I crossed from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini in 1985 with no sailing experience and of course, no gps. The only electronic aid I had was RDF (Radio Direction Finder). Like the blind squirrel finding nuts, I made it with zero problems. The patron Saint of Sailors took pity on my ignorance and foolishness.
“There Be Dragons…. “. Okay, no dragons, but the Gulfstream can be a real bitch. The video referred to “weather window.” This isn’t just storm conditions, but it also relates to a wind from the north hitting the Gulfstream and the result as they collide. These conditions create a steep chop with a very short period and waves in the 6 ft and up range. I’ve made the crossing a handful of times and trust me when I say you don’t want to be out there on a slow moving vessel for ten or twelve hours in this. Someone posted info from a cruising forum “that you should postpone if there is any northerly component in the winds and after the wind swings to give it 24 hrs for the stream to calm down. This is a great advice!!!
"... average sailboat sails at about 7 knots..." Whew! You must know a lot of people with big, fast sailboats to make that kind of average! Lol, I'm on a 38' cutter that can top out at over 7 knots. Sailing open water, in most conditions, I average about 5.7 knots. That said, I enjoyed the video
Former USN & soon to be powerboat owner (Downeaster cruiser...30' inboard diesel.) I love watching the sailing videos simply because of the seamanship. All the navigation techniques will definitely translate into fuel savings!
we almost got run over by a cargo ship while doing the crossing to Bimini from Miami on a 45 foot sailing vessel... every time we changed course to avoid that ship, it would change course towards us... I would joke that the captain went to sleep and told some 1D1OT to follow us... I'm telling you the sight of the waves that ship's bow made when heading towards us was heart stopping... we finally made a sudden turn to starboard and we watched that ship sail past us a mere 50 yards (or less) from us.
A yoo tuber sailed across to bimini on a hobie cat..a hobie cat! No outboard, only sail. Even had a passenger. The most irresponsible thing I’de ever seen BUT he made it. I have no fear now.
We are totally new to sailing but newly retired and considering buying a 22'-27' trailerable sailboat to eventually cross the gulf to the Bahamas. So glad we found your channel. Liked and subscribed and gonna get your kindle book.
Thanks my man :) Feel free to hop on over to the members area via patron, lots of people there that would love to chat as well and all in very similar positions
Invest in a water meter so you can check the boats core for water. It will save you tons of money, not having to fix your boat. Especially check around the chain plates. One failing could seriously hurt someone, besides the major disaster of loosing a mast especially in a storm. Dont trust just one survey. Get multiple and one recommendation i got was pay a delivery captain to survey the boat as if you were going to pay him or her to deliver your boat they have nothing to gain and everything to loose by taking a crappy boat over water.
A 22-27' boat is $2-8K. Not really feasible to do all of that Inspection. I question if 25-27' trailer sailor is big enough. Water, waste, fuel, food, solar, hull speed, displacement, etc. Mine is 26ft water ballast and I'm just not sure.
I just watched another video on this same subject and route I65 was mentioned. This would be longer distance and more time and apparently more sailing experience.
Three times the Florida a nothing gone right didn't even get to enjoy the keys never even went out on a boat two and a half months there I couldn't get s*** to happen people are so weird there one lady told me she would sell me her sailboat strong it out for like 3 weeks
Great Video again. It will take me many years before I will be on your side. I will make notes to remember to rewatch this video when ever I wil be on your side of the big pond.
Great video, Chris, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of everything dealing with sailing. Last time I was in the Bahamas was almost 50 years ago. Oh my dad’s 48 foot sports fisherman. I’m looking forward to someday soon to purchase a sailboat and hit the Bahamas again once again thank you for sharing your videos.
So the big difference between my blue water boat, and what you’d advocate - what I’ll just call a production boat is not really top speed rather how much wind it takes to get to those speeds. If I’m motor sailing either way, why does it matter? Bob Perry drew a nice boat, and there’s some interesting race wins by these blue water boats recently. They actually can outperform a lighter boat when seas come up in terms of speed. The modern “blue water” boats the likes of Mr. Perry is up to btw are carbon fiber and likely faster lighter and stronger than a standard production beneteau of similar size. Of course at triple the price. I don’t know the Caribbean well, I suspect I wouldn’t watch this video if I was very familiar. It looks like on windy most of the wind is at 18-20kts as of this comment. A very comfortable sail for me that would push me at Hull speed easily. Are the ocean breezes typically below 9 kts there? Here on the west coast the weather is so variable our choice makes sense. We however certainly perform worse than most boats with wind speeds of less than 9 knots and perform poorly in wind speeds less than 6.
Larger Island Packet's are excellent "blue water" boats that are certainly NOT known for speed. It may take longer to make the passage, but once in the Bahamas, the shallower draft would be much better suited to the waters there.
I’ve crossed to the Bahamas several times and once in a light displacement boat. Unfortunately, the wind veered to the north (not forecasted) and the Gulf Stream hitting it made a terrible steep chop. In our light beat it beat the hell out of us. In a heavier boat, it would not have been fun, but much more comfortable.
Finally a good crossing video that isn't just trying to scare sailors. Thank you! Wow, there is way more involved in making tgis crissing than i thought, but seems doable.
I sell on the west coast I have gone to Florida three times and never had anything go right for me I tried to take off for the Bahamas nothing ever went right I never ever made the trip I'm 65 and I'm pissed off at myself and I want to try it again I just need to sell my blue water boat here and head back to the East Coast
This guy really hates expensive sailboats..lol. As soon as he said that there was “far FAR better boats for sailing” I knew I was watching how to sailing.. I checked and.. yup
🤣well played sir, its not that I dislike expensive ones its that I dislike expensive incorrect ones 😒 but well done sir, 3 points for griffendor, tha ks for watching
@@ChasingLatitudes hey man, I’m not knocking that philosophy I agree with you I just love the consistency, it’s admirable. And it’s made me remember who you are, which in turn caused me to subscribe. Seriously, thanks for all the time and energy it probably takes to make these videos, if you knew how much you helped people like me, you’d probably feel underpaid man..
Hey there! Thank you thank you ! Because of your vids you are Increasing my knowledge base vastly! My plan is California to Japan! Might you consider a pacific crossing guide video?
For a return trip what is best? Sailing across then down the coast of FL out of the stream or sailing sound in Bahamas prior to crossing? I am planning to do a crossing in a Precision 18 leaving from Key Largo.
In 2007 my wife and I crossed from fort Pierce and set an anchor for the first time on white sand ridge. Then we spent two weeks in the abacos. We followed our tracks back to White Sand ridge for the night. We wanted to cross at night and arrive at fort Pierce but the lightning was too heavy in the Gulf stream. White Sand ridge is right on the edge of the Gulf stream and I have an electrical influence on my GPS and lost the antenna input. Luckily, you can't miss Florida so I sailed due West all day as my wife watched us climb with the Gulfstream using gulfstream, using a ICW chart and a handheld GPS that only gave lat/lon. She would report what towns and cities we were passing on the Florida coast as we were still in the middle of the Gulf stream, being swept to the north while I held a due West heading on the compass. We came in about 5 mi north of fort Pierce. Luckily, you can't miss Florida if you head West in fort Pierce is a great inlet unless the tide is running out. We ran it anyway but it was like being in the Colorado river. People on the fishing pier were cheering at us while we made slow progress by them. Recommend you stop at harbortown Marina in fort pierce.. good marina, great restaurant and great staff. Cold beer.
People in sailing forums advise this: “Have no fear...A wonderful time awaits you. The crossing will only take you 8-10 hours then you will be in SAFE waters...and it is beautiful there with MUCH MUCH better water than the Keys and you can swim and fish and lobster and see beautiful reefs with just a snorkle and hang out with a wonderful group of cruisers. The only thing you need to do to be safe is to WAIT FOR WEATHER... 1. Don't cross the Stream when there is ANY wind out of the north. 2. Don't cross the stream when there s ore than 10 knots out of the East 3. Don't cross the stream when there is more than 15 knots out of the rest. 4. Always wait for 24 hours of favorable wind to let the stream calm down before you leave...so you need a 48 hour good weather report.” “Have no fear”, then proceeds to explain why anything other than mild weather is a trip-cancelling scenario. I find those precautions extreme. Though, the only way to experience something and get out of one’s comfort zone is to get out there and do it.
I didn't say anything was a trip canceling scenario lol, I said the nest route is to head south to the keys if Bimini is your intended destination lol. I've made that trip over a dozen times, I used to live right at Rodriguez key. Its a great trip and easy peezy , just pick the weather and be aware of the stream current
@@ChasingLatitudes Hi there, Thank you for the reply. My comment was an observation and a quote from a forum. I did not mean it to be a comment on your opinion. You have actually been a quite sensible voice in the subject. Prudence is king and it varies with skill and experience, yes. Be well.
It's a very good idea to wait for a very mild weather window. First Gulfstream crossing is not the time for a science experiment, or to push your skills.
Learned to navigate to create all the luxuries today's boaters take for granted, I mean the coast of Florida and the Bahamas is loaded with thousands of shipwrecks from the 1700s and 1800s so to answer your question what did they do in the 1800s? They sank
@@ChasingLatitudes ...and Bubbles is the best sailing movie, although I think it is equally about the beauty of the human spirit...in the same category as Free Solo
No, not at all. The boat can. You cannot. A boat that small means waiting for an ideal weather window. That meaans living on the boat for days. You don't have the food, water, fuel, or battery power for that.
@@kingdomofme3681 Catalina 22 boats aren't expensive. Buy one, sail somewhere close, and live on it for two weeks and don't get off the boat. The trip in one day in good seas. You'll be waiting 3-4 days for said good seas on each end.
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 2 | 29 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3lfLNH6Ke4/mqdefault.jpg)
I crossed from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini in 1985 with no sailing experience and of course, no gps. The only electronic aid I had was RDF (Radio Direction Finder). Like the blind squirrel finding nuts, I made it with zero problems. The patron Saint of Sailors took pity on my ignorance and foolishness.
“There Be Dragons…. “. Okay, no dragons, but the Gulfstream can be a real bitch. The video referred to “weather window.” This isn’t just storm conditions, but it also relates to a wind from the north hitting the Gulfstream and the result as they collide. These conditions create a steep chop with a very short period and waves in the 6 ft and up range. I’ve made the crossing a handful of times and trust me when I say you don’t want to be out there on a slow moving vessel for ten or twelve hours in this. Someone posted info from a cruising forum “that you should postpone if there is any northerly component in the winds and after the wind swings to give it 24 hrs for the stream to calm down. This is a great advice!!!
"... average sailboat sails at about 7 knots..." Whew! You must know a lot of people with big, fast sailboats to make that kind of average! Lol, I'm on a 38' cutter that can top out at over 7 knots. Sailing open water, in most conditions, I average about 5.7 knots.
That said, I enjoyed the video
This is the best video I've seen on sailing from FL to Bahamas. Thanks. 👍
Ahh thanks man
Former USN & soon to be powerboat owner (Downeaster cruiser...30' inboard diesel.) I love watching the sailing videos simply because of the seamanship. All the navigation techniques will definitely translate into fuel savings!
we almost got run over by a cargo ship while doing the crossing to Bimini from Miami on a 45 foot sailing vessel... every time we changed course to avoid that ship, it would change course towards us... I would joke that the captain went to sleep and told some 1D1OT to follow us... I'm telling you the sight of the waves that ship's bow made when heading towards us was heart stopping... we finally made a sudden turn to starboard and we watched that ship sail past us a mere 50 yards (or less) from us.
You should have called him on the radio.
@@capnbilll2913 certainly, that's the first thing we did... we hailed them constantly and no response.
@@el_Contra do you have AIS so you can make a Dsc call?
@@capnbilll2913 nah... this happened 30 years ago, no ais back then.
@el_Contra Even today unless you call them by name they rarely answer.
Thanks... used to cross to chub kay very often... love the Bahamas, especially for the fishing.
You convinced me. Key Largo as the launch point it is. :)
😉
Helicopter charter and have time to nap
A yoo tuber sailed across to bimini on a hobie cat..a hobie cat! No outboard, only sail. Even had a passenger. The most irresponsible thing I’de ever seen BUT he made it. I have no fear now.
I agree with you that the less time you spend in the Gulf Stream, the better, same philosophy for crossing an ocean. Cheers
100%
Such an interesting breakdown for newbie sailors thank you!
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment
Where is the link for the gulf stream
We are totally new to sailing but newly retired and considering buying a 22'-27' trailerable sailboat to eventually cross the gulf to the Bahamas. So glad we found your channel. Liked and subscribed and gonna get your kindle book.
Thanks my man :) Feel free to hop on over to the members area via patron, lots of people there that would love to chat as well and all in very similar positions
Invest in a water meter so you can check the boats core for water. It will save you tons of money, not having to fix your boat. Especially check around the chain plates. One failing could seriously hurt someone, besides the major disaster of loosing a mast especially in a storm.
Dont trust just one survey. Get multiple and one recommendation i got was pay a delivery captain to survey the boat as if you were going to pay him or her to deliver your boat they have nothing to gain and everything to loose by taking a crappy boat over water.
@@greatlakespowerstrokefx4 Yup, I cover all of this in other episodes :)
A 22-27' boat is $2-8K. Not really feasible to do all of that Inspection. I question if 25-27' trailer sailor is big enough. Water, waste, fuel, food, solar, hull speed, displacement, etc.
Mine is 26ft water ballast and I'm just not sure.
Кто еще удивился увидев родной Васильевский остров в ролике про Багамы?😂
A-bake-os???? I believe my dude has never been made the crossing.
Excellent info! 🙌🏼👍🏼🎥
Thanks my man.
That was a helpful video. Any tips crossing back from Bahamas to FL or Carolinas?
where's the link you mentioned for the Gulf Stream for location and speed?
Ohhhhhhh bashing us "blue water" boats (Tartan 30) 😼
I just watched another video on this same subject and route I65 was mentioned. This would be longer distance and more time and apparently more sailing experience.
OK I’ll wait with comments, until the video is public. TH-cam algorithms doesn't count comments before that… 😉
I did not realize that.
Its live :)
Awesome ........You have given me options I had not thought about ....Thanks man
Ahh you're very welcome, thank you for watching and taking the time to comment
I,ve seen that insurance is an obstacle!
As a former infantry guy, navigation really interests me. I really enjoyed this video!
Thanks Eric, I'm glad you enjoyed it and took the time to comment, thank you so much
POG!!!
Three times the Florida a nothing gone right didn't even get to enjoy the keys never even went out on a boat two and a half months there I couldn't get s*** to happen people are so weird there one lady told me she would sell me her sailboat strong it out for like 3 weeks
Florida sucks 😞
I really like your personal opinion at 02:00 👍
Its true, you've got plenty of time to avoid them on a sailing vessel
Great Video again. It will take me many years before I will be on your side. I will make notes to remember to rewatch this video when ever I wil be on your side of the big pond.
Hope to see you here
Are there Covid restrictions to landing in Bahamas?
I am further south in the Caribbean currently, I would assume there is but I am not sure personally, where I am we have several.
Great video, Chris, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of everything dealing with sailing. Last time I was in the Bahamas was almost 50 years ago. Oh my dad’s 48 foot sports fisherman. I’m looking forward to someday soon to purchase a sailboat and hit the Bahamas again once again thank you for sharing your videos.
Nice
What's a good Bahamas boat? Albin Vega
Depends on your needs
Boat with a lower draft
I couldn't find that Gulfstream link in the description. Could you drop a link please. Great video!
Yes sir, give me a few I may have forgot to throw it in
Still no link
So the big difference between my blue water boat, and what you’d advocate - what I’ll just call a production boat is not really top speed rather how much wind it takes to get to those speeds. If I’m motor sailing either way, why does it matter?
Bob Perry drew a nice boat, and there’s some interesting race wins by these blue water boats recently. They actually can outperform a lighter boat when seas come up in terms of speed.
The modern “blue water” boats the likes of Mr. Perry is up to btw are carbon fiber and likely faster lighter and stronger than a standard production beneteau of similar size. Of course at triple the price.
I don’t know the Caribbean well, I suspect I wouldn’t watch this video if I was very familiar. It looks like on windy most of the wind is at 18-20kts as of this comment. A very comfortable sail for me that would push me at Hull speed easily. Are the ocean breezes typically below 9 kts there? Here on the west coast the weather is so variable our choice makes sense. We however certainly perform worse than most boats with wind speeds of less than 9 knots and perform poorly in wind speeds less than 6.
Larger Island Packet's are excellent "blue water" boats that are certainly NOT known for speed. It may take longer to make the passage, but once in the Bahamas, the shallower draft would be much better suited to the waters there.
I’ve crossed to the Bahamas several times and once in a light displacement boat. Unfortunately, the wind veered to the north (not forecasted) and the Gulf Stream hitting it made a terrible steep chop. In our light beat it beat the hell out of us. In a heavier boat, it would not have been fun, but much more comfortable.
Finally a good crossing video that isn't just trying to scare sailors. Thank you! Wow, there is way more involved in making tgis crissing than i thought, but seems doable.
This was a surprising pleasant video. Thought I wouldn't learn anything I didn't already know and was actually happy to be wrong. 🤙🏼
Thanks my man
I sell on the west coast I have gone to Florida three times and never had anything go right for me I tried to take off for the Bahamas nothing ever went right I never ever made the trip I'm 65 and I'm pissed off at myself and I want to try it again I just need to sell my blue water boat here and head back to the East Coast
This guy really hates expensive sailboats..lol. As soon as he said that there was “far FAR better boats for sailing” I knew I was watching how to sailing.. I checked and.. yup
🤣well played sir, its not that I dislike expensive ones its that I dislike expensive incorrect ones 😒 but well done sir, 3 points for griffendor, tha ks for watching
@@ChasingLatitudes hey man, I’m not knocking that philosophy I agree with you I just love the consistency, it’s admirable. And it’s made me remember who you are, which in turn caused me to subscribe.
Seriously, thanks for all the time and energy it probably takes to make these videos, if you knew how much you helped people like me, you’d probably feel underpaid man..
Ab-a-cos
😍
Hey there! Thank you thank you ! Because of your vids you are Increasing my knowledge base vastly! My plan is California to Japan! Might you consider a pacific crossing guide video?
Sure, will be doing route videos on the weekends for the foreseeable future and during weekdays everything involved in route planning
Do you have a Bahamas entry, stay, departure, fees, visa type video?
Yeah
@@ChasingLatitudes Couldn't find it. Title or link?
Thanks for the great video!
Tha ks for watching and commenting, it really helps
Keep up the good work always 😉 enjoyable
Thanks Philip
EXACTLY what I needed! Many thanks! :)
Thanks my man
AH=BAY=COS?
Let's try ABBA..COS.
Obviously NEVER sailed there.
Lol, I live in the Caribbean smarty, but you kids keep getting upset with my pronunciation because I have speech issues, awesome of ya
I'm on a 'bluewater' boat (Rafiki 37) - guess the bahamas are out of the question for me according to this?
According to what ? The fact that a less than 6 foot draft is ideal ?
Great video
Thanks my man, thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
What Island beach in the beginning?
Example of blue water boat?
Been looked for a shipmate to do this crossing.
There are several Facebook groups on the crossing, I am sure you can find someone on one of those
I am a Western Australian female Bahamas and Caribbean is my dream destination.... love to accompany you once we can travel again.
Leah
I wish there was a sailing club
Also the word "cay" is pronounced like "key."
Actually, the hip locals pronounce Key as Cay.
👍
ty
For a return trip what is best? Sailing across then down the coast of FL out of the stream or sailing sound in Bahamas prior to crossing?
I am planning to do a crossing in a Precision 18 leaving from Key Largo.
In 2007 my wife and I crossed from fort Pierce and set an anchor for the first time on white sand ridge. Then we spent two weeks in the abacos. We followed our tracks back to White Sand ridge for the night. We wanted to cross at night and arrive at fort Pierce but the lightning was too heavy in the Gulf stream. White Sand ridge is right on the edge of the Gulf stream and I have an electrical influence on my GPS and lost the antenna input. Luckily, you can't miss Florida so I sailed due West all day as my wife watched us climb with the Gulfstream using gulfstream, using a ICW chart and a handheld GPS that only gave lat/lon. She would report what towns and cities we were passing on the Florida coast as we were still in the middle of the Gulf stream, being swept to the north while I held a due West heading on the compass. We came in about 5 mi north of fort Pierce. Luckily, you can't miss Florida if you head West in fort Pierce is a great inlet unless the tide is running out. We ran it anyway but it was like being in the Colorado river. People on the fishing pier were cheering at us while we made slow progress by them. Recommend you stop at harbortown Marina in fort pierce.. good marina, great restaurant and great staff. Cold beer.
I crossed due west from Bimini and ended up in Ft Lauderdale. Others go-to the shoal south of Bimini and end up in Miami.
Great info for us newbies
Ahh thanks 😊 tha ks for commenting too, it really helps
Thank you 😊
Like video
People in sailing forums advise this:
“Have no fear...A wonderful time awaits you. The crossing will only take you 8-10 hours then you will be in SAFE waters...and it is beautiful there with MUCH MUCH better water than the Keys and you can swim and fish and lobster and see beautiful reefs with just a snorkle and hang out with a wonderful group of cruisers.
The only thing you need to do to be safe is to WAIT FOR WEATHER...
1. Don't cross the Stream when there is ANY wind out of the north.
2. Don't cross the stream when there s ore than 10 knots out of the East
3. Don't cross the stream when there is more than 15 knots out of the rest.
4. Always wait for 24 hours of favorable wind to let the stream calm down before you leave...so you need a 48 hour good weather report.”
“Have no fear”, then proceeds to explain why anything other than mild weather is a trip-cancelling scenario.
I find those precautions extreme. Though, the only way to experience something and get out of one’s comfort zone is to get out there and do it.
I didn't say anything was a trip canceling scenario lol, I said the nest route is to head south to the keys if Bimini is your intended destination lol. I've made that trip over a dozen times, I used to live right at Rodriguez key. Its a great trip and easy peezy , just pick the weather and be aware of the stream current
@@ChasingLatitudes
Hi there,
Thank you for the reply. My comment was an observation and a quote from a forum. I did not mean it to be a comment on your opinion.
You have actually been a quite sensible voice in the subject.
Prudence is king and it varies with skill and experience, yes.
Be well.
It's a very good idea to wait for a very mild weather window. First Gulfstream crossing is not the time for a science experiment, or to push your skills.
Is December thru April also the best time to sail back from the Caribbean to Florida?
Basically
March winds, and May thunderstorms.
What did they do in the 1800s...wow
Learned to navigate to create all the luxuries today's boaters take for granted, I mean the coast of Florida and the Bahamas is loaded with thousands of shipwrecks from the 1700s and 1800s so to answer your question what did they do in the 1800s? They sank
Nice one Chris!
Thanks my man, thanks for the comment as well
@@ChasingLatitudes ...and Bubbles is the best sailing movie, although I think it is equally about the beauty of the human spirit...in the same category as Free Solo
Do you think a Catalina 22 can do this kind of sailing?
I'm considering this option.
Catalina 22 is especially slow for its size. I suggest 25-27ft minimum with PHRF rating closer to 225. I think Catalina 22 is over 260.
No, not at all. The boat can. You cannot. A boat that small means waiting for an ideal weather window. That meaans living on the boat for days. You don't have the food, water, fuel, or battery power for that.
The Bahamas is not very far from Florida. I've seen many people do it before in about one day.
@@kingdomofme3681 Catalina 22 boats aren't expensive. Buy one, sail somewhere close, and live on it for two weeks and don't get off the boat. The trip in one day in good seas. You'll be waiting 3-4 days for said good seas on each end.
Any idea what make the deck salon boat at 5:20 and 9:52 is?
moody 42 ds
Thanks! Appreciate the great content!
@@maasm181 thank you for watching and taking the time to comment
What boat is that in the video? #goals!
😍
Moody 45 DS
Amazing video!!!
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment