Tobago to South Florida - Lots of Questions

[LittleWing]

Can anyone give a good description of the cruise from Tobago to S. Fla? Good places to stop, must sees, things to avoid, and loosely how long will it take.

[camaraderie]

LW..the good news is that you can sail the whole way with the wind on your beam or at your back. With a full crew and sailing non-stop you might mike it in 10 days. Or you could take 2 years! The only place I would avoid would be St. Vincent proper (not the Grenadines) and there are hundreds of things to see and do. The best guides to help you make up your own mind are Doyles Windward and Leeward Guides and the Yachtsmans Guide to the Virgin Islands. I assume you will leave the Virgins and head directly for the Turks and Caicos skipping PR and DR. Then is is simply a matter of working your way up to the Exumas and the over to FL. The Lewis Explorer Guides/Charts are excellent for the Bahamas. If I had ONE thing I would say "don't miss" it would have to be Virgin Gorda (North Sound and the Baths). But the Exumas Land/Sea Park comes close!

[LittleWing]

Brilliant! Thanks so much. That is exactly the info I wanted. The suggested guides will be very helpful too.
Thanks for taking the time to answer.

[never monday]

I'd budget 3 weeks. There is just too much to see and do.

[harryrezz]

Ummm - comraderie, have yoiu ever actually sailed tht route???? I've spent the last several winters sailing in the southern Caribbian and the trades are almost always out of the NNE. The sail from Tobago on up to Grenada is all upwind, and it can be quite difficult. working one's way on up the chain from Grenada is also a real challenge most of the time with the prevailing winds almost on the nose all the way up past St. Lucia. Once you make it that far things do improve a bit, but that first 1/3 of the way can be, well, a struggle. Of course, one can always stay off shore and sail a course from Tobago on up to, say Dominica and at least not be closer hauled all the way, but then you'd miss all the pretty places to stop.
BTW - why not stop in St. Vincent? I hope you are not being spooked by those two instances early this past winter about yachts being boarded on the north-west coast. The local police were out in force the last I heard, and they had apprehended two of the three culprits. Knowing how the local people feel about protecting the good name of their country for yachties and tourists those guys were luck to have been caught by the police - if the locals had found them their a---s would have been grass!

[Hud3]

LittleWing,

Here's what I would do in your shoes.

Sail overnight from Tobago to Union Island (St. Vincent & The Grenadines). Clear in at Clifton Harbour and enjoy the Tobago Cays, then up to Bequia. Clear out there and make a long day of it to St. Lucia (Soufriere, Marigot Bay or Rodney Bay are ports of entry). The passage from St. Vincent to St. Lucia can be a nasty bash, depending on wind and currents. Soufriere has the beautiful Pitons and other attractions to see ashore. Fuel, water and chandlery items may be available in Rodney Bay Lagoon. (check status of marina rebuild.)

From Rodney Bay, it's a short hop to Martinique. Depart St. Pierre for Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica. Take a couple of days, at least, to see a little of this beautiful, lush, mostly unspoiled island. Martin Carriere (VHF call sign "Providence") is a super guide.

We always stopped at Les Isles des Saintes and Deshaies in Guadeloupe. Then on to Nevis (a little gem of an island), St Martin, and the BVI. Or Antigua, St. Martin, and BVI.

I've done the island hopping as a delivery from southern Grenada to Nevis in nine days, with two lay days. Better is to take 14-15 days minimum for this part of your trip.