On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:33:09 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Then you could sail down the Tongue of
the Ocean safely at night.

Yes, that would remove a lot of uncertainty but be quite a bit longer.
Where did you exit Tongue of the Ocean?

Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:33:09 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Then you could sail down the Tongue of
the Ocean safely at night.

Yes, that would remove a lot of uncertainty but be quite a bit longer.
Where did you exit Tongue of the Ocean?

We didn't do it that way. We have a 5 foot draft and are a slow boat.

We went to the Bahamas twice - both times by ourselves (so many people
seem to take a convoy). The first time we left our mooring in Miami
and went down around Cape Florida (this URL gives you the start of the
trip and then there is a link to the next section at the bottom of
each one) http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2abf0/#TL and crossed
to Bimini and checked in there. Then we were weathered in for awhile
- we had intended to go to the Berrys or to Abacos. But it just
didn't look good for that so we went up along the west side of Bimini
and over to Lucaya. Then after another couple of days there when it
didn't look like we had a weather window unless we went NOW, we went
back to Florida instead of going anywhere else.

The second time, we were in Marathon
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2e608/#TL and we left there late
in the afternoon and sailed up to we anchored off Tavenier and
anchored and then the next day we went up to Rodriguez and spent the
day there and then left that evening. We again went to Bimini and
checked in. After a day, we went north of Gun Cay and crossed the
banks (anchoring once) and went to Frazier's Hog Cay in the Berries
and stayed there a couple of days, and then went to Nassau. After a
couple of days there (including visiting Atlantis, my having a filling
replaced, and retrieving my glasses from the harbor), we started down
the Exumas, but Bob had a heart attack before we got to Great Exuma.

grandma Rosalie

Grandma, I've been attempting to read your info from below, but have not
figured out how to make the system jump.

Where do I read your stuff, vs just see pix that others have put up (well,
as have you, too, it appears)?

Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

L8R

Skip

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:33:09 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Then you could sail down the Tongue of
the Ocean safely at night.

Yes, that would remove a lot of uncertainty but be quite a bit longer.
Where did you exit Tongue of the Ocean?

We didn't do it that way. We have a 5 foot draft and are a slow boat.

We went to the Bahamas twice - both times by ourselves (so many people
seem to take a convoy). The first time we left our mooring in Miami
and went down around Cape Florida (this URL gives you the start of the
trip and then there is a link to the next section at the bottom of
each one) http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2abf0/#TL and crossed
to Bimini and checked in there. Then we were weathered in for awhile
- we had intended to go to the Berrys or to Abacos. But it just
didn't look good for that so we went up along the west side of Bimini
and over to Lucaya. Then after another couple of days there when it
didn't look like we had a weather window unless we went NOW, we went
back to Florida instead of going anywhere else.

The second time, we were in Marathon
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2e608/#TL and we left there late
in the afternoon and sailed up to we anchored off Tavenier and
anchored and then the next day we went up to Rodriguez and spent the
day there and then left that evening. We again went to Bimini and
checked in. After a day, we went north of Gun Cay and crossed the
banks (anchoring once) and went to Frazier's Hog Cay in the Berries
and stayed there a couple of days, and then went to Nassau. After a
couple of days there (including visiting Atlantis, my having a filling
replaced, and retrieving my glasses from the harbor), we started down
the Exumas, but Bob had a heart attack before we got to Great Exuma.

grandma Rosalie

"Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at gmail dotcom wrote:

Grandma, I've been attempting to read your info from below, but have not
figured out how to make the system jump.

Where do I read your stuff, vs just see pix that others have put up (well,
as have you, too, it appears)?

I have a whole narrative of both trips on Virtual Tourist with
pictures, plus information on hotels, restaurants marinas etc (the
marinas are under Sports Tips).

There are two ways to do this. One is go to my VT homepage
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/ and there are links to each
segment of all the trips. You can click on each segment that you want
to see. Also if you click on the pictures the large thumbnails will
expand.

If you go to:

2001, Feb 2-4 Scare in the Keys [which was anchored off Marathon and
the start of the 2001 trip] and click on the blue link on the home
page (which is http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2e650/#TL ) it
will take you to that section of the narrative.

2001, Feb 15-21 Crossing the Gulf Stream to stay in Bimini, Bahamas
2001- Feb 22 trip to Lucaya
2001 Feb 23-25 stay at Lucaya
2001 Feb 26-leaving Lucaya

And then farther down the page is

Jan. 9-15, 2002 to Marathon FL
Jan. 16-19, 2002 staging for the Bahamas to go to Bimini . and on Jan.
20-21, 2002, crossed the Grand Bahama Bank Jan. 22-23, 2002 Fraziers
Hog Cay (Berry Islands).
Nassau - Jan 25-29.
Part 5a Approach
Part 5b Nassau
Part 5c Nassau Harbour Bridges to
Part 5d Atlantis Aquarium
Part 6 Jan 30 - Feb 6, 2002 "Before the Heart Attack" takes us to the
Exumas - Allan's, Normans, Highborne, and Shroud Cays

Feb. 6, 2002 sailed to Nassau -airlifted to Miami, Feb. 8, 2002 - had
an angioplasty.

Part 7a After the Heart Attack covers recovery in Miami Feb 9-24, 2002
Part 7b We flew back to the Bahamas Miami (from the air) .
Part 8a Feb 25, 2002 is returning to the boat - the Bahamas from the
air
Part 8b Feb 25-March 2, 2002 Nasssau and
Part 8c Coral Harbour
March 3, 2002 we sailed to Chub Cay in the Berry Islands
March 6, 2002,we had a scary bumpy trip to Lucaya
March 10, 2002 - we went West End (Grand Bahama)
March 12, 2002 - re-entered the US at Ft. Pierce

Or you can start at http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2e608/#TL
(which is the start of the 2002 trip), and read and scroll down to the
bottom of the page, at which place you will see:

Next PART 3 Gulf Stream Crossing and if you click on the blue "Part
3", it will take you to the next section which is
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/2abfc/

If you look in the little box at the top right it will have other
locations where I have pictures (first number is tip information and
the second number is the number of photos) such as

* Alice Town, BS 26 31
* North Bimini, BS 13 10
* South Bimini, BS 4 4
South Bimini is where I have the pictures of the range

* Lucaya, BS 17 46
* West End, BS 6 11
* Grand Bahama Island, BS 7 9
* Freeport City, BS 5 5
* Chub Cay, BS 5 15
* Frazier's Hog Cay, BS 3 12
grandma Rosalie
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/

Hi Wayne,
We made a few trips to the Exumas from our home base in Islamorada, about 40
miles up the Keys from Marathon. We sometimes left from Alligator Creek, and on
one occasion from 5 mile bridge at the south end of Marathon. Our draft was only
about 4 feet. Your best bet is to get a copy of the Bahamas Guide, which lays out
all the routes and is almost a necessity for cruising those waters. The most comfortable
crossing would be to go for Gun Cay or Bimini. If you have never crossed the Gulf Stream,
be sure to do so on a SE, S, or SW wind. Since the winds
clock around clockwise rather quickly, the window is usually just a couple of days, or
less. If you try for Andros, you will be fighting the current. From Gun Cay you set a
course for the south side of the Berries and from there to Nassau. From Nassau, you
will have to cross the Yellow Bank, which is deep enough except for coral heads that
can be only 3 1/2 feet deep. It is not dangerous if you cross with a high sun where you
can spot the heads in enough time to avoid them. You may also want to cross at high
tide to give you an extra bit of protection. That will take you to the northern part of the
Exumas and you can work your way down the chain. The west end is deep ocean but
there are numerous cuts to get to anchorage's. These can be hard to find and navigate,
so put your GPS to good use. I did my cruising without a GPS and on one occasion
could not find the harbor at Hawksbill and rode out an uncomfortable night on the banks.
The Exumas are a great place for cruising but bring plenty of supplies and water, as they
are only found at selected places like Staniel Cay and Georgetown.

Sherwin D.

"Wayne.B" wrote:

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:33:09 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Then you could sail down the Tongue of
the Ocean safely at night.

Yes, that would remove a lot of uncertainty but be quite a bit longer.
Where did you exit Tongue of the Ocean?

We did it at Russel Beacon, an easy target.

Hi again Wayne,
I just re-read your original posting and noticed you mentioned the south end of the
Exumas. Although Georgetown is an interesting place, I think the northern part has
more to offer in natural beauty, unless you have already been there. Even so, I would
suggest the northern approach as better defined. I do notice a route in the Bahamas Guide
from the south bight of Andros to Staniel Cay in the middle of the Exuma chain. I cannot
recommend this route because I never took it.

Sherwin D.



"Wayne.B" wrote:

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 01:33:09 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Then you could sail down the Tongue of
the Ocean safely at night.

Yes, that would remove a lot of uncertainty but be quite a bit longer.
Where did you exit Tongue of the Ocean?

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:46:20 -0600, sherwindu
wrote:

I do notice a route in the Bahamas Guide
from the south bight of Andros to Staniel Cay in the middle of the Exuma chain. I cannot
recommend this route because I never took it.

===============================================

Thanks. Do you happen to know the author of the Bahamas Guide that
you refer to?

Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:46:20 -0600, sherwindu
wrote:

I do notice a route in the Bahamas Guide
from the south bight of Andros to Staniel Cay in the middle of the Exuma chain. I cannot
recommend this route because I never took it.

===============================================

Thanks. Do you happen to know the author of the Bahamas Guide that
you refer to?

I don't know which one he means (and all our books are on the boat
which is up on the hard in the yard), but I found the "Bahamas
Cruising Guide" by Matthew Wilson to be VERY helpful. The Explorer
Chartbooks (there are 3 of them) are also very necessary. Between the
two of them you can probably safely set off and do whatever route they
both say is OK even if you don't know anyone else who has done it. I
also liked Steve Pavlidis's Exuma Guide Cruising to Exuma Cays.

I wasn't as enamored of the Yachtsman's Guide which everyone else
seemed to like. We also had the paper and electronic Maptech chart
kits, but the Explorer ones are better.


grandma Rosalie

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 14:03:58 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

I found the "Bahamas
Cruising Guide" by Matthew Wilson to be VERY helpful.

===========================

Thanks, just ordered one from Amazon.com

They have the Table of Contents and some excerpts online which is
apparently a new service they are offering.

Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 14:03:58 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

I found the "Bahamas
Cruising Guide" by Matthew Wilson to be VERY helpful.

===========================

Thanks, just ordered one from Amazon.com

They have the Table of Contents and some excerpts online which is
apparently a new service they are offering.

I would rather order from Bluewater Books in Ft. Lauderdale. Their
service is better and I think the price is the same.


grandma Rosalie