You’re going to be heading offshore and crossing the Gulf Stream to get to the Bahamas. Isn’t that dangerous?

Actually, the 12-hour trip over to Bimini, Bahamas is pretty simple. It’s only a little over 50 miles, and there are usually several boats that make the trip together. So, there’s almost always another boat a mile or two away if you need some kind of assistance (or need to provide assistance). All boats carry a VHF radio with a range of about 25 miles, so everyone can stay in touch with one another. You depart Miami at around two or three in the morning, and you arrive twelve to thirteen hours later, in the early afternoon.

The secret is to wait for an acceptable weather window, meaning no inclement weather (obviously) and no winds with any northern component – meaning no N, NNE, NE, NNW or NW. Only S, SSE, SE, SSW or SW. Why? The Gulf Stream travels NORTH at about 2.5 knots. Any winds out of the north will buck up against the current of the northern flowing Gulf Stream causing choppy waves. It’s key to select a day when the winds are out of the south so the seas will lay down and the trip will be nice and mild.

Sometimes you have to wait a week or two for the right conditions. But we’re in no hurry.

Hundreds of boats, many much smaller than ours, make the trip every year. It’s a piece of cake.