wuz happinin?????????????

[Frank]

OK...summer is drawing to a close. What did everyone do??  Where'd ya go? What'd ya fix?

Now....fall is fast approaching....where ya headed????? (warm I hope)

Stayin home...what winter projects??

Oh ya.....remember...we all love pictures   ;D :o ;)

[CharlieJ]

Plan is to cruise the Gulf coast this year, maybe make Bahamas again 2014, with any luck.

Right now, entire goal is to get Tehani back afloat and in sailing trim.

I had a very nice trip to Florida with Necessity in tow. 3300 miles with zero problems.. since then, she's been sold, and all focus is on Tehani.

Well, and of course, keeping the house maintained.. VERY different world as a single hander

[Frank]

CJ.... I have an idea. About 3-4yrs ago there were around 5 or 6 of us in Bahamas.
WHY DON'T WE PLAN ON THE ABACOS AS A 2014 DESTINATION FOR AS MANY AS CAN MAKE IT???  COME ON....IT'S EASY....GET YOUR BUTTS IN GEAR!!!!!  I'll buy drinks at Sundowners on Gren Turtle Cay to all that come   ;)

2014...CJ's hopefully in, I'm in....who else??

[CharlieJ]

NOW THERE's a goal to shoot for.

I'll sure try. REAL hard ;)

Depends a whole lot on Mom's health right now as to what I can really plan.

Spent the day sanding old bottom paint- YUCK, that's nasty work. You shoulda seen the bottom of the shower afterwards :o :o :o

[CharlieJ]

Ok, for planning purposes- are we talking fall of 2014? or spring, like March - April?

[Frank]

CJ....maybe we'll see what others think. Sometime Jan-March in 14? Too soon?  Winter of 15 then?  March is nice as the days are longer and "winter winds" typically are subsiding. Thoughts?

[rorik]

I'm spending this week, in the rain, replacing all of Mathildas through hulls, seacocks and bottom paint.
I NEED a drink in the Abacos.......  ;D
But, I'm on the diagonally opposite end of the continent.... so post pics when you get there, and I'll raise one to you all from here.

[Sooner]

What would be the general weather patterns - most likely place to cross from say in or around first of March?  Uh - Frank?  Just how plural is the word drinks?
jim

[Frank]

During winter there are frequent fronts...at times back to back. 20-25+knt winds are not uncommon. This makes crossing windows rare with long waits to go at times. By March, there are more extended periods of decent weather and crossing windows are more frequent. Weather is weather...ya never know till you're ready to go   ;D  

Crossing to Abacos is easy. You can make it from West Palm Beach (Lake Worth inlet) but you'll have to motor-sail as the gulf stream's working against ya. Ft Lauderdale is 40ish miles south making it easier. Either one...you head for the "West End" Grand Bahama Island. Figure 11-14hrs to cross.
Lots of good weather sites with extended forecasts including wave hieghts as well. "Passage weather.com" is one..."Windfinder" is another.

Finally...If you make it to Green Turtle........don't worry about how many  :o  ;) ;)

PS...that offer does NOT apply to Capt K.  My visa doesn't have a big enough limit!!!

[CharlieJ]

PS...that offer does NOT apply to Capt K.  My visa doesn't have a big enough limit!!!

;D ;D ;D

[geneWj]

 ;)Made the trip in early June 1962.  Due to Hurricane season we were darn lucky to get 4 weeks of cruising in before we scooted for the Florida coast.

When Mary and I were heading south on the ICW, we spent a evening aboard  a live aboard cruiser owned by Tom Neale who wrote articles for many cruising rags, plus he wrote a book called; All in the Same Boat.  They followed the game plan of
getting across the Gulf Stream before X mas so they could be in Nassau for the Junkanoo festivities right after Christmas. 
According to Tom "there is always a 24 or 36 hr opening between Nov and X mas",
its up to you to find it.  By doing this and then heading further south, you miss all but the extreme Northerners.
this is going to be my approach.  I wanna be south beyond Georgetown.  I'm
not a good groupie, Charlie Jones is a great one.
ole salts view,geneWj.

[geneWj]

met a couple at  anchor whom had spent the last 40 winters anchored in Georgetgown.  This was their last trip that far south. 
When they first started their winter trips there might be 20-30 boats.  This season over 300
all trying to anchor in the same spot .LOL.  next year they will spend their time at anchorages on Andros Island where they normally check in to the Bahamas.

[CharlieJ]

I'd really like being back on North Bimini in Alice Town for Easter weekend. That's the homecoming weekend and they do party. Population more than a triples. Bands from all over the Bahamas, food booths, and just a blast.

And they celebrate Easter Monday there- cranks up on Friday, through Monday evening

[geneWj]

The folks I've talked to who make the trip during the lulls normally say leaving at night after the seas calm down and then motoring all night normally can anchor in 18-20 ft of water in the morning before the wind and seas build up, again.

[Frank]

CJ....Bimini is certainly "funkie". Haven't been there for 11yrs but I'm sure other than the original Fishermans Club burning...not much has changed   ;)  Sounds like it would be a hoot!!!

[Grime]

Easter is April 20, 2014. Would be a cold hard push to make it. Better yet leave before winter sets in. Hang out in Fla through the winter and sail over just before Easter. Spend 3 months in the Bahamas sail back to the states then up the east coast to start the great loop. 

[CharlieJ]

Yep- Just looked in Log book.

We were held in Marathon for a month due to fronts. Left AngelFish Creek on March 25th, bound for Bimini. Winds were forecast as south, but actually shifted almost east, so we couldn't lay the rhumb line under sail. Motor sailing we were losing about a degree an hour for the channel into North Bimini. At 1800 raised Bimini, but we had been pushed about 8 miles north. Now 8 miles isn't a whole lot, but that meant we had to motor into the Gulf Stream's 2.5 kt current, with  a 5 knot cruise. Takes a LONG time to make up 8 miles, at 2 to 2.5 ts :o

We anchored off Bimini at 2130.

At 0530 or so the next morning, a front was moving in, we had strong SW winds, putting us on a Lee shore. Made it inside and anchored JUST as the downpours began ;D

NEVER underestimate that current!! It never stops ;)

[Wade]

I double handed a 42 Westsail from Long Island to the Azores then on to the Canary Islands, amazing trip, fair winds

[marujo_sortudo]

Back up in Maine after our year long cruise to Georgia and back.  4000 miles or so.  Pretty amazing.  Now, we'll be here more than not, boat projects, family illnesses, refilling the kitty, ... take your pick.  Hoping to take a long cruise to the Maritimes next summer if all goes well.  Beyond that, who knows?

[Jim_ME]

Motor sailing we were losing about a degree an hour for the channel into North Bimini. At 1800 raised Bimini, but we had been pushed about 8 miles north. Now 8 miles isn't a whole lot, but that meant we had to motor into the Gulf Stream's 2.5 kt current, with  a 5 knot cruise. Takes a LONG time to make up 8 miles, at 2 to 2.5 ts :o
NEVER underestimate that current!! It never stops ;)

Charlie, reading that reminded me of the story of Gene's passage on an Alacrity 19 and was swept 100 miles North. Gave me chills to read it again and imagine what it would be like in a 1500-lb sailboat if the weather had gotten worse, possibly making it impossible to make the Bahamas. Seems like a long way to Virginia, as he writes...or Bermuda. Yikes.  

Welcome back to Maine, Colin and Anne. I'm curious to learn more about your trip South from here, as it is something I'd also like to do eventually.

I had also seen the Hurley 20 [that you posted in sellfar] in the CL ads. That reverse shear kinda makes it look like it might be a bit over-inflated...  ;)  It's by the same builder as the Alacrity 19 in the story above. I have heard that Hurley does build some rugged boats, but in a group where a 5,000 + pound Ariel 26 or Meridian 25 is the standard small cruiser...at some point it seems like that saying..."there is no replacement for displacement..." must start to seem pretty true?

Yet he [Gene] did go on the cruise the Bahamas in that Ay19 with his wife and two children. I've heard at least one report of an Alacrity doing a transatlantic...perhaps from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas with the current and tradewinds?