Sailing Miami to MH in December

[Herve]

Starting to plan the relocation of our catamaran "Mama Cocha" to Marsh Harbor and I am looking for advice on the best route.

thanks

Herve

[Noontide]

Herve,

Are you looking for a quick ride or a nice leisurely trip. If its the latter I recomend a night departure to West End. If you want you can plan on spending a day and leave WE the next morning or if you want and you arrive early in the morning clear then sail on through to Great Sail. Not much to do at GS but the beach on the west side is nice and I hear there is a blue hole on the south side. From there a nice jump to Allan-Pensacola for a few days rest. At AP you can do some exploring and dinghy visits to the beaches on the Cays just north of it. There used to be good conching and fishing just outside the cut. From there I recomend stops at Spanish, Powell, Munjack, Green Turtle and of course Guana. Five days at each would be just right. There are other cays between GT & Guana which are also worth a visit.

I recommend you get the Dodge Guide ahead of your trip and use it to make your plans. BTW did you ever get the genset installed?

[metigar]

From Miami to West End is a nice trip, but if and only if the wind is from the South. Do not go if any wind direction with N in it is forecast. With a catamaran, I would leave at 3:00 or so in the morning and be in West End by dinner time -- the northing from the Gulf Stream will give you a boost. The other post is right. From West End with a cat, you can easily to the Barracuda passage (5 ft depths) and on to Great Sale. Depending on the wind, you can anchor on any of the three sides of Great Sale. On the Northwest side, pick your way in and drop hook in about 11 ft of water. That little bight on the southwest side is also good.

[Herve]

Unfortunately it has to be a quick ride.....

The genset is ordered and should be installed mid december as I bring the boat up from Tortola to Miami.

I have the Dodge guide.

I was thinking of sailing to WE 1st day, then on to Great Sale 2nd day and then it gets fuzzy and I would welcome specific reommendations.

Thanks again

[Noontide]

Herve,

For a quick ride with no Bahamas night navigation I recomend a stop at Allans-Pensacola after Great Sail (about 10 hrs). From there you probably could make it to Marsh the next day but you need to watch for Whale passage and make sure its dooable. Cruisers Net is difficult to hear at AP but if you ask for a relay of the Whale you can probably get it from there. Worse comes to worse you can stop at Green Turtle for a night and visit Miss. Emily's.

I always wondered why you did not get the genset installed in Puerto Rico. There are plenty of capable people to do it down there. If you need someone down there feel free to contact my brother, Jose Ramon, who owns Mar Afuera Yacht Sales in San Juan at Tel. (787) 413-0224; (787) 306-7508 Fax: (787) 748-3074. He reps power boats (Post, Ocean, & Contender) but can probably guide you in the right direction. He will be at the boat show at the end of Oct but back in PR shortly afterwards.

[ncdd]

Noon is right on! A day from Great Sale to AP Allan's Pensacola then a day from there to Marsh Harbor. Keep in mind I did this trip on a 37' catamaran and we were fishing so we had to stop many times for fish.
Another alternative would be to not hit WE and wait to clear in at Spanish or Marsh. You could proably make it as far as Mangrove the first day! Then to Spanish or Green Turtle. Does this sound right Jaime?

[Watercolours]

We leave just before dark from Lauderdale and usualy have to stand off at Memory Rock an hour or so and enter at first light ( the sun is in your eyes but it is straight forward) then on to Great Sale less the sixty miles from Memory Rock. A good night sleep and then to Spanish Cay to clear. The next day you could be in Marsh harbour. If you had more time the northern Abacos are a great cruising area.http://www.cruiseabaco.com

[s/v Fais Do Do]

Hi Herve,

Have a great trip. As you know, December can be tricky. Avoid north winds as they really kick up the stream. With prevailing easterlies and the getting a nice push with the stream, I recommend (after leaving the Port Everglades sea buoy) a NE course of about 043 for about 78 nautical miles to 27 07.8N / 079 11.7W (deep water, about 12 miles north of Memory Rock), then 107 degrees for 52 nm to Great Sale Cay. Just plan your departure from Lauderdale so as to arrive at Memory Rock at first light. Great Sale is a superb anchorage. Watch the shoaling to the south.

Spanish Cay is a painless clearing spot. Nice folks there. A bit pricey if you plan to spend the night in the marina, but a good place for a fresh shower and a good meal.

Dodge is the best info source!

Bon Voyage de Fais do do!

[MY Plein Air]

Hi...does anyone know if Old Bahama Bay / West End is currently open?
Karen/ MY Plein Air

[Herve]

Thank you all for the info.

Mama Cocha is pretty fast and with the "normal" easterlies at F4, I should be able to make it to WE in about 7 hours from Government cut.
Now I need to decide whether I want to do it during the day or time a morning arrival and move on to Great Sale as a first stop.

Do I understand correctly that it is easier to clear in at Spanish Cay or Marsh than at WE ?

[DrRalph]

Be careful planning to clear at Spanish, the C&I officer is not there every day. Last year we pulled in on a Monday afternoon, were not able to clear until Wednesday morning. They are indeed very nice, but you may not want to put yourself in the position of having to wait.

[Noontide]

Herve

7 hours Miami to WE! My Admiral better not see this post or she will make me buy a cat before our next crossing.

We clear at WE since our trip always leaves us in the northern cays for at least a week before we reach another cay with a customs/immigration office. Since you are trying to get to Marsh quickly I would not take the risk of going through what Dr Ralph experienced at Spanish (it is a Great place but not if you are in a hurry) and I would avoid clearing at GTC since you would probably have to dinghy in the search for the customs officer in town. Both of these could set you back some precious time.

I think that with as fast a boat as you got you have two good choices.

1-Arrive at WE early clear then shoot for Great Sail or if night is approaching stop at Mangrove. From Mangrove or Great Sail you should be able to make it to Powell, GTC or weather permitting even Marsh in one long day.

2-Skip WE completely and plan the same route as above then clear at Marsh once you get there. As long as you stay on the boat you can fly the Q Flag all the way into MH without a problem.

Sounds like a different yet fun trip.

When you get to Miami drop me an email and if time permits we can get together for a cocktail at the Sailing Club.