Winer passage from Bermuda to Bahamas

[CapnZiggy]

Just wondering if anyone did winter passage from Bermuda to Bahamas.
Thinking about going to the Bermuda late May or early June, leaving for Bahamas late November or early December (or whenever 6 month cruising permit expires).
Also, how safe is to leave boat in Bermuda for couple of months?
Better off, tided up to a wharf or anchored?
Any mooring buoys at the St. Georges harbor?
All info. would be appreciated.

[Kettlewell]

As I'm sure you know it is a total crapshoot with regard to whether or not Bermuda gets hit with any hurricanes during that period. There are some sheltered spots there, but not too many and not too big, so it takes some serious thought as to whether or not it is safe to leave a boat there unattended.

[CapnZiggy]

Darn, 78 views and just one post.
Kettlewell, thanks for the input. Yes, I do realize the danger of leaving boat unattended.
However, wwwdotbermudayachtservicesdotcom are offering "boat sitting" at $75.00 per working hour, just not sure (never discussed that) if they do take care of the boat during hurricane.
Everything is on the drawing board stage. Perhaps I should leave the Great Lakes at the end of the summer and slowly progress through NY Canals and at the end of hurricane season do Bermuda?
Still like to hear some info on sailing from Bermuda to Bahamas.
C'mon sailors.

[knottygurl]

I'm looking at a similar plan, up St Larry, then to Bermuda and then southward. If your doing the outside care and timing are important, if your going inside then its just a matter of motoring down and that can be started in Sept or October. Your route will make decisions easier.
Have you been reading Cornels passage route book. Mine is old but still gives times and intersecting routes along with ideas on how to plan the trip around routing.

[CapnZiggy]

[CapnZiggy]

Above is the planned route for 2013 - 2014;
Lake Huron via NY Canals - Hudson Rv. - Bermuda - Bahamas and back to Michigan.
I've visited both destination before; Bahamas in 2006, Bermuda in 2009.
Knotty, thanks for your input. By St Larry, do you mean St Lawrence River?
The St. Lawrence route is very tempting (one thing i do really hate, is to unstep the mast) but that route would require a lot of extra time. Perhaps couple of months and I am not sure about the weather in Northern Atlantic.
I did check the Routes by J. Cornell, but there is no mentioning of passage from Bermuda to Bahamas or in reverse.
However Kettlewell brought important thing in to equation - the hurricane season.
My problem is, if I decide to sail to Bermuda early summer, I would have to leave boat over there for 2 - 3 months. So perhaps I should wait with my departure from GL until end of the summer, and then sail to Bermuda or perhaps to the Bahamas first, then to Bermuda and back home.
I did Bahamas in 2006. From NYC I did outside run to Beaufort, NC and then ICW to south Florida.
Honestly I prefer to be in open water (weather permitting) instead chugging along the ICW. That depends also on the crew. Some people are not to comfy being without site of the "terra". If I'm single-handing*, preferable route is the open water. Leaving Great Lakes at the end of summer got its own challenges. Lake Erie is one nasty piece of water, it is big and shallow, enough some stronger wind for few hours and it become unmanageable.

Storming on Lake Erie out of Buffalo - YouTube

In 2009 we sailed from GL to Bermuda, straight shot from the Long Island to B, and after few days, back.
On the way back we encountered heavy weather, which forced us to hove to, for 12 hrs. The little bent on the otherwise straight route show that clearly. That was first time when I heard boat crying. There was time when I wasn't able to control steering wheel.



So once again, anyone did B to B, in any direction. Any info would be appreciated.

* single-handing is my preferred way of sailing. Having crew (beside immediate family members) brings a lot of serious responsibilities.

[Paul Lefebvre]

I have done the reverse trip from Nassau to Bermuda to Maine in June. We had very light winds between Nassau and Bermuda, so it took us 9 very long days. Unless you really want to sail through the Town Cut for the first time (you already have), going that way doesn't make a lot of sense. Riding the Gulf Stream back north is much quicker.

As for heading south in the fall, I am sure you know that the normal routing is to leave the East Coast around November 1st, cross to Bermuda in 4-5 days and then after making repairs in St George's, heading on the next window directly south to the BVI's or St Martin. Once you are as far east as Bermuda, getting to the East Caribbean is a fairly easy 5 day trip. Going back to the Bahamas would be longer, but you should have favorable easterly winds as you get further south. However, you would also likely still feel the effect of a cold northerly front, unless you headed for the southern Bahamas.

Bermuda Yacht Services does have moorings in front of their offices, but they are exposed to the south. Depending on the storm, a lot of boats will move over to the other side of the harbor. Bermuda gets so many hurricanes that come close by or directly hit that I think it would be a long summer/fall of watching hurricane track forecasts from afar.

You haven't really indicated your reasons for doing this routing and timing. If getting to the Bahamas without doing the ICW is your primary goal, would the more typical offshore route from Norfolk to the Bahamas not be a lot easier. A portion of the Caribbean 1500 group makes that jump in early November.

[knottygurl]

Ziggy, yes St Lawrence, I have read that a few people have done the run in a couple weeks from kingston to halifax, and then from halifax to bermuda a week and halifax to ST martin 2 weeks. I have not put time in at Bermuda I only have calculated traveltime allotted here. I am figuring a total of 1 and half months, Cornel says to pick up routes along the way and calculate partials, so this was done via distance based on his routes.
Like yourself there is not much in the way of printed material on this route. Any one have some chartplotter tracks or logbook they wish to print up.
I am planning for 2014 and re fitting this year.
I found a pdf on bermuda which has numbers to call for Bermuda Radio, forms to prefill (sailplan) for them prior to arrival I will attach later on tablet and donot have here. It lists marinas chandlers, clubs all the do's and don'ts, anchorages. Please keep up this post as It will be a great resource when the info has been collected. Maybe a sticky one day. As I research I too will update the post
Bill

[Blue Stocking]

Kettlewell is spot on with his comments about our conditions here. While we have not had a direct hit since Fabian, even a close passby can give us 270* of wind, so no bay is completely safe.
The company you mentioned have a good reputation (no connection) but any mooring is only as safe as the one next to it for holding ability.
You might consider lifting out in the yard, and see if your insurance rebate covers the cost, or at least gives you a reduction for the period. This is often done.

[CapnZiggy]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

Kettlewell is spot on with his comments about our conditions here. While we have not had a direct hit since Fabian, even a close passby can give us 270* of wind, so no bay is completely safe.
The company you mentioned have a good reputation (no connection) but any mooring is only as safe as the one next to it for holding ability.
You might consider lifting out in the yard, and see if your insurance rebate covers the cost, or at least gives you a reduction for the period. This is often done.

Blue, thanks for the suggestion. I see, you are a "loco". If I get there, definitely we should share cocktail or two

Can you mention contacts to to marina(s) in St. George's capable of lifting over 20000 lb. from the water? I didn't see any crane at the BYS.

[CapnZiggy]

Originally Posted by knottygurl

I found a pdf on bermuda which has numbers to call for Bermuda Radio, forms to prefill (sailplan) for them prior to arrival I will attach later on tablet and donot have here. It lists marinas chandlers, clubs all the do's and don'ts, anchorages. Please keep up this post as It will be a great resource when the info has been collected. Maybe a sticky one day. As I research I too will update the post
Bill

I have somewhere forms (got them during 2009 Bermuda Cruising Rally) to fill up and fax them to Bermuda Maritime Operations Center to speed up the entry and custom clearance.

Below are links which I was able to find on the web:

Sailing to Bermuda by Private Yacht
http://www.pilothousecharts.com/PDFs...achts_info.pdf
Bermuda - a Cruising Guide on the World Cruising and Sailing Wiki

[CapnZiggy]

What you say

http://www.marineandports.bm/Img/dow...stionnaire.pdf

EmailMe Form - Yachts sailing to Bermuda - Safety and Pre-arrival

downladable form;

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...zDRJ0S0CpsuJSg

[Blue Stocking]

St Georges Boatyard, NW corner of St. Georges harbour. 35 ton travel lift Good people. Contact Craig Faries 1-441-297-0877, owner/ manager. No financial connection.
BoJangles hauled out there last year, he might have an opinion.
Stay in touch, a cold one sounds good. I might beable to help you with the mooring/ boatwatch item.

[CapnZiggy]

Thanks a lot, I'll giv'em call if I decide to be there at the beginning of summer.

[Kettlewell]

I'll second the bit about tight weather windows getting into and out of Bermuda as we just barely arrived before a tremendous gale in May that nearly sank a 70-footer. The winds were so light before the storm that a bunch of us coming up from the Caribbean were running low on fuel--I think I had less than a gallon when I finally dropped the hook. Then when we went on to Newport in early June we also arrived just a few hours before a big gale hit. Throw in the Gulf Stream, and weather timing and routing become tricky. But, you seem to know all that and it sounds like you are doing your homework early.

My two cents for a plan would be to set it up so you don't have to leave the boat somewhere. Probably Great Lakes to NY by say late September, Annapolis for the boat show in early October and final gearing up, then ICW to Beaufort, NC, and from there out to the Bahamas in one shot, or take the ICW as long as needed to get a weather window, then jump offshore. Bahamas during the winter, and then from Abacos to Bermuda in May and then early June Bermuda to Newport or New York.