Advice on passage Florida to Bahamas

[JebLostInSpace]

I'm sure variations on my questions have been asked many times, but I'm prepping for my first international sail from Florida to Bahamas, and I'm getting a bit overwhelmed trying to plan things out. I'm hoping some patient experts here will point me to the right resources to help on a variety of questions.

Background on me: I'm living on my 1998 Hunter 410. I've spent the past 7.5 months cruising from Georgia up to Maine and back. I singlehanded almost all of it, with occasional visits from friends/family. Just parked the boat on a mooring in Fernandina, FL so I can drive to visit my family for the holidays. I'm planning to be back on the boat and start moving towards the Bahamas crossing by approximately Dec 29. This will be several firsts/biggests for me: longest offshore passage I've ever done, first time clearing into another country, first time in the gulf stream, first time navigating the shallow water around the Bahamas...

So as for my questions:

1. How far South should I go before crossing? I've read that I should plan for an average of around 2kts of current North, so certainly South of my destination. All the way to Miami area?

2. What ports can I clear into for customs? And how does that process work? Am I allowed to arrive somewhere that's maybe easier to reach than a port with customs, and then make my way to another port to clear in? It looks like you can clear in at Old Bahama Bay, but that also looks expensive and uncomfortable as a port, so idk.

3. Where is the best/most updated info on Covid protocols for private boats clearing in?

4. This trip seems doable single-handed to me. Possibly a start around midnight and arrive late afternoon? Is that reasonable or should I really be searching for crew assistance? I normally cruise between 5-6kts.

5. What do people look for in a weather window for this crossing? I'm imagining South to West winds are good, East winds are obviously bad, and North winds would kick up bigger seas being against the gulf stream current? What else should I be looking for?

6. What are some boat/equipment preparations I should be thinking about? This will be my first cruising destination where access to parts/services will be significantly difficult.

7. Once I arrive, what is the general cruising route? I draft 5.5 ft so it seems like I have to be pretty careful about that. I'd like to keep my options open for continuing South to Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos etc. But that decision will depend on Covid, timing with hurricane season to worry about, and my ability to get crew for the bigger passages.

8. What else have I not even thought about yet that I should be worrying about?


Thanks in advance for all the help. I don't expect anyone to type out detailed answers to all of these, but if there is one you have particularly good info on, or resources you use that can be linked, that would be great!