like btrayfors says, watch the weather, but be prepared for finding something else. we crossed on a good
forecast which turned out to be somewhat wrong once we got into the
gulf stream.
i still get knots in my stomach when i think back to our experience in that little cove on gun cay. suffice to say that, when you anchor in a small bay, be sure to know the exact
route out in case the weather suddenly turns on you. when we entered that bay it was about the only place that was calm. by midniight (a dark moonless midnight) the
wind and seas and backed and it turned into a death trap. we came inches from losing the
boat.
we crossed the great bahama bank and anchored near northwest channel light. the next day we went on to chub cay and anchored off there (not good holding). the next day we went on to
nassau and stayed at
nassau yacht haven for a few days to give my wife a chance to recover from the gun cay incident. it's about the cheapest marina in nassau and conveniently located near
marine hardware stores and a supermarket.
then we crossed to allans cay. nice anchorage but with a
current running through it. good lobstering on the south side of south allans cay. also an easy day hop to highbourne cay for
diesel, water, some suppllies, telephone, book exchange.
don't know what you're using for
navigation, but may i highly recommend the explorer chartbooks by monty and sara lewis. they are absolutely the best
navigation guides to the bahamas. with that and a handheld
gps and a good ships
compass you will safely find your way anywhere in the bahamas. can't say enough good about them.
our
boat is a
csy 37 named 'one step'. it's draws about 5 feet when loaded for cruising. we had no problems with
draft, although crossing the great bahama bank just east of cat cay/gun cay there were some awfully shallow looking spots. after that it pretty much smooths out to 10 to 20 feet. crossing the banks from nassau to allans cay you will encounter some shallow areas with lots of
coral heads so take it slow and 'eyeball' your way across. the explorer chartbook (and most other guides) offer
advice for crossing this area.
the most important thing is to take it slow. don't try to keep to a schedule. if the weather is bad for a week then sit in you comfortable
cabin for a week. beats scaring the heck out of the wife and turning her off to your adventure.