Two things:
1. Weather Window: you can get very fine weather and departure guidance from Chris Parker (MWXC). For a modest charge, he will personalize a plan built around your preferred float time, advising you to go or wait a bit, with five days of routing from the actual departure including where to enter the stream, what headings to adopt, waypoints to pick-up (or avoid) backloops East of the Stream (a straight line is not the quickest/easiest
route to Abaco). Nothing you can't do yourself if you have the background and experience, but using Chris pretty well eliminates the guesswork around weather windows. And if you have either
SSB or
email underway, you can continue to consult him throughout the
passage. Can't recommend MWXC highly enough.
2. Rages: If there's any question about rages, the cut just north of Man o' War is almost always clear and easy. The cozy harbor at MoW should be on your
Abaco itinerary, anyway. And Marsh Harbor is just across the bay. Then, if you want to visit
anchorages farther North, it's easy to cross the Whale at a time of your choosing. Or start South, inside or outside.
FW&FS, and all that.