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To clarify my words a little better, we only needed a two hour window to make the crossing. We had about 3 plus before storms hit again. I wish I could go back into the video and sharpen some of my comments. But thus is as good a place as any.

@@sandbarserenity A two hour boat crossing to the Bahamas means plan on 4-5 hours on the water in case of any emergency or other unforeseen issues not counting weather.

@Rich-lu6pd sorry, it doesn't mean that at all. No one plans 4 to 5 hours to go 50 miles. These crossings are done on waverunners and other small craft (sub 20 feet) daily. I have done this run many times and we often stop halfway and jump in. Even then, it only takes 2.5 hours. I hear what you are saying about planning for contingencies though. But even that planning does not put us over three hours.

@@sandbarserenity My man had women and children on his boat, knew there was bad weather, and tried to squeeze into a possible 2 hour slot of marginal weather. Ultimately he made it but he put his crew in danger.

Nope, I was in a Boston Whaler that I specifically bought to withstand rough seas and it handled it beautifully. No children were aboard my boat. The Sea Ray boat had a child. We were part of a group of 11 boats that left Bimini that morning.

It's no different than a center console, and I have never seen a bow cover on a center console. For that matter, I have never seen anyone make the crossing with a bow cover on in any inclimate conditions. I understand the concept of why you may put it on, but in reality I have never seen it. Bow covers are not designed to withstand the force that would be delivered from surging water. They easily unsnap with just a light tug. They are made to protect from the sun, not several hundred pounds of water. My boat, the, Boston Whaler 280 Vantage is designed to evacuate water quickly and withstand the tough conditions in the video. That is specifically why I bought it.

@mikephillips9311 squalls that were part of the larger storm system that I show in the second half of the video.

That is awesome to hear! So glad you got value out of it! It is tough publishing your "not so good moments" because everyone in social media wants to be perfect. I am focusing more on reality, education and learning from others. CAPE energy is a big one! Lesson learned on CAPE! Thanks for your great comments!

Thank you so much for your kind words! I meant every word in it, no scripts! I am going to do a couple more videos along this theme; "Why I bought my current boat model," and "When is the best time to buy." What boat are you going to get? Where are you located? Happy to chat further to help as much as possible.

@@sandbarserenity Just signed the paperwork for a new 24-foot cabin cruiser with one outboard 250hp engine. I'm in Europe and with my current boating license I'll be going no further than 2 nm from the shore, so only coastal waters.

@@slowrider7191 CONGRATULATIONS!! That is awesome. Enjoy the time and the amazing feeling of being on the water. Time to celebrate!!!

Oh yes, he loves the water!

100%

Agree, our BW handled large waves no problem

Good luck!

Thanks!!

Handled the trip like a champ!!! Amazing boat!

@@sandbarserenity I have a 2020, 210 Montauk. I've taken it 30 miles off the coast of Washington in 8'-10' swells with 2' chop. Whalers are built for this stuff!

Absolutely they are! I was white knuckled to start, then got very confident when I saw how the boat was eating it up!

The 269 slx was in 5 foot waves at that time with an occasional hit across its beam from larger waves. It was up to about 30 degrees on that roll as you can tell. Wasn't close to capsizing but definitely unnerving for the occupants.

Very nice boats!!

Thank you, amazing time!

There are few like it anywhere!

We have since purchased them!

@Lastcall115 you are 100% correct. The camera really distorts and diminishes the wave heights and conditions. A lot of keyboard captains don't understand this. Same with cars...if you see on video a car that looks like it is going fast, then it is really moving!!! Thanks for your comments!

Hahaha, so true. Love that show. It did get worse than what was on video. Had to put the camera down for that time. Not something we ever want to repeat!

@@Gmtail we may have been able to find an Airbnb to stay in for the rest of the week. However, the stormy weather and rough seas were advised through Friday, we left Tuesday morning. I am not aware of that customs rule but may need to check on that for the future. Thanks for your comments.

@@sandbarserenity Thank you for the reply. Just curious, if and when I decide to do this in the future. Your trick to help decrease gas usage was a good one 👍

Yes, it really can save you gas and also time! If you don't employ the technique and instead cut across the waves you will definitely be going slower and have a rougher ride! Just ensure the waves are generally heading in the direction you want to go and about 3 or more seconds apart (to avoid stuffing the bow). Then, when you pass the storm and things calm down, head straight to your destination. It will save you lots of time and prevent a good beating on the boat too. Works best when the wave period is about 3 seconds or more.

@@virapongching1130 They are top of the line luxury. You can feel the quality when you are onboard! Beautiful boats.

@lildeena1 Thanks so much. Yes it is not something we will be repeating!!

@mikehatcher5855 Great comments thanks for sharing your experiences!

Thank you! Not an experience we want to repeat, and we would definitely do things a little different should the circumstances present themselves in the future.

Yes, I wish it was always that straightforward and that weather forecasts were accurate!

It seemed to work out well with these specific conditions. Adapt and find solutions for everything! Calm seas never made good captains!

I wish, prices never go down. They usually go up 2 to 3% per year based on options. Best thing you get is manufacturer sales discounts around June and July because the new models come out in July. Boston Whaler just concluded a big end of year discount program. But, you can always find solid used boats that are 1 or 2 years old with low hours!! I enjoy cruising boattrader.com frequently to see what pops up! I am always amazed at what does.

@jonathanhole3956 Thanks so much for your comments. Yes, I had and EPIRB, back up radios, and marking dyes onboard and plenty of PFDs. I also have radar now so hopefully that will assist in the future. Not a performance I am looking to ever repeat, but I gained great confidence going through this in my Whaler, it handled it brilliantly. Thanks for your comments and advice! It is always a difficult proposition to share your not so great moments on video, but hopefully others can see the reality of it and determine a better path forward in the future! By the way, here is the video of the Bimini trip prior to the storm... th-cam.com/video/PWOYni5Qwf8/w-d-xo.html

@@sandbarserenity Great video! You'll love having radar, great add and I figured you had the rest but for those dropping by mentioned it. If I were looking for a mixed use boat that 280 Vantage would be top of my list. I grew up on the coast of NC and my dad was a boat dealer (he's been gone 10 years) - we were out fishing 4 days a week on all kinds of boats, all kinds of weather, learned inlet running from him at a young age...even owned a shrimp boat at one point. Almost retired now so looking for an enclosed but quasi-trailerable boat we can use for trips up and down the east coast, which is probably why TH-cam figured I should see your video! P.S. I recently got a DJI Mini 4 and Pocket 3 so I'm ready! Be safe and enjoy family time on that boat!

@jonathanhole3956 Thank you so much for your great comments. Have you considered a BW 285 Conquest? Great boat with lots of versatility and enclosed. Still trailerable too! Glad you enjoyed the video. I use a skydio drone and multiple Go Pro cameras. But I had none of them going during the trip home. 😕

@robertwilliams279 I had them on my prior Whaler. Never used them, took up way too much space on trips, and scratch easily. My go forward solution is a simple face shield/mask that i can keep in the glove box.

100% Yes, the rain was stinging our cheeks from the wind and boat velocity. I have no desire to ever be in that situation again, However, my Whaler performed brilliantly and really gave me confidence we were going to be fine. I bought the Whaler because I had been caught in storms before, and even lost an engine too. I purchased a very specific power to weight ratio to ensure I could lose an engine and survive a storm. Calm seas never made great captains!!

Nice! That's how I learned it in boy scouts!

Yes!!! It is amazing to me how people who say they are captains for 20 plus years have not experienced this! Lol Conditions deteriorate rapidly in the Summer in the ocean...but, calm seas never make great captains!!! Thanks for your comments!

That was the idea! Glad you liked it.

It really is. Just get a rope and try it a few times!

Thank you, I agree.She is an amazing woman! Before we got married years ago, she was a former runway model and also represented Venezuela in many international pageants. Now we spend lots of time on the water making boating videos for our channel like this one to Bimini th-cam.com/video/PWOYni5Qwf8/w-d-xo.html ... and she sells private and commercial real estate in Orlando and Miami. Her site is miresellshomes.com

@@sandbarserenity Thank you. Great video

Glad you enjoyed it, many more to come!

Thank you so much, many more videos to come!

There is nothing like it!!

Yes it is so clean and clear! Nothing like it!

About 20 minutes south of Bimini, and 10 mins south of the Sapona.

It really is an amazing experience. Get out there and enjoy!

Thank you, it was an amazing time!

Thank you! It was quite the challenge. We put the cameras down for the worst of it. It is not something we ever want to repeat, but we definitely came out the other side stronger than when we went in. Here is the video of the amazing trip prior to the storms! th-cam.com/video/PWOYni5Qwf8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=UeDiUOoVTtT_BIQI

Yes, that is an awesome platform that is very versatile. I really enjoyed that boat in the Bahamas, fishing off it and cruising. Just crushes the waves!!

Weather window was planned, we had a three hour window and only needed two. The storms that we ran into were not on the radar at the time of our last go/no go decision at 7am.

@@sandbarserenity wow, okay, glad you did the preplanning, just goes to show mother nature can change in an instant.... also glad you were buddy boating! one of the best things to do on crossings :) cheers and keep the videos coming! cheers!

Indeed it can change so quickly. Another captain pointed out that I should also evaluate CAPE energy and not just radar, radar and winds can change moment by moment. CAPE is a measure of the convective available potential energy...the higher the measure, the higher the likelihood of storms popping up that are not part of a main system. Lower CAPE energy and you will have smooth sailing! I learned so much from this video and others! By the way, here is video of the awesome trip before the storm...th-cam.com/video/PWOYni5Qwf8/w-d-xo.html