Cape Canaveral Florida to Abaco Bahamas and who knows??

[nautical62]

I used to own a Telstar Trimaran. A good ramp I found was the Indiantown Municipal ramp. It's double wide, has docks on both side, is deep and being on the waterway there are no tides, or waves to worry about. It's rarely used, so you can take your time without pressue from other users.

A few hours from there and you can anchor in the Stuart for the night. It's easy to get to Palm Beach/Lake Worth the following day, positioned for a crossing to West End. West End is closer than Walkers. The ramps at the park by the bridge in Lake Worth may also suit your need, but they are much busier, especially on the weekends. (not sure if you need to put out amas on your boat prior to launching or not.)

From West End you can either move on quickly to the Southern Abacos, or jump to most any point in the northern Abacos and work your way down the chain. A shallow draft trimaran will be very advantageous to explore some of the northern islands many deeper draft boats tend to avoid.

A couple months ago, I sailed from Great Sale to Cape Canavareal in a 30 foot monohull which took about 30 hours - with the stream!

[teejayevans]

If you leave from CC, just head east till cross the stream and angle down. You don't have to stop at the nearest port, as long as you don't go ashore, you can continue on.
Let wind dictate what you do, from south, head east, from the east, head south to WPB.
Tom

[Lowcountry]

Looks like a broad itenerary, be aware that you are talking about covering a lot of distance there, and sometimes weather windows can be hard to come by. As for the suggested stops you mentioned, I think most are pretty good. I thought I would offer my opinion on a couple of them, though.

1. The beach at Treasure Cay is maybe the most overrated beach I've ever been on. I think the deserted beach at Manjack Cay is exponentially more beautiful than the one at Treasure Cay. I don't know why the Treasure Cay beach is rated so highly. If you want nice beaches in that area, check out Manjack Cay. Also, don't miss Green Turtle Cay. Many people anchor in Black Sound, but I think that White Sound is so much nicer (and deeper).

2. Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, was the single dirtiest anchorage I used in 5 months in the Bahamas. The water was brown and full of trash, there were derilect boats grounded by some past hurricane that still littered the shoreline of the bay. There was a cave on the southern side of the bay that was also full of trash. Maybe at one former point, Hatchet Bay was nice, but now it's just run-down and dirty. If you want a great stop near the middle of Eleuthera, try Governor's Harbour. There is no dinghy dock, so you will have to beach it, but the town is nice, there are a couple of good restaurants, the people are super-friendly, and the ocean beach is stunning. One of my favorite places in the Bahamas.

3. Don't visit the Exumas without spending at least several days at Warderick Wells. It was by far the most beautiful island I stopped at in the Bahamas. Also not to be missed is the Staniel Cay area. There is plenty to see there, and the Staniel Cay Yacht Club is always a good time.

This is all I can think of for now. I had some things to say about George Town, but will leave them unsaid as to not ruffle any feathers here.

[Tingum]

As a Bahamian homeowner (GTC) and a professional Captain I have made these trips more times than I can count. Though very fast the boat is small. Leaving from any where north of Cape Canaveral is quite a trip but very dooable in the later spring when the fronts have settled down. Leaving from Ponce Inlet or canaveral makes dealing with the car and trailer alot easier. Going further South makes the crossing shorter but makes dealing with the trailer a real pain. I would leave from either Ponce or Canaveral and head towards Walkers. There is still customs in Walkers even though the marina is closed. Depending on what time of day you reach the Bahama bank I would cruise outside of 100' to avoid the reef and enter the bank with good light, ie the sun overhead or in the east. DO NOT TRY IT LOOKING INTO A LOW SETTING SUN! Walkers is an easy point to come on the bank, as is Strangers channel, Spanish, and Manjack. Customs is available at Walkers, Spanish and Green Turtle. Green Turtle is your best place to unwind after the crossing. Coming on the bank South of Walkers lets you avoid a swing to the west to avoid some shallow banks by Carters and Fish Cays but also bypasses some of the best diving and fishing. Your boat is a bit too fast and too low th comfortably run between the reef and the Cays. This is best done in something with a tower so you can spot the coral heads. there are virtually no heads to worry about west of the Cays. Have fun and enjoy a Sundowners with Brian on GTC !!!