Considering your very limited cruising time, you should consider renting a boat, say out
of the Abacos. You can safely cruise in most weather in their somewhat protected
chain of offshore islands, and there is plenty to see there. It will probably turn out to
be cheaper and way less hastle, plus your time will be spent at your destination, rather
than sailing there and back.

Sherwin D.

JR Lomas wrote:

Great advice, I will find out more about the wave height tolerance and
self-righting capacity of the MacGregor 25. I never thought about the
ballast, but on the positive side, the boat is trailerable as it is
also easily beachable.

sherwindu wrote:
I have sailed most of the Bahamas in a 22 foot Westerly, so length is not an issue.
However, I think the MacGregor 25 is a trailerable boat, so it's weak point is the lack
of enough ballast to handle rough weather. Your most dangerous part of that trip will
be crossing the Gulf Stream. At any time of the year, wait for the winds to clock around to the
South so you don't encounter steep waves formed by the northerly flow
of the stream. Your chances of Southerly winds are very much greater in the Summer, so that fits in
better with your limited time frame to cruise. Also the winds are generally much milder in the
Summer, but you will run into rain squalls. Your biggest problem seems to be limited time, since
with your boat you may have to sit in anchorage's waiting for the right weather. I sat in Little
Harbor Abaco with boats much larger than mine for several weeks one Winter, so you can expect delays
at that time of the year. If you were not in a hurry, such layovers could be a pleasant
experience.

Sherwin D.

JR Lomas wrote:

I have for some time now thought of cruising for about 10 days in the
Bahamas, departing from Miami in a sailboat. I am by no means an expert
sailor, but I do have a few years of weekend experience. A friend of
mine has a MacGregor 25 sailboat in very good condition that his wife
doesn't feel like having stored in the backyard anymore; hence, he is
trying to sell it. My question is: Is the MacGregor 25 a sturdy enough
vessel to cruise in the Bahamas? Any advice on either cruising in the
Bahamas or the MacGregor 25 is much appreciated. TIA.

- JR

P.S. I also bought the book named "The Bahamas Cruising Guide : With
the Turks and Caicos Islands", but it hasn't gotten to my doorstep from
Amazon.com yet.