.
Isle Des Mortes, P.R.
Boqueron, P.R.
Puerto Real, P.R. (Didn't go far due to engine problems)
Sousua, D.R.
?? (name escapes me)
Rio San Juan D.R.
Louperon, D.R.
Big Sandy, T&C
Sapodilla Bay, T&C
Mayaguan, Bahamas
West Plana (short day after checking in)
Attwood Harbour, Acklins
Little Harbour, Long Island.
NW tip of Long Island
Great Guana, Exuma (skipped Georgetown)
Hawksbill
N. Eleuthera
Abacos where I spent some time due to weather before hopping to Florida.

With your draft, I'd probably go south of the T&C banks instead of across it.