No cruisers Fla to Belize

[dwmCA]

Six days on a cruise ship - Ft. Lauderdale, north of Cuba, Belize, and Cozumel - and I didn't see even one sailboat or fishing boat...

I assumed I'd see four, five, six, ten. Where did everybody go or are there fewer bodies (and boats) out there than I imagined?

[tuffr2]

I took crusise shop last year for a 7 day Bahamas/Caribbean cruise. This was in mid. Jan. I had a balcony room and did look out over the ocean a lot. I saw zero sailboats/catamarans crusing.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Sailmonkey]

It's a big ocean, and the sailing population is a small drop in the bucket of total population.

[Jack Lahr]

Even closer to home, on a direct transit trip between s. New England/Montauk and Cape May in the summer, maybe a few sailboats seen at most, like less than five perhaps?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[DotDun]

1) Most cruise ships travel Florida around the north coast of Cuba at night.

2) Sail boats don't like a west heading directly into the current of the Florida straits. We stay at the edges in the counter-currents, out of sight of cruise ships.

3) You probably won't see a sail boat more than 5nm away.

[Hearts Content]

I waived, you weren't looking!

[dwmCA]

A raft with Cuban refugees floated by our ship and declined assistance. They were going for it...

[dwmCA]

Thanks, DotDun. I figured it was something like that. I would have been jealous anyway...

[chuckr]

We sailed to the Bahamas three time and only saw one cruise ship at night not counting the 4 we saw docked in Nassau. We sailed from Miami to Mexico to Belize and did not see any cruise ships until we walked the beach in Cozumel -
are their fewer cruise ships?

We have sailed the Med for 3 years and we have seen only a couple of cruise ships and those were night sails - we have seen a couple on ais that we did not put our eyes on --

are their fewer cruise ships? maybe it is when they run vs when we run - you suppose?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, dwmCA.

[Blue Crab]

Maybe the East Coast cruisers are all in the ICW. I see ~a dozen a day.

[tuffr2]

Interesting point that cruise ships cruise at night. That is true on the way down thru the carribbean on my cruise. But on the way back the ship cruised around the close. During the day I was looking for any cruising cat or mono. Did not see any.

I did see them sitting in the swim areas around islands.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[chefstevenward]

I spent last December on Carnival, four different itineraries ... figured it would be a great way figure out where I really wanted to go. I found that cruise ship pretty much sail all night, and spend the day in port, while sailors sail all day and spend night at anchor.

[seasick]

Motoring north on a calm, black sea, off Guatamala on January 31. Alone on watch, when the sky astern lit up as a cruise ship crested the horizon and came close aboard as the clock struck midnight. The ship exploded in celebration of New Year's Eve just as it passed. I keyed the mic on the VHF and wished the captain a happy new year. He replied in kind and was soon over the horizon ahead. It left a big smile on my face for the rest of my watch.

[tomfl]

While I am happy with my boat name I have to note that one of the best names for a boat is the one my friend Irwin gave his boat, Speck.