Gulf of Mexico in February ??

[cpttroy]

Wrapping up my life on land to set sail, And can not get out before February. Will be leaving from Kemah Texas and headed to Key West for my first stop before Bahamas and beyond. any advise or suggestions would be awesome. Have heard it sucks that time of year.

Cheers, Cpttroy

[J Clark H356]

Get SailFlow Pro and start watching it now. I had good success with it and it goes out 7 days. Of course, the farther out you go, the less reliable it gets.

[capngeo]

The cold fronts can be a bitch..... Blows warm out of the south, rain squalls, then COLD as hell out of the North followed by a few days of relative calm out of the East.... Not great for a TX -FL crossing

[cpttroy]

cool website, i was use to using passage weather. but more info the better.

[cpttroy]

So February?? guess i leave the rookie crew home to meet me in Key west and man up with my seasoned crew and just deal with it. i know the boat can handle it.

thanks, cpttroy

[J Clark H356]

You might consider cruising along the northern coast so you can hop in when things get tough and wait for a norther to come through and ride down on it. You can probably get 48 to 72 hours of reliable forecasts, and then it gets more unreliable.

[KadeyKrogen38]

Suggest the ditch, not offshore for that time of year. A passing cold front with 30+ knots and confused seas along with all those rigs and platforms to dodge is not fun

[Kita]

Originally Posted by J Clark H356

You might consider cruising along the northern coast so you can hop in when things get tough and wait for a norther to come through and ride down on it. You can probably get 48 to 72 hours of reliable forecasts, and then it gets more unreliable.

I live on west coast central Fl all my 50 plus, (quit counting after) & this sounds like a good idea because that time of year front after front comes from the north west & he's right on,, you could ride one right after another & be close enough in to take care of whatever

[Scout 30]

No matter what you're gonna have to stay offshore from around Panama City to Tarpon Springs. It's just too shallow for your boat to hug the coast. You can run the ICW from Tarpon Springs south but with a 5.5' draft you'll have to be careful.

[PappysSailing]

Did Kemah to St Pete FL in Feb 2014 in a Catalina 30... ouch. A couple of things. Sailed thru two Northerns and one good squall which brought lots of wind, rain and cold.. like mid 30s with good size waves (15 ft +). Bring good foulies w back ups and lots of plastic to keep dry clothes dry. Next time I would wait until late March to mid April. Otherwise, plan trip with moon phases in mind,, keep an eye on the Gulf Stream w Passageweather.com,, get out and away from the rigs asap, and would reco that you stay within radio distance east / west shipping lanes around the 27 lat? ... just in case. Good luck, cheers, Pappy

[tkeithlu]

Carrabelle is your last stop on the ditch before you make the jump to Tarpon Springs or better Clearwater. We have an excellent sheltered harbor, full service yard, and places to stay if you need to dry out and rest up before the next leg.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Carrabelle is your last stop on the ditch before you make the jump to Tarpon Springs or better Clearwater. We have an excellent sheltered harbor, full service yard, and places to stay if you need to dry out and rest up before the next leg.

I hope all of you in Carrabelle did ok with Hermine. Say hi to Capt. Kim and her husband at C-Quarters for us. Ralph and Beverly aboard s/v FUGUE from Texas (now in Brunswick, Ga.).

Ralph

[jpstevens]

I've made the trip from Grand Isle to Kemah in January, but waited until Chris Parker gave me a weather window. A Norther in the Gulf is not fun, and the weather will be plenty cold.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

No matter what you're gonna have to stay offshore from around Panama City to Tarpon Springs. It's just too shallow for your boat to hug the coast. You can run the ICW from Tarpon Springs south but with a 5.5' draft you'll have to be careful.

Yes, but it is only about a day and a half trip, I've done the ditch from Tarpon Springs down past Sarasota down to Venice with a 5' draft, no real issues, just slow.
I'd jump across from PC to Tarpon Springs, then down to Tampa Bay, then maybe direct to the keys depending on Wx forecast. I've done that trip a few times, just not in February, cause I discovered in Bosnia that I am allergic to cold, Korea further reinforced that discovery, now I avoid it.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Yes, but it is only about a day and a half trip, I've done the ditch from Tarpon Springs down past Sarasota down to Venice with a 5' draft, no real issues, just slow.
I'd jump across from PC to Tarpon Springs, then down to Tampa Bay, then maybe direct to the keys depending on Wx forecast. I've done that trip a few times, just not in February, cause I discovered in Bosnia that I am allergic to cold, Korea further reinforced that discovery, now I avoid it.

Just remember the ICW never gets dredged so depths can change & at low tide you might be holding your breath in a few places. I'd stay outside as much as possible. Also, winters here are not what they used to be. We see 80's in December sometimes to you never know.