On May 5, 4:50*pm, Peter wrote:
On May 5, 7:46 am, BeeRich wrote:

Hiya folks.

Anybody done this trip? *Any recommendations, cautions, stories? *I'm
wanting to take a sailboat with a crewmate from Florida to BVI via
Abacos, along the islands.

Any input appreciated.

Cheers

Yes, this is doable. *Yes, it is against the prevailing winds most of
the time. *Many have done it, I have done part of it. *The secret is
to have no schedule and to be willing to wait--sometimes for a week or
more or even more yet--for the proper weather windows. *The most
common route is via the Exumas, Long Island and Mayaguana to Turks and
Caicos, then to Dominican Republic, then Puerto Rico and finally the
Virgins. *A really good book to study for this trip is "The
Gentleman's Guide to Passages South" by Bruce Van Sant. *You can go
directly to the Virgins from the Bahamas, but you need a really good
weather window. *Which ever route you choose, be prepared to motor or
motorsail. *Also, even though it is hurricane season, many people
still sail. *Hurricane holes do, but you have to plan carefully.
Needless to say, your insurance company will either charge an arm and
a leg to endorse your your boat or will cancel entirely.

Ah, someone with some experience. Thank you for the post.

The outer Abacos to begin with, then the route you suggest. I wasn't
sure about DR and PR, so I was thinking maybe a close route, but
avoiding those islands altogether.

We have no hard schedule, and obviously we are secondary to favourable
weather. I thought that was usually the case.

Our goal is to get to BVI then settle down and then take some time out
for some alternate visits, but returning to BVI or USVI. I just
remember it being a good location to base out of, so it's our primary
destination as it stands.