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.

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.

If you pick your weather and go "in season," you'll be fine. You will also
_not_ have the smallest, lightest, or most-poorly constructed boat making
such a cruise.

However 10 days is little time in the Bahamas, especially considering the
current situation with entrances fees, etc. You could plan to visit the
Berries, Bimini, etc., and have a fine time, but few _sailboats_ make 10 day
cruises much beyond these destinations.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

If you pick your weather and go "in season," you'll be fine.
That's good to know indeed. What's the definition of "in season" for
the Bahamas?

10 days is little time in the Bahamas
How much time would you say I would need to spend in order to
appreciate a cruise in the Bahamas through the the northern end of the
island archipielago (Bimini, Grand Island, Abaco, and possibly Nassau
or/and Andros)?
I really appreciate the advice. Thank you,

- JR

JR Lomas wrote:

How much time would you say I would need to spend in order to
appreciate a cruise in the Bahamas through the the northern end of the
island archipielago (Bimini, Grand Island, Abaco, and possibly Nassau
or/and Andros)?
I really appreciate the advice. Thank you,

I apologize for this response, but this is the same question as "how long is
a piece of string"? It depends on what you like to do, how many compatible
people you meet, how many gear failures, etc.

Just go and then you'll know.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

No problem. Either way I appreciate any reponses. What's the
definition of "in season" for
the Bahamas?

- JR

Jr... I am also thinking very seriously about purchasing a new
MacGregor 26M and have been concerned about it's "blue water"
capabilities.

My area of interest is not the Bahamas however... but I do recall
a thread posted by some Mac sailors that have done exactly what
you are interested in.

Meanwhile... here is a good web site with a great discussion board
that you will certainly find informative as you get further involved:

http://macgregorsailors.com

Good luck

Bill

JR Lomas wrote:
... What's the
definition of "in season" for
the Bahamas?


It varies from person to person. For me it means little chance of
hurricanes. However I know families from Florida who spend the entire
summer in the Bahama Islands and are still around to talk about it.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

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.

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.

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.