Route around the Bahamas from Freeport

[Palarran]

I know there are many forum members who have cruised the Bahamas extensively and hope some of you will give me an opinion on a route. We have 8 to 10 weeks this winter starting February 15th to sail in the Bahamas.
Last year we stayed pretty much just in between Georgetown and Nassau in the Exumas. The start and end points are Freeport.

Would you go kind of clockwise or counter clockwise around?

I'm thinking option one is to round Grand Bahama, head over to the Abacos, down the east side, over to Eleuthera, down the inside and then over to Little San Salvador to Cat Cay, down to the end and then over to Long Island, west to the Exumas, probably up and down this chain once, then when on the downward end, head over to Andros and go back up the east side towards Freeport.

Option two would be to reverse that route which would get us south sooner. I'm not sure which would be better for wind.

[Bean Counter]

In Feb the further south the better. Cold fronts are still coming through the Abacos at this time, save the Abacos for the last part of the trip - on the way home which are when the winds will have more SE in them and Abacos in April will be a lot warmer than Feb.

[mjscottinnc]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I know there are many forum members who have cruised the Bahamas extensively and hope some of you will give me an opinion on a route. We have 8 to 10 weeks this winter starting February 15th to sail in the Bahamas.
Last year we stayed pretty much just in between Georgetown and Nassau in the Exumas. The start and end points are Freeport.

Would you go kind of clockwise or counter clockwise around?

I'm thinking option one is to round Grand Bahama, head over to the Abacos, down the east side, over to Eleuthera, down the inside and then over to Little San Salvador to Cat Cay, down to the end and then over to Long Island, west to the Exumas, probably up and down this chain once, then when on the downward end, head over to Andros and go back up the east side towards Freeport.

Option two would be to reverse that route which would get us south sooner. I'm not sure which would be better for wind.

Wow that's a lot to cover in 10 weeks. I spent 12 weeks last winter and only covered about 85% of the Abacos. But then again I wasn't in much of a hurry.

[bobnlesley]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

...further south the better...save the Abacos for the last part of the trip...

I'd agree with this.

You note going out to San Salvador? If you're out that way I'd recommend a stop at Conception Island, that's our favourite island in the whole Bahamas.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

In Feb the further south the better. Cold fronts are still coming through the Abacos at this time, save the Abacos for the last part of the trip - on the way home which are when the winds will have more SE in them and Abacos in April will be a lot warmer than Feb.

Do you know of any wind disadvantage going clockwise? I don't disagree that getting south is a bonus. My first plan was to make a dash to the T&C's but then found out I can renew my cruising permit for 3 years in a row, not just two.

Originally Posted by mjscottinnc

Wow that's a lot to cover in 10 weeks. I spent 12 weeks last winter and only covered about 85% of the Abacos. But then again I wasn't in much of a hurry.

It's 1150nm somewhat as the crow flies. I attached the Google Earth file with my basic route. So with actual sailing it should add about 20% more, which isn't that bad. We almost never spend more than two days in one place and often it's just one.

Originally Posted by bobnlesley

I'd agree with this.

You note going out to San Salvador? If you're out that way I'd recommend a stop at Conception Island, that's our favourite island in the whole Bahamas.

Interesting, it doesn't look like there's much to do there. What did you enjoy about it? But we probably won't go that far out. I had mentioned Little San Salvador.

[Bean Counter]

I looked at my Bahamas log for Feb winds were :
In 2016 Abacos generally W NW NE 15 - 35 kn

In 2018 Exuma generally E SE NE 15-25 kn

So doing the clockwise route at that time would work quite well, through the northern Abacos and then sailing down the west coast of Eluthera in smooth seas is great. Stop at Spanish Wells /Meeks Patch, then Rock Sound and then head over to Cat Is and then Conception if wind has NE or better in it. if it is heavy SE then maybe head over to Staniel Cay and work down to Georgetown, or bypass over the banks to Jumentos.



The problem is that at times it is possible to get trapped in the Abacos by bad weather so exiting the cuts may be dangerous if there are big northern swells running.

[Palarran]

Thank you for the good info. We were caught in Emerald Bay Marina last year for 3 or 4 days with the northern swell that pummeled Eleuthera. Holy crap were they breaking over the channel entrance. Many boats snapped mooring lines and cleats in the marina with the swell.

I don't know the Bahamas very well. We came up from the Virgin's through T&C's, to the Exumas and did that section about 3 times. Very nice as I've never really had long stretches of flat water sailing - what a dream. I'm hoping to get a lot more trolling and cast fishing in this year, along with some pole spear fishing. We also dive and kitesurf which we missed out on last year except in the Caico's.

We have six groups of friends coming in this year to sail with us. One of my general planning issues is being at a semi-major airport every 7 to 9 days. So Freeport, Marsh Harbor, Eleuthera, Exumas, and Nassau are the most common (I think).

I got pretty stoked up by these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76CHsig6lz8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80q62wjry24&t=21s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVR1QB_v-i4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wNm2VEXjAU

[Lowcountry]

I'll echo the response that February weather in the Exumas is a lot better than it is in the Abacos. I'd go counter-clockwise.

[Palarran]

Sounds like a good plan.

Any advice on Andros and the crossing from the south east end over to the Exumas or Long Island?

Actually any info on Andros in general would be nice as there is very little available online and my Explorer charts are in Freeport.

[Bean Counter]

Garmin blue charts with active captain attached - very useful for the Bahamas.

[caradow]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Sounds like a good plan.

Any advice on Andros and the crossing from the south east end over to the Exumas or Long Island?

Actually any info on Andros in general would be nice as there is very little available online and my Explorer charts are in Freeport.

Probably not a lot of help however a few years ago we pulled into Fresh Creek Andros to check it out on our way down to the Exumas. Quite economically depressed there like no other place I have ever visited in the Bahamas. There is a dilapidated dock you can tie up to free of charge and the people are friendly. Just beware there is a tremendous amount of current in the harbor probably 5 kts plus at times. We only stayed a day or two. Walked around a bit but we were anxious to return back to the Exumas so we left. Do think it is a Bone Fishing paradise if thats something you like but don't have any personal experience.
As far as getting to the Exumas from there is a no brainer despite some areas of shallow water, your cat will have no problem just refer to your explorer charts.
After crossing and then turning south staying to the west of the island chain is somewhat painful at times because of the sand banks which will give you trouble if you ignore them. Just need to stay west more than you would like. If you get tired of watching for them just go through one of the many cuts then you can come down the east side in deep water. Again current can be a challenge especially the cut at Staniel Key. Apparently many people go up on the rocks there. A very large Motor yacht hit the rocks while we were there. Its a little tricky and a circuitous route to get thru just have to pay attention. When we went through a lot of locals came out of their house to watch us. Think they were disappointed when we got thru unscathed. We figured they ran the local salvage business.
Anyway thats my two cents. There are a lot of people on this forum who never leave the Bahamas to go further south so they will be much more knowledgeable than I. Now I know why they never leave....the Bahamas are what the Caribbean SHOULD be.

[Palarran]

Thanks Caradow.
My attraction to Andros is for the fishing and lobster, which I hear is the best in the Islands. And it's on my way. We're only going to be there for 4 days at most so there isn't a lot of time to explore.

The Exuma cuts are pretty interesting. We used Galliot quite a few times and just timed it to slack tide. I took my dingy through Staniel and can see why someone could get trapped there - very strong currents.

Interesting comment on leaving the Bahamas and comparison to the rest of the Caribbean. I think I agree. It's pretty easy to cruise this area and it's vast without having to clear in/out. Near zero security concerns.