Cruising Caribbean on a Jet Ski: 24 Countries !

[Woodchuck]

I once rode a PWC 36 miles into a three foot chop. It took a lot longer than I thought it would and a lot more gas. It was easily the most painful experience I've ever had on the water. My butt, my ears and my right thumb will never forgive me. It was also pretty hard on the arms and legs. And that was only three footers in Lake Michigan. PWC's are just not designed for any kind of distance in any kind of rough weather. They are just too light weight. You'll have to slow your speed at the crest of every wave to keep from slamming into the next trough.
Get a sailboat, man. Its easy. Even if you've never sailed before. Wouldn't you rather be sitting nice and dry on a cockpit cushion and enjoying all those beautiful sights while the boat steers for you rather than beating yourself to death on every wave? You could get a sweet little pocket cruiser for what one of those 4 stroke PWCs cost. What are you going to do when the engine dies mid passage?(It almost certainly will at least once. Due to bad gas I would guess.) It would be pretty tough to work on one of those things at sea without totally filling the engine compartment with sea water. I applaud you for wanting to do something different but I just don't see it working. A kayak or a tiny sailboat would be a far superior option.

[steamgoat]

You may want to contact member 'Captain KJ' I believe he has done a few long jetski trips, including crossing to the Bahamas.

[witzgall]

I seriously doubt that you will be able to carry enough fuel to bridge the larger gaps between islands. I have you tested the range of your PWC in real world, out to sea conditions? What happens when the wind picks up, waves grow, and your range is halved?

Chris

[Tortuga's Lie]

If you are intent on pursuing this endeavor, I really like the idea of a companion boat along the route. It will solve a few of your issues including where to sleep at the destinations as well as adding a level of security and safety.
Personally, I wouldn't do it for many of the above reasons. I once rode a snow mobile 20 miles in the deep woods in Utah one winter and that had some beautiful scenes, but man, that really beat me up. I could imagine the droning and motonony of being at sea where the scenery doesn't change and the noise is enough to drive you nuts.

[kenny chaos]

I love the idea and your website.
There will be no pirates but there are thieves.
Keep a spare can of fuel that you know is good
in case you get into some bad gas and consider
filtering it as you fill your tanks.
Maybe use marinas for fuel and food and sleep on the beaches
so you're never gone long or far from your sled.
Your ride won't be easy for someone to just carry off (though possible)
but I might add a hidden kill switch.
Oh yes, your timetable is nice but leave it home.
Keeping a schedule will be your BIGGEST mistake.
It's all about weather windows.
I once drove a 250 enduro all up and down the west coast.
Stopped once for a cup of coffee and couldn't drink it I was
shaking so much. lol
Wish I was going-
Have a great time.

Kenny

[Pete7]

This is a video of us travelling 60 miles across the English Channel in calmer conditions than the sort of that Hud was talking about, F5 on the nose when the film was shot. Later it went F6 and the waves built as the tide turned. Only we were sat on a 22 foot 2.5 tonne rib seen on the right of the film. Oh and it took six hours and we were exhausted when we arrived. So our average speed was down to 10 knots, so how fast can you travel in a light jetski in these conditions? Note his comment about sailing in those conditions in a large yacht. I wish you luck, but i would chose a yacht.

Pete

YouTube - TestClipAlderney1

[Lowcountry]

Be sure to make out a will before you attempt this trip. To be perfectly blunt, I think you'd be crazy to attempt doing this on a jet ski. A jet ski is a toy, and the ocean is most definitely not a playground. If you must do this trip, buy a small sailboat and do it that way. Your life may well depend on it. If you are dead-set on doing something like this on a jet ski, try crossing over from Florida into the the Bahamas and going down-island that way. My guess is that you will figure out very quickly that the open ocean is no place for you to be on a jet ski.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Tortuga's Lie

I once rode a snow mobile 20 miles in the deep woods in Utah one winter and that had some beautiful scenes, but man, that really beat me up.

20 Miles? You probably meant 200 right?
It only takes about 30 minuts to go 20 miles where we ride. In the UP of Michigan, 15 minutes.

[Blue Stocking]

Go to projo.com and see what my mate, Bobby Doe, did. Not unusual for him, he also built a 60ft Marco Polo, won his division in an Atlantic Talls Ships race, and repatriated Russian Jews back to Isreal on repeated trips on the Christian Venturer.
All in a days work for Bobby.

[Tortuga's Lie]

Palarran,
No, it was through thick woods and it was slow going, we had to zig-zag.....not a "balls to the walls" type of flat out speed.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by halsar

And I will get 7mpg, better than sailors here having to turn their engines on.

Actually, we get a lot better than that with our 34' sailboat's diesel.

Even on short runs in high waves the PWC take their toll on you. I cannot imagine going longer than a few hours in bigger waves... and this is still nice weather.

[skipmac]

I think the most important consideration of the trip will be waiting for the right conditions for each crossing, especially the exposed, open ocean sections.

The ski has enough speed and power to zip across in a pretty short time but even slightly rought wind and wave conditions will kill your speed and, more importantly, your fuel consumption. You don't want to be out of fuel 10 miles from your next landfall. That could be a death sentence unless you have a companion boat along with you.

The only way this trip would be doable is to sit at each departure point, wait for a really calm day, leave early in the morning, and make max speed across to the next island.

Again, the speed of the jet ski will let you work with a pretty short window of calm conditions but you could spend a lot of time waiting for the right day.

[witzgall]

OMG, I just went to your website - you are trying to do this on a schedule? That won't work, end stop. No No No.

Winds pick up, they die. Bits of gear break. Humans get hurt, they need time to heal.

If you are still considering this, ditch the schedule!

Chris

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by witzgall

OMG, I just went to your website - you are trying to do this on a schedule? That won't work, end stop. No No No.

Winds pick up, they die. Bits of gear break. Humans get hurt, they need time to heal.

If you are still considering this, ditch the schedule!

Chris

ABSOLUTELY!!! Trying to do this on a schedule is a recipe for disaster, to put it mildly.

[halsar]

Originally Posted by skipmac

ABSOLUTELY!!! Trying to do this on a schedule is a recipe for disaster, to put it mildly.

Huriccane season.

I have been told this would be a more ideal time to do this trip.

Reasons
Warmer water.
Generally more favorable ocean conditions

If huriuccane is perdicted I am best suited to get my watercraft on land and get out of there.


What do you think? When would be best 4 month window to do this trip? (keeping transit dates open)-you guys are right!.

what would the conditions be like...still 6-8 foot waves?