Bahamas

[belybuster]

This may sound crazy to some people, but maybe not!  What would you think of someone taking a Com-Pac 23 from Florida to the Bahamas?

[fried fish]

Sounds great!
Timing is everything.
Only Sw winds .
Leave at 3 am , arrive before sunset.
Let go before my nads shivel up.
I have dreamed of this many times. Have not made the commitment.
Buddy system....

[brackish]

It's been done.  By several folks.  Wish I could find the links.  A few years back an inexperienced couple took a 23D across and did a long cruise in the Bahama's.  Must have been successful she ended up pregnant on that trip.

[Vipersdad]

It's been done.  By several folks.  Wish I could find the links.  A few years back an inexperienced couple took a 23D across and did a long cruise in the Bahama's.  Must have been successful she ended up pregnant on that trip.

You can find the full report on this link.  Chris and his wife had a great trip in their 23D.

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=8629.msg66814#msg66814

Great photos.

V.

[Andre]

Here's a pretty lengthy travelogue by some people who made a crossing and cruised the Bahamas in a Potter 19.  I've never been on either a C-P 23 or a Potter, but I suspect the 23 is a much better boat for a Bahamas trip.

https://potter-yachters.org/stories/bahamas/

Andre

[philb Junkie19]

In an old Small Boat Journal story a not very experienced but very adventurous young woman describes her crossings to the Bahamas in her Compac 16. The trips varied from a smooth 15 hour crosing to a perious 44 hour trip. From what she describes serious preparation, ample time and patience to wait for a conditions window, the right mental attiude and some luck were crucial for her.  Certainly the willingness to accept risk has to be there for a small boat crossing. I guess the idea is to limit that risk in any way possible. One risk comes with our compac fleet's large cockpits and realively small cockpit drains. If had the opportunity and were to summon the courage to make a crossing I would find a way to modify both of those. Also I would feel safer with an AIS unit onboard to help avoid ships. In one sentence I'd say - Know what the heck you are doing.

Funny story there. Many years ago I answered an ad and signed on to help a new owner sail his 36 ft cutter rigged boat from Ft Lauderdale back to Maine.  He presented himself as an experienced sailor who was going to teach me how to use a sextent. This was before GPS.  The owner wasn't a terrible guy he was just a bit bullheaded and lacked real expereience, a very bad combination. The trip could have been right form a Farley Mowat or Dave Barry tale. At one point with a 'how to book' in one hand and a sextant in the other he gave up on getting a noon time sight. A short time later we came across a fishing boat. He yelled across "Where are we?" The answer "40 miles off Melbourne." 

Here's a link to the the Compac 16 crossing story:
http://www.valsimon.com/SailingtotheBahamas.

[crazycarl]

Check out the accounts of "little cruiser".

[http://www.microcruising.com/lc1.htm]

[H2operator]

I have a friend who hopefully will be crossing from Key West to Cuba in a few weeks in a Pearson 18 Weekender. Hopefully because his permit only allows a visit for a few weeks (new US policy) so with luck he'll have a good weather window. The 90 miles should go well with a beam reach as I recall.
It's a reasonable plan for heading to the Bahamas as well since it's a down wind sail from Cuba.
I'll report back when he's back!
I'm seriously considering the same trip next year with his boat and my CP-23. I would definitely consider the Bahamas from Florida in the 23 with decent weather.
Lance

[belybuster]

Thanks for the replies.  Lots of great reading.  Seems to be a lot of interest in a Fla. to Bahamas trip.  Think I'm like "fried fish"'s post,  dreaming of it but not made a commitment.  Think I need a lot of stuff for my boat before a trip like that.  Here is my list so far:
AIS
Dinghy
EPIRB
Extra diesel container (here is an interesting one that would probably fit well in the cockpit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0798MK39S/?coliid=I32WZ0OPQP8XHW&colid=1429Z798LJ6K2&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Hand held VHF
Tiller Pilot
House Battery
Quarteen Flag
Bahamas Courtesy Flag
Flag Hallyard
.................and.... on... and on..............where do you stop?

What's your thoughts?

[Bob23]

Me thinks you are forgettin' the rum!
For a dingy, check this out:
http://www.portlandpudgy.com/
Bob23

[belybuster]

Rum....  Rum.... Rum..... Moved to the Top of the list!

That's a cool dinghy but 3 g's, way out of my budget.  That's about...hmm...100 bottles of rum.

[Bob23]

Check the Pudge more closely. 3 g's is a small price to pay!

[brackish]

Check the Pudge more closely. 3 g's is a small price to pay!

For people doing a lot of offshore sailing or passages, I'd have to agree.  Survival life rafts that are just storage problems unless you actually need them are also very expensive but that thing can be used every day.   A good friend who bought a used Fisher 38 motor sailor in Spain and intended to bring it back to the U. S. using the southern route ended up having it shipped due to the cost of all the emergency equipment he would need.

It would be good to know if it can stand up to every day use for an extended period exposed to UV.

[H2operator]

I coordinated the commissioning of new boats for a charter company in the BVI for a while. The delivery equipment was my responsibility, we would rent the life raft. The other gear included a Sat-phone, safety harnesses and lanyard, EPIRB and extra diesel containers(lots of Gerry cans because they always motor-sailed).
The captain would provide a ditch bag in most cases. The boats were equipped with all the gear they would need for chartering and Coast Guard regs.
I've got an Achilles dingy that's in excellent condition and would feel ok with that as a lifeboat for short offshore crossings. With a reasonable wheather forcast a one day crossing for me is a pretty safe proposition as long as the boat has the proper gear and is well prepared.
I'm considering a handheld VHF like the ICOM 93-D that has GPS and DSC that could be a life saver in an overboard situation. If anyone has it or a similar handheld I'd be interested in a review. Thanks, Lance

[philb Junkie19]

I have a junkie friend who has a Pudgy. It's a great little boat. She has used it as a dinghy and from what I've seen last summer it looks to sail quite well. As a life boat it stands out. I'd love to have one myself but my budget tells me just tape the leaky seam on the old pram.