Crossing Gulf Stream Florida to Bahamas

[Jammer]

The internet is full of articles about crossing the gulf stream and how you have to wait for the right weather window where the winds have no northerly component. Most of these articles are targeted at an audience of people relatively new to boating, often in smaller boats or ones with planing hulls.


To what extent does this advice still apply to cruising-sized sailboats with confident crew?

[Stu Jackson]

Completely.


Heck, the guy who invented the solar stick did it years ago with his girlfriend, the "Boat Babe" in a 35 foot sailboat, and Sumner did it in his Mac25.

[a64pilot]

I don’t know what a Solar stick is, but we crossed with about a 10 kt or so wind out of the North to West End.
It wasn’t particularly fun, but according to Chris Parker it was the best we were going to get for awhile, and there was a front coming, and I was way past tired of Lake Worth.

[Captain Bill]

As A64 said if the wind is 10 knots or so it can be done, but it won't bea particularly pleasant ride. Once it gets above 15 it can get pretty bad and once it gets above 20 it can get downright dangerous. If you have ever gone out an inlet with a 20kt wind opposing the tide and can imagine doing that for 35 miles with steep and sometimes breaking 10ft+ seas on your beam. By the way if you are in the keys and decide to leave from Marathon then the same rule applies to East winds. It's when the wind opposes the current that is the problem and below about Islamorada in the keys the stream is flowing more easterly than northerly.

[Stu Jackson]

a64, a solar stick is a prefabbed pole designed to hold a solar panel with built in ability to tilt. It was kinda ahead of its time but way pricey and folks have found either their own home-made versions or better ways to mount the panels.


His "Boat Babe" was very popular on sbo.com for years - the photos were very tasteful and she was attractive.

[Salubrity]

Jammer, From where and when are you looking to cross? We are thinking early April from Lake Worth.

[Jammer]

Hypothetical question for planning purposes for me. We're on the Mississippi with some possible trailiering to Lake Superior this year.


Welcome to cruisers' forum!

[Caliber40]

10-12 K out of North very doable with a good size boat.....would I do it if 2 days later I had better conditions, maybe maybe not!

It’s an 8 hour sail....we’re not talking an Atlantic crossing!

[Cheechako]

I never crossed in a NE over 10 -15 knots. 20 can be pretty rough sometimes.

[Tingum]

The stream can and will eat you!

[Mooseboat]

We just crossed from Miami to Bimini in February 2019. Coming off two days of SW winds, we crossed with North winds 12-15 knots with gusts. I would like to think that the two days of SW laid the seas down a bit. I can tell you that it still got our attention even being on a larger 45’ boat. If I had to do it again with my wife I would wait for a Southerly flow. Saw some very confused 4m Seas at times. I’m now a better more experienced sailor because of it. Now I know why they call some of these ports “chicken harbor”

[vlathom]

I have 50 years of sailing experience in the Chesapeake, ICW, Maine, BVI and even Greece. Going over to the Bahamas can be a real eye opener. We waited 34 days one time and, even then, had to turn around and go back to Lake Worth. Experience has not much to do with it, in my opinion.

[Bradmax]

Check with BarometerBob.org before heading out. He updates crossing conditions daily from several different points going in either direction. I heard a report several days ago that had seas at 8-10 feet with a 5 second duration. That doesn't sound like any fun at all to me. That would be like boating in a giant washing machine.

[Mooseboat]

So an inexperienced crew would have the same level of danger as an experienced crew? You might want to rethink that last sentence. In my humble opinion.

[jonarck]

We are thinking of a Lake Worth to Green Turtle Cay crossing in early April in our Leopard 44.