St. Croix to Florida

[Mundial]

Hello there:

I am contemplating moving my boat from St. Croix (USVI) to Florida in the near future. I have never made such long trip before and I am trying to decide the best way to get there.

Can anyone advise me on best routes, places to stop, issues to consider when dealing with beaurocracy, any fees that I need to be aware of, best places to re-supply, etc. Any information will be helpful. Thanks.

Mundial

[Hud3]

We did it non-stop from St Thomas. We started off by heading along the north shore of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, planning to pass through the Old Bahamas Channel, north of Cuba, and cross the Gulf Stream at Cay Sal Banks. It was in November.

However, as sometimes happens, plans changed due to weather. A strong cold front from the west and a tropical wave with heavy squalls from the east were set to converge just as we were to pass through the narrowest part of the OBC. So we headed north, between the Silver Banks and the Turks and Caicos to gain some sea room in the Atlantic. We continued up past Eleuthera and through the Providence channels, crossing the Gulf Stream between Great Isaac Light and Hollywood, Florida. It took about nine days, if memory serves me correctly.

[skipmac]

I made the trip once, also non stop but picked the outside route. Sailed from USVI to landfall at Hole in the Wall (south tip of Abaco Island) then through the NE and NW Providence Channels to Ft Lauderdale. Been a few years but around 9-10 days sounds right.

If you want to stop then there's lots of options. Work your way along the N coast of PR and DR, next to the Turks and Caicos, then island hop through the Bahamas stopping when and where looks good.

Bureaucracy not too bad anywhere. Probably DR would be the trickiest. Not sure of fees elsewhere but $300 for cruising permit in the Bahamas.

You can look at noonsite.com for latest details on customs and immigration for the islands on your route.