Round trip Chesapeake to Bermuda

[sailingharry]

Not sure if this is the right sub forum (maybe "Navigation?") but here goes.


We are contemplating a trip to Bermuda next year (yeah, I've commented on a trip to Halifax next year too -- plans are still in flux!). The thought is 6 weeks. One week out, 4 weeks there, one week back. Trying to figure out a target time frame for that.


* Lots of discussion available that looks at a trip out, a wait, and a trip south. Not our plan!
* Lots of discussion on avoiding gales, winter storms, hurricanes, etc. I'm not terribly worried about that. We are a fast cruiser, and consider 150 mile days a good target (that's just about a 6 kt average). That makes it under 5 days to Bermuda, and it's kind of hard for most storms to come along unexpected. A front or a thunderstorm, yeah, but not a hurricane. Pick our window.

* My primary focus is keeping the expected (seasonal average) winds aft of the beam, or not much forward. A 700 mile tack would be unpleasant, a 700 mile beat would be exceptionally so!
* Pilot charts kind of indicate that May/June/July/maybe August should be good candiates both ways.


Anybody care to weigh in on good months. Same with bad months? Remember, I need to go both ways.


Regarding schedule. Yes, I am trying to build a schedule. By "schedule" I mean "what part of which month shall I try to leave." And, yes, potential crew will have airplane tickets. But I fully intend to have several days of buffer built into that, and of course flights can missed. But something like this can't be planned by saying "I'll leave sometime in the summer of 25, or maybe 26, and be back eventually." Weather and safety are still key drivers.

[clamshack]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

Not sure if this is the right sub forum (maybe "Navigation?") but here goes.


We are contemplating a trip to Bermuda next year (yeah, I've commented on a trip to Halifax next year too -- plans are still in flux!). The thought is 6 weeks. One week out, 4 weeks there, one week back. Trying to figure out a target time frame for that.


* Lots of discussion available that looks at a trip out, a wait, and a trip south. Not our plan!
* Lots of discussion on avoiding gales, winter storms, hurricanes, etc. I'm not terribly worried about that. We are a fast cruiser, and consider 150 mile days a good target (that's just about a 6 kt average). That makes it under 5 days to Bermuda, and it's kind of hard for most storms to come along unexpected. A front or a thunderstorm, yeah, but not a hurricane. Pick our window.

* My primary focus is keeping the expected (seasonal average) winds aft of the beam, or not much forward. A 700 mile tack would be unpleasant, a 700 mile beat would be exceptionally so!
* Pilot charts kind of indicate that May/June/July/maybe August should be good candiates both ways.


Anybody care to weigh in on good months. Same with bad months? Remember, I need to go both ways.


Regarding schedule. Yes, I am trying to build a schedule. By "schedule" I mean "what part of which month shall I try to leave." And, yes, potential crew will have airplane tickets. But I fully intend to have several days of buffer built into that, and of course flights can missed. But something like this can't be planned by saying "I'll leave sometime in the summer of 25, or maybe 26, and be back eventually." Weather and safety are still key drivers.

Fly out there for a weekend and see what you think. The Swizzle Inn Pub and Restaurant near the airport is great. You can get some local knowledge there. Four weeks is a long time, especially if you've got limited anchoring/marina options.

[Orion Jim]

The prevailing winds are southwesterlies but they vary greatly. The safe months for the passage would be May and June. July and August are the months where the “named storms” rear their ugly heads. I’ve sailed there and back to New England six times singlehanded and I’ve met a variety of conditions from calms to full gales. Even modern weather forecasts are a crap shoot.
I always head for home by July 1st as the humidity and temperatures on the island become oppressive by that time.
There are numerous anchorages with great holding ground available but my preference is Convict Bay or Powder Hole in St. George’s Harbor.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

The prevailing winds are southwesterlies but they vary greatly. The safe months for the passage would be May and June. July and August are the months where the “named storms” rear their ugly heads. I’ve sailed there and back to New England six times singlehanded and I’ve met a variety of conditions from calms to full gales. Even modern weather forecasts are a crap shoot.
I always head for home by July 1st as the humidity and temperatures on the island become oppressive by that time.
There are numerous anchorages with great holding ground available but my preference is Convict Bay or Powder Hole in St. George’s Harbor.

Jim,


Thanks. Two follow ups.


Named storms seem, from my view, to be manageable. The exact path, or even the general direction, is still not perfect. But my perception (maybe wrong or colored by my comfortable location on the Chesapeake, where hurricanes rarely visit) is that few places get hit by surprise. Generally, a week out, you are starting to get nervous. MAYBE only 4 days out, not quite a week. My perception is that the storm starts developing and the general track gets proposed, then people all across a 500 or 1000 mile coast start getting nervous, and then it gets more precise. So it's easy-ish to count on the next 7 days being hurricane free (or not, and wait). Named storms in port are MUCH less a concern than at sea. One of the 54 Saga 43's met her demise in a hurricane in Bermuda, but I would much rather see 60 kts at anchor in a harbor than 40 kts at sea! And I would much rather sit in a hotel watching my boat crash into the shore, than be on the boat as it founders and sinks 200 miles from shore.



You've been there several times. We enjoy snorkeling and diving. Is this something that having your own boat there adds value? Or are anchoring restrictions, depth constraints, distances, etc such that it's best to pay shops (or snorkel out from beaches)?

[MicHughV]

The trip to Bermuda is invariably a throw of the dice. Somewhere along the line, either coming or going, you are going to have to contend with some adverse weather.
Don't forget you have to cross the Gulf Stream to get there...and back. The Gulf Stream meanders all over the place so get an up to date report on the day you leave. These can be obtained online.
Many people use a weather router, but unless you are racing, I don't see the point.

Bermuda is a great place to sail too. Bring a fat checkbook. Having done the trip several times, I've always checked in at St. George's. Bermuda has a Harbor Control. They like for you to check in with them by radio before entering the cut at St. G.

It's obligatory to have a " dark and stormy" on arrival.

[mvweebles]

First. You might get seven days notice a storm is forming. But the path and intensity can shift widely. The good folks in Acapulco received less than two days notice last year when Otis arrived as a Cat 5. Things are changing, albeit Otis was a late season storm which are the deadliest. Point being you might get four days notice that something somewhere bad is going to happen, but it's not always actionable. I live along the central Florida Gulf coast and have been amazed at how difficult it is to decide how to avoid a storm. When Cat 5 Ian wiped out Fr Myers two years ago, my area (100 miles north) was forecast as ground zero 3-4 days before landfall and was angling northward. Seeking shelter south would have made sense but as luck has it, would have driven right into the changed path.

Careful out there. June is relatively tame but weather patterns are changing.

[AiniA]

Should be a good trip. I would leave around mid-May and stay for two weeks or so. Passages are totally unpredictable. We did NYC to Bermuda (640 nm) in 4 1/2 days. On a trip from Chesapeake to St Martin we ended up going into St George's for fuel after motoring almost all the way. Four weeks in Bermuda would be very pricey indeed. We have never stayed anywhere else than St. George's, it is the most authentic place on the island. Easy access to other parts of the island by bus and ferry. I most definitely would not want to be in Bermuda when any named storms hit. There are decent hurricane holes but they are filled by local boats. Dealing with 60 knots in St George's harbour would not be nice. Seems like Bermuda gets hit most years.

You can do an online check-in with Bermuda Harbour radio. Much easier than doing it all on the radio. Just give them a call when you are 40 or so miles out - they have a very high antenna.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

Jim,


Thanks. Two follow ups.


Named storms seem, from my view, to be manageable. The exact path, or even the general direction, is still not perfect. But my perception (maybe wrong or colored by my comfortable location on the Chesapeake, where hurricanes rarely visit) is that few places get hit by surprise. Generally, a week out, you are starting to get nervous. MAYBE only 4 days out, not quite a week. My perception is that the storm starts developing and the general track gets proposed, then people all across a 500 or 1000 mile coast start getting nervous, and then it gets more precise. So it's easy-ish to count on the next 7 days being hurricane free (or not, and wait). Named storms in port are MUCH less a concern than at sea. One of the 54 Saga 43's met her demise in a hurricane in Bermuda, but I would much rather see 60 kts at anchor in a harbor than 40 kts at sea! And I would much rather sit in a hotel watching my boat crash into the shore, than be on the boat as it founders and sinks 200 miles from shore.



You've been there several times. We enjoy snorkeling and diving. Is this something that having your own boat there adds value? Or are anchoring restrictions, depth constraints, distances, etc such that it's best to pay shops (or snorkel out from beaches)?

Forty knots at sea is no big deal, I’ve sailed in such conditions several times, just reduce sail and keep a watch, let the autopilot (or in my case the windvane) hold course and be thankful for sea room. Forty knots opposed to the Gulf Stream would be a challenge I could do without. I’ve been in the Gulf Stream in a fifty knot gale when the wind and the current were coming from the same general direction and the seas build dramatically but I never felt threatened.
My experience snorkeling there is very limited. I have seen commercial dive boats over the years so I know the industry exists but have no specific knowledge. I’m sure one of the diving forums would be the best place to inquire as to specifics. The island is surrounded by extensive reefs so the opportunities are boundless.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

The trip to Bermuda is invariably a throw of the dice. Somewhere along the line, either coming or going, you are going to have to contend with some adverse weather.
Don't forget you have to cross the Gulf Stream to get there...and back. The Gulf Stream meanders all over the place so get an up to date report on the day you leave. These can be obtained online.
Many people use a weather router, but unless you are racing, I don't see the point.

Bermuda is a great place to sail too. Bring a fat checkbook. Having done the trip several times, I've always checked in at St. George's. Bermuda has a Harbor Control. They like for you to check in with them by radio before entering the cut at St. G.

It's obligatory to have a " dark and stormy" on arrival.

I've done the trip a few times, but always as crew. I do have some memories, even some almost 50 years old and still vivid. Yeah, you'll get weather. A front doesn't bother me at all.


A fat checkbook. Wondering about that. I've heard that "stuff" is expensive, but we are a cruising boat and have done months away from good supply sources, so we know how to pack non-perishables (and frozen meats count as "non-perishable"). Perishables (fresh veggies, breads, dairy, any fresh meat, etc) are pricey, but such is life (try grapes in Mt Desert Island -- $10/lb!!). I understand that anchoring is allowed and well supported (dinghy docks, etc). Entertainment (diving, scooters, museums, occasional meals out, etc) is at local prices, which could begin to sting.

[MicHughV]

I left Bermuda one year and about two- three days later started to get into some gnarly weather that nobody seemed to know where it originated. The following day the wind really piped up to around 60 knots and seas grew to 15-18 feet by my best guess and I had to run off under bare poles dragging a drogue. This lasted most of the day and night, then took several more days for the seas to lay down. I got blown about 100 miles off course.
Another boat I was sailing with got knocked mast down in the water, but fortunately that did not happen to me.

Here is something to be aware of. We were only two on my boat, and exhaustion simply got the better of us, Though I had both electric and wind autopilots, neither could be used and hand steering was the only option available to us during this time. As noted above, we had ample sea room.

Though I am an avid diver, never got into the water in Bermuda, but there are dive shops around which are likely to advise you where to go..

This was around May-June period. Other than that, the trip had been pleasant.

[davil]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

The trip to Bermuda is invariably a throw of the dice. Somewhere along the line, either coming or going, you are going to have to contend with some adverse weather.
Don't forget you have to cross the Gulf Stream to get there...and back. The Gulf Stream meanders all over the place so get an up to date report on the day you leave. These can be obtained online.
Many people use a weather router, but unless you are racing, I don't see the point.

Bermuda is a great place to sail too. Bring a fat checkbook. Having done the trip several times, I've always checked in at St. George's. Bermuda has a Harbor Control. They like for you to check in with them by radio before entering the cut at St. G.

It's obligatory to have a " dark and stormy" on arrival.

==================================

this was my experience

just turned 81 then

Left home (Morehead City NC) single handling my 1987 Cape Dory 30 MKII for Bermuda, May 2021, with a weather routing service (No Parker, wish had him)

Crossed the Gulf Stream as scheduled, piece of cake, lovely sail.

About 100 miles from the islands got a strongly worded advice to turn back, tropical storm Ana was developing, and his estimation was;
I didn't have enough fuel to reach Bermuda under adverse winds.

I turned back, have to heave to for 24 HS and crossed the stream back
, was a washing machine, seas very confused.

All in all, I was at sea 8 days by the time I was home.

Lessons learned

Pick a weather routing service experienced with sailing vessels, since then I contract Chris Parker and have ALWAYS received excellent advice.

Using a weather routing service has different opinions, personally like to increase my odds.

Second, even with the best advice, the ultimate decision rest with me.
Not enough fuel was not a valid reason, my boat is capable to weather adverse conditions.
Of course, this is in retrospect.

Will I try again?
YES

I have been in worse, I think the challenge is the return, I consider 3 days forecasts are the most can be useful, after that is a draw of the dice.
3 days is enough to cross the stream in relative safe conditions.

The return is the problem, do not feel have the same safety window, so be prepared to deal with it.

Not a biggie for a well-prepared boat and experienced sailor


…
The first named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season was Tropical Storm Ana, which formed on May 22, 2021

In the Western Hemisphere, Tropical Storm Ana was the first storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. This marked the seventh year in a row with at least one named storm developing in the Atlantic before the official start of the hurricane season on June 1. Ana was weak and remained at sea, so its impacts were limited. The East Pacific had two tropical storms in May, which was the seventh time since records began in 1949 that two storms formed before June. Both were weak and short-lived.

[MicHughV]

You make a very good point in that weather forecasts are rarely much good beyond 3 days.
While everyone would like to sail in a straight line course, going to Bermuda may require some zigs and zags. This adds to your time.

While I can pontificate about gnarly weather, the other side of the coin is having no wind at all, which I've also experienced. Nada, zip, not a breath. Ocean flat as a pancake.

Something else to chew on. On my third trip there, I was about 3-4 days out, when I spied a sail on the horizon and determined it was coming my way.
Sure enough, about 30 minutes later a small fiberglass sloop, I'm guessing 24' or so, pulls alongside me.

Onboard were an elderly couple, that myself and crew questimated were in their 80's. They were both naked as jaybirds and brown as berries.
They asked us for a "fix" and "directions" to Bermuda. I'm not making this up.
Turns out they had left from the Florida Keys a week or so ago and their only navigation tool onboard was a schoolboy Atlas. Again, not making this up.

I gave them a "fix" as requested and gave them a compass bearing to Bermuda from our present location. They required nothing else and were soon on their way again.
When I got Bermuda a few days later, I kept an eye out for them, but never saw them, as they could have been anywhere.

[davil]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

You make a very good point in that weather forecasts are rarely much good beyond 3 days.
While everyone would like to sail in a straight line course, going to Bermuda may require some zigs and zags. This adds to your time.

While I can pontificate about gnarly weather, the other side of the coin is having no wind at all, which I've also experienced. Nada, zip, not a breath. Ocean flat as a pancake.

Something else to chew on. On my third trip there, I was about 3-4 days out, when I spied a sail on the horizon and determined it was coming my way.
Sure enough, about 30 minutes later a small fiberglass sloop, I'm guessing 24' or so, pulls alongside me.

Onboard were an elderly couple, that myself and crew questimated were in their 80's. They were both naked as jaybirds and brown as berries.
They asked us for a "fix" and "directions" to Bermuda. I'm not making this up.
Turns out they had left from the Florida Keys a week or so ago and their only navigation tool onboard was a schoolboy Atlas. Again, not making this up.

I gave them a "fix" as requested and gave them a compass bearing to Bermuda from our present location. They required nothing else and were soon on their way again.
When I got Bermuda a few days later, I kept an eye out for them, but never saw them, as they could have been anywhere.

========================
on my initial response, I quoted you because felt you were right on the money.!!!

on

"While I can pontificate about gnarly weather, the other side of the coin is having no wind at all, which I've also experienced. Nada, zip, not a breath. Ocean flat as a pancake"

I can relate to that
Left Acapulco on my way to Panama, got stuck on
"The Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ,"

almost 2 weeks!! thought will lose my mind (maybe lost it?since continue sailing)
intense heat, no air moving, squalls.
Really dread lack of wind more that storms!!
----------------
on
“ gave them a “fix” as requested”

got a chuckle out of this!!

first “offshore” sail out of Newport CA with my Hunter 25 heading to Catalina Island with the haze lost sight of the island.
stopped by a commercial fishing vessel (where is Catalina?)
without looking at me, they pointed “over there”.

Confirmed my belief, God does look after the idiots!!!

take care

David

[clamshack]

Let's look at Nine. So, if I am in the FL panhandle, I would move the ship to Tampa or further south a bit, but I may need to go further east because of the sea state.

GOMEX has warmer water, so it's not apples to apples, but if you see something similar in Bermuda, where do you go?

My point is that dismissing tropical storms in places that have alternatives within 2-3 days seams reasonable. Not factoring tropical storms or winter Northey's, when heading to Bermuda seems silly.

[Happ]

I went a few years back VA. St George is a great place. Customs are real friendly and make it easy. Easy to take the bus system to get anywhere. Chris Parker is a GREAT weather router. In my mind the most important part is crossing the Gulf Stream. Make sure wind has been from the south for several days for a nice crossing.