On Tue, 6 Apr 2010 19:50:46 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

Can anybody provide any useful info on inlets south of Saint Lucie for
a 28' sailboat with 13 hp engine? What about Jupiter inlet? What
about Hillsboro inlet? If Hillsboro inlet is ok, it would be good to
use it to get to West End because it lies enough south of West End to
be able to use a SE wind AND the Gulf Stream current to good effect.
Sailing direct from Lake Worth Inlet which is what most people do
would involve fighting the Gulf Stream.

Unless you leave from the Florida Keys, which is what we usually do,
you will be "fighting the stream" to some extent regardless of your
point of departure. For what it's worth, no pun intended, most
sailboats leave from Lake Worth inlet at Palm Beach and check in at
West End. Throw in a 20 or 30 degree offset to the south as soon as
you leave the inlet and then make a mid-course correction about
halfway through the stream depending on how you've done so far. You
are over analyzing. The real problem is getting the right weather
window for the crossing so you don't get the stuffing beat out of you,
the crew, and the boat. People who get it wrong have *many* stories
to tell and none of them are good.