Cruisers Net is so very grateful for Greg Allard’s willingness to share his vast experience with our readers. Inspired by one of Greg Allard’s several Letters from the Bahamas, Judye Reed wrote Cruisers Net asking Greg for advice on navigating the Bahamas. Here is Greg’s response.

In reply to Judye Reed.
Judye – One of the great advantages of being based in Florida is the relatively easy access to one of the greatest cruising grounds in the world: The Bahamas. To successfully navigate your boat to this international destination, you will need to do much more planning and preparation than you would for a local trip along the coast of Florida. That means a current version of electronic charts, and one or more of the Explorer Chartbooks, which are much more than just charts: they are loaded with information about cruising to the Bahamas, crossing the Florida Straits (Gulf Stream), and each location you may visit. There are three sets of Explorer Chartbooks, one for each geographic area of the Bahamas. Get the one(s) for where you are going.

With the horrendous damage Dorian inflicted on the Abacos – a traditional destination for first-timers and veteran cruisers – most of the Abacos is no longer an option for the immediate future, since facilities are non-existent in many places.
From St. Pete, your first decision will be whether to cross to the east coast of Florida via the Okeechobee, or to go down through the Keys. The Okeechobee option requires sufficient water depth along “Navigation Route 1” (which changes daily), something you can find in the on-line reporting by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. w3.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/c#835
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you cruise your boat at 20 knots, a passage from Lake Worth inlet to West End on Grand Bahama will take about three hours. Reports are that West End is fully open after Dorian. The other regular crossing route to the Bahamas is from Miami/Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini. The Miami run is about 45 nautical miles.
A general rule about crossing the Florida Straits to the Bahamas: Don’t go if there are any winds with a north component: the 2-3+ knot northward flow of the Gulf Stream, pushing against any opposing winds from the north, creates standing waves which can be nasty.
Wherever possible, we try to limit our passages to five hours a day, but we travel at 10 knots. There is no point, on your first trip to the Bahamas, of doing long grueling runs.
Look at each leg for a few things: 1) Weather (the most important one), 2) What facilities will you need at the destination? If you want to anchor, are there good, protected anchorages? Do you want to dock at a marina? If so, you should call ahead to be certain there is an opening for you. 3) Distance? Don’t plan on a four hour run and then leave at 2:00 PM. If you encounter trouble of any sort, you’ll have a good bit of daylight to sort things out. Depart early in the morning.
Never leave for the next destination if the weather is bad, or even doubtful. We review the weather several times a day. Here’s a link to an article on Cruisers Net, which I published: “Weather Resources for Cruisers.”
https://cruisersnet.net/weather-resources-for-cruisers-by-greg-allard/
You say that you are looking for another boat to travel with. That can be good, but some people who do that rely on “the other boat” to tell them when and where to go. To go to the Bahamas, you need to be totally self-reliant. Plan ahead, study the charts, review the weather.
“Buddy Boating” – traveling with one or several boats, often gives cruisers false reliance; they depend on someone else to make the decisions for them. We do travel with another boat on occasion, but we have a clear understanding between us, especially on open water passages, that we are basically there for each other to “rescue the survivors.” We can’t swim over to the other boat in 3′ seas to help with a mechanical problem; we can’t (and won’t) tow the other boat; we can’t help them put out a fire. And if you have to constantly communicate with the other boat for directions, depths, etc., you have not done your preparation, and you shouldn’t be out there.
I don’t mean to discourage you from traveling with another boat, which can be fun; you should just be certain to do your planning – and make your decisions – as if you were the only boat going.
Start with ordering and reading from cover to cover the Explorer Chartbooks for the areas you want to visit. If you study them, you will know more than 90% of first-timers who go to the Bahamas. This site, Cruisers Net, has several articles and much information about Bahamas cruising, the Okeechobee crossing, etc. It’s easy to search for that helpful information.

Another publication, Southwinds, also has a number of articles with practical information about Bahamas cruising. Here’s the link:
https://southwindsmagazine.com/cruising-the-bahamas/
If you are looking for another boat to travel with, you can post your plans here on Cruisers’ Net, on the Explorer Chartbook site, or on any other cruisers’ forum. You may find that it is difficult to coordinate your departure times with other boats, but it is worth a try. By the way, the months of May & June are the best months to go.
Have a good trip!
Greg Allard