Shallow Water Cruising in Bahamas?

[dave907]

Hi Guys,

I wonder if I could have some of you experienced Bahamas cruisers help me understand something.

I'm planning on my first time headed from Florida to the Bahamas. I'm an experienced seaman who has thousands of hours on the water in Alaska (Cordova/Prince William Sound). I've also chartered about a dozen times in the BVI's. So, I'm not a noob, but almost all of my experience is in relatively deep water, except for river deltas which as you know, have their own set of rules.

I've been watching videos on youtube of these shallow-draft vessels cruising over miles and miles of swimming-pool-blue waters of 1-3 meters on the Bahama Bank, with no shelter within visible site. It looks great, except the thought keeps popping up in my head: What if the wind kicks up while you're out in the wide-open, shallow water?

With so much fetch, and so little depth, and apparently many hours of cruising before one could find shelter, it seems like you could find yourself in the middle of a field of breakers before long.

Are weather conditions simply predictable enough that you can plan your way through such passages with confidence this won't happen? What am I missing here.

Here's an example of the videos I'm talking about:

https://youtu.be/lRZ3YqM31II?t=750

Thanks in advance for helping a Bahama newbie.

Cheers,

Dave

[Sailorman Ed]

Dave, The weather patterns are quite predicable, most people listen in the Chris Parker each morning ( SSB - carry a small receiver ). Yes, there are some REALLY shallow places but if you have the Explore charts, you will be fine. Do not rely only on chart plotters/ electronic charts! Lots of boats drawing 6+ ft and they get along fine. That said, we like to explore out of the way and have had to time crossing in certain areas to the high tide and only draw 4 ft. Once you are in the Abaccos or Exumas, you can see several islands at any one time.

[Pitchondesign]

We draw 6.5' and have been in the Bahamas for 8 winters. There is always several days notice of adverse weather, which is plenty of time to find someplace to hide. Yes, there is plenty of shallow water, but it is very well charted, and the bottom is usually sand. Some of the more remote areas require more care.

[elee]

I have also wondered about the Bahamas, and the vast stretches of shallow waters. It sounds like the depths are pretty uniform and consistent, and if they are well charted, then that is great. I just worry about cruising along at 6 feet for miles, and then suddenly hit a sand bank which is at 4 feet in the middle of nowhere. I don't read much about this happening, so I suppose this may not actually be something I need to worry about.

[B23iL23]

Any point in taking a boat with a 10 foot draft there?

Would love to cruise the area but think I might be out of luck

[Pitchondesign]

Originally Posted by B23iL23

Any point in taking a boat with a 10 foot draft there?

Would love to cruise the area but think I might be out of luck

10' draft would be very limiting. Many areas would be inaccessible. There still would be places to go, but you would need a fast dinghy with good range.

[Captain Bill]

Actually the shallow areas of the banks are quite safe from waves. The water is simply not deep enough to support the development of large waves. The shallow water causes waves to develop short periods and steep faces which can result in a very uncomfortable ride, but not dangerous to a cruising boat. These short steep faces tend to break before reaching a significant height. The biggest wave I have seen on the banks has been about 1.2m in 3-5 meters and maybe 60-70 cm in 2-3 meters. There are not all that many places where the water is less than three meters and they are easily avoided. The example in the video of south of hog cay and the Hog cay cut are the exception rather than the rule.

[dave907]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

Actually the shallow areas of the banks are quite safe from waves. The water is simply not deep enough to support the development of large waves. The shallow water causes waves to develop short periods and steep faces which can result in a very uncomfortable ride, but not dangerous to a cruising boat. These short steep faces tend to break before reaching a significant height. The biggest wave I have seen on the banks has been about 1.2m in 3-5 meters and maybe 60-70 cm in 2-3 meters. There are not all that many places where the water is less than three meters and they are easily avoided. The example in the video of south of hog cay and the Hog cay cut are the exception rather than the rule.

Thanks Bill! This is what I was hoping to learn.

Thanks for all that kindly responded. Always a lot to learn! Hope to see you all somewhere the water is blue and the sand is white!

Dave

[B23iL23]

Thanks. I'd kind of written it off and maybe too much trouble. Might go straight from BVI to Bermuda as almost everything east of there is too shallow for me.

Originally Posted by Pitchondesign

10' draft would be very limiting. Many areas would be inaccessible. There still would be places to go, but you would need a fast dinghy with good range.

[sailorboy1]

I did the bahamas 2 years ago in my 6'4"draft boat and never hit bottom. Sometimes you have to anchor out a little further and it will seem lonely, till the charter cat boat anchors near you because they think "that's the anchoring place" :-)

[duckpond49]

Do need to take particular notice of tides and current. e.g. The Grand Bahamas Bank is several thousand square miles in area but the average depth is something like 6 feet. The daily tides range is just under a meter from low to high. That is a heckuva lot of water to get on and off the Bank twice a day. So it can get crazy at the edges and crossing a large area you need to stay aware of tide set. It's all predictable and well documented though.

[JeffBurnes]

Originally Posted by dave907

Hi Guys,

I wonder if I could have some of you experienced Bahamas cruisers help me understand something.

I'm planning on my first time headed from Florida to the Bahamas. I'm an experienced seaman who has thousands of hours on the water in Alaska (Cordova/Prince William Sound). I've also chartered about a dozen times in the BVI's. So, I'm not a noob, but almost all of my experience is in relatively deep water, except for river deltas which as you know, have their own set of rules.

I've been watching videos on youtube of these shallow-draft vessels cruising over miles and miles of swimming-pool-blue waters of 1-3 meters on the Bahama Bank, with no shelter within visible site. It looks great, except the thought keeps popping up in my head: What if the wind kicks up while you're out in the wide-open, shallow water?

With so much fetch, and so little depth, and apparently many hours of cruising before one could find shelter, it seems like you could find yourself in the middle of a field of breakers before long.

Are weather conditions simply predictable enough that you can plan your way through such passages with confidence this won't happen? What am I missing here.

Here's an example of the videos I'm talking about:

https://youtu.be/lRZ3YqM31II?t=750

Thanks in advance for helping a Bahama newbie.

Cheers,

Dave

He is travelling on the West side of the Exumas - there are plenty of cuts, Cays and good anchorages all the way up. Essentially you can day sail your way all around the Bahamas and if the weather comes up, just pull in somewhere. We have a Lagoon 440, we draw 4’ & we bumped a couple of times but the recommended routes are well charted but be sure to update your electronic charts on a regular basis.

[Cabo Jim]

Dave,
I have sailed the Bahamas for the past 9 seasons, usually 3-4 months per season. It is safe, beautiful and arguably the best sailing in the world due to the protected banks with no fetch and constant winds. I find no need to get beat up sailing further south into the Caribbean. My draft is 5' 3" and have run aground more times than I can remember. If your not running aground at least once a week, well your just not trying hard enough. There is a saying in the Bahamas, "If your boat sinks you just get out and walk to shore".
I watched the video and strong currents in the Bahamas are 3-4 knots, not what you would consider strong currents.
Excluding the cuts to the ocean, the passages between banks and the 3ft tides, I consider sailing in the Bahamas more like lake sailing rather than ocean sailing. Another Bahamian saying is "It's gooder in the Bahamas!"
See you in the Bahamas
Jim
s/v Patty Jean

[Lowcountry]

Sailing on the banks in the Bahamas is a lot like sailing on the Chesapeake, only prettier. When rough, you get 3-4' square waves close together that will bash you pretty good, but there is always a cay somewhere nearby so you can get in the lee if you have to.

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by Cabo Jim

"If your boat sinks you just get out and walk to shore".

Ha ha!!!

Those are some postcard-quality photos, CJ!