...I've done the direct
offshore route to the B'mas, but have mixed opinions on it.
...For one, one tends to be in the Gulf Stream longer, as it becomes wider, which means going backwards longer.
...Two, the Gulf Stream starts to meander quite a bit by the time it is at north Florida/Georgia, etc and one could be in the "meander" for some time. True, one can get very accurate daily Gulf Stream maps (at a price), but if you are just winging it, this becomes a crap shoot.
...Lastly, a late fall/early
winter departure means the likelihood of crossing the stream in a nor'easter goes up exponentially.
..Much has been posted about being in the stream with a north
wind and while it can certainly be tumultuous, it is quite doable, though I very much doubt a
newbie sailor would think so.
...At the end of the day, in my humble opinion, going down the coast or going
offshore to the B'mas is six of one and a half dozen of the other, but either beats the ICW :-)