Sailing from Charlestone to Carribean in January

[SailRN]

If the OP meant the port in South Carolina where the bo-at is in the yard, the correct spelling is Charleston. I could not find anywhere named Charlestone.

And for MicHughV, a straight-forward answer:

Beaufort, SC, is pronounced Bew-fort, while Beaufort, NC is pronounced Bo-fort. And both are spelled Beaufort, not Bewfort.

[cr180]

Oh and by the way BOfort is in North Carolina; BUford is in South Carolina. Being from the South, have been schooled many times on which is which. Charlestone maybe in between?

[MicHughV]

I've come across countless people planning to go to the "Caribbean"....make it to the B'mas...and go no further.
And why would they... other than tall mountains, the B'mas has it all, crystal clear water, friendly people, fantastic sailing, 1,000's of anchorages, many island groups, great fishing and diving, good camaradie amongst other sailors, etc, etc, and only a short trip from the Florida.
Winter sailing can get boisterous (fronts), but one can duck into countless protected anchorages, Spring and summer are unbeatable, keeping an eye out for the odd hurricane.

SailRN, I'm perfectly aware of how Beaufort is spelled, but have come across some pretty wild explanations as to how it's pronounced...and how to differentiate between the two.

[SailRN]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

SailRN, I'm perfectly aware of how Beaufort is spelled, but have come across some pretty wild explanations as to how it's pronounced...and how to differentiate between the two.

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I thought it was pronounced "Bowfurt".... ???

Glad I was able to help!

[MicHughV]

too bad one can't replicate the "accent" required to truly understand the difference between "Bewfurt" and "Bowfort" on this forum...

[mindsofman]

Van Sants " Thorny Path" is a good read and gives
Alternative routes for winter fronts..
Find a copy and go through it..

[carstenb]

You might want to read this blog of ours about this sail. There is a pretty good video in it of the conditions you'll face.

https://svcapri.com/2018/02/26/vinni...oops-san-juan/

[hpeer]

We went down the Thorny Path and came back a straight shot from Dominica.

Planning in going down again in November.

Don Street wrote an interesting article on the route .

https://www.cruisingworld.com/how/sa...orget-bermuda/

While I am trying for early November I may get pushed later.

Does anyone have recommendations on when it becomes too late to be reasonably safe? May be single handing.

[MicHughV]

I helped a friend of mine to the Caribbean via the so-called thorny path.
Against popular advice, we even anchored on the Caicos Bank for the night, lordy, lordy lordy...
I don't know a good month to try it. The trick is to stage in George town, and wait for a weather window, and try for a long loopy run to at least Puerto Rico, but even then, it's a roll of the dice.

[Snore]

First congrats on the HR-42— as a delivery guy, I LOVE that boat.

Me? I would minimize my time offshore in Jan until I got south. Run coastal down to Ft Pierce, then east. This lets you duck in if (when) a cold front comes through. Get either a good weather router or a Predict Wind Pro account- I-65 is how folks who do not have wether updates go.

Downloading weather twice a day, I can sometimes “stair step” my way east, minimizing fuel burn and time.

As to crossing the Gulf Stream, it depends. If the N winds have been under 10 for a few days, it is bumpy. If the front is stronger, it can break stuff. Not the way I run my jobs.

[davil]

Originally Posted by hpeer

We went down the Thorny Path and came back a straight shot from Dominica.

Planning in going down again in November.

Don Street wrote an interesting article on the route .

https://www.cruisingworld.com/how/sa...orget-bermuda/

While I am trying for early November I may get pushed later.

Does anyone have recommendations on when it becomes too late to be reasonably safe? May be single handing[/SIZE][/B].

==============================================
hpeer,IF you find usable information please send me a PM please.

Exactly on your same quandary.
Have signed up with the Salty Dawg Rally to the Caribbean, however have serious doubts/concerns will not be cancelled because of the increasing Covid cases on most of the destination points, exploring alternatives have called the weather routing services normally use Jennifer Clark, they are not very optimistic/encouraging as yes they have occasionally provided services on this problematic time/route of the season.
--------------------------------------------------------------
was familiar with the reference
quoted from this article that is also printed on the Bermuda charts I have.

"Going south in late fall from such New England ports as Newport, Rhode Island, by way of Bermuda is basically playing Russian roulette. In 2011, the bullet ended up in the firing chamber, and as a result, two boats and one life were lost."

"Sailors heading south to Bermuda in November should stop asking for weather windows, and weather routers should stop providing them: These windows don’t exist except for 90-foot sailing rocket ships that can reach Bermuda in three days. U.S. East Coast weather becomes so unstable in November that forecasts are good only up to 48 to 60 hours."

On the last quote can vouch as true,2019 waited for a "window" in Halifax from mid-October to early November, no window, have to return home, endured 2 early gales
Sheltered in Shelbourne the first
Provincetown the second.

[cofc]

Originally Posted by SailRN

Beaufort, SC, is pronounced Bew-fort, while Beaufort, NC is pronounced Bo-fort. And both are spelled Beaufort, not Bewfort.

But they are separated by a sarchasm.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by davil

==============================================
hpeer,IF you find usable information please send me a PM please.

Exactly on your same quandary.
Have signed up with the Salty Dawg Rally to the Caribbean, however have serious doubts/concerns will not be cancelled because of the increasing Covid cases on most of the destination points, exploring alternatives have called the weather routing services normally use Jennifer Clark, they are not very optimistic/encouraging as yes they have occasionally provided services on this problematic time/route of the season.
--------------------------------------------------------------
was familiar with the reference
quoted from this article that is also printed on the Bermuda charts I have.

"Going south in late fall from such New England ports as Newport, Rhode Island, by way of Bermuda is basically playing Russian roulette. In 2011, the bullet ended up in the firing chamber, and as a result, two boats and one life were lost."

"Sailors heading south to Bermuda in November should stop asking for weather windows, and weather routers should stop providing them: These windows don’t exist except for 90-foot sailing rocket ships that can reach Bermuda in three days. U.S. East Coast weather becomes so unstable in November that forecasts are good only up to 48 to 60 hours."

On the last quote can vouch as true,2019 waited for a "window" in Halifax from mid-October to early November, no window, have to return home, endured 2 early gales
Sheltered in Shelbourne the first
Provincetown the second.

Quite some years ago a friend left Halifax very early November bound for Bermuda. 4 days in hit a gale, one crew with broken arm, boat was showing signs of breaking up. They got rescued by an ore carrier.

I am looking at a Norfolk or Beaufort departure.

I am not insurance constrained so could go earlier except for your personal circumstances.

I used Chris Parker coming up.

[davil]

thank you
live in Morehead City NC and departure will be the same.
same on the insurance
take care

[mindsofman]

I promise you...if you're in a hurry,,you're going to get
Your butt kicked,,if you are a seasoned boater with
A capable vessel,no problem but I can count on both
Hands the "Hardy Sailors" that have rushed to Prico and
Further south,,they haven't done it again..
Mossie on down the the Bananas,grab a window down
To T&C,wait for at least a 3-4 day window at Sapadilla
Or Sth Side Marina,,,Or French Key..leave asap and head
East as smart as you can without pounding,Caicos bank
Will give you a bit of cover for about 25mile
DONT stop in Luperon ( Do it on the way back if you must)
Give Plata a miss also.Get down to Cape Samana then
Check your forecast,,if you still have 24 hours below
15kts,,lickety split it across to Prico,,sth coast is best,more
Anchorages...see,easy peasy..
All those little quaint spots that every Rum drink talks
About and you MUST visit,,do it on the way back up,,
Soooooon much easier with the weather on the Stern