Florida to the Bahamas. The plan...

[Saxacussionist]

Hello!

One of my bucket items was to learn to sail. I accomplished that last month (Finally!) I took classes for 3 weeks then, literally the next day, left for a week's vacation in Door County. I took my recently purchased '90 MacGregor 26S with us and sailed every day. Took a long trip from Eagle Harbor in Green Bay through 'Death's Door' to Lake Michigan and back. On the way out it was a beautiful 10 - 15 mph wind on a broad reach, however, on the return trip it was a close reach with 25 - 30 mph winds and 3' - 5' seas. It made for a real learning experience...

Having my love of sailing confirmed, my goal now is to sail from Florida to the Bahamas, do some island hopping, then sail back. I am looking for some advice from those of you who have done that before. I have been told, to which I agree, that I should use this season to get more familiar with the boat and sailing in general. Next year, they suggest I learn the finer points of sailing and, if possible, get some heavy weather experience on Lake Michigan (since I live only a few hours from Chicago).

So - my questions to you:
1. What would you suggest?
2. Are there any classic Mac owners in the Lake Michigan area who would be willing to take me out and get some of that heavy weather experience?
3. Is there a group of Mac owners who sail from Florida to the Bahamas as a group every year? I saw some older postings, but nothing recent.

Thanks for your help!!

Brad

[Hamin' X]

Might want to check with the Conch Cruisers. Some of our members have made the crossing with them.

~Rich

[bahama bound]

we were trying to get a group together to go this year or next year ,i still havent made it to tortuga off key west ,would like to do a tortuga trip as well ....is conch cruisers still there ????

[Keel_Hauled]

I'm game for the Bahamas or Tortuga. Have made the crossing to Bimini and back once back in 2009. It's no big deal as long as your smart and go with a group for safety. The Conch Cruisers are still there but not really active. The group I went with is the last group from the Conch's board that got together and went as far a I know.

Let me know if you are going and when; I'll gladly get the time off and head out !

Phillip A. Green

[bahama bound]

keel hauled ,didnt you post your trip on here ???? i thought i read it ,you coming to charleston or jacksonville for any of the get togethers ???

[Ixneigh]

I made it down to Grand Exuma in a v22.2. I'm sure you can do it in a nice 26.
The boat should be right. Good engine good rig good sails serious anchors.
You'll be sailing a lot and it's usually windy and on the nose. The boat also has to be able to make mileage under power. You need a range of at least 100 miles. I carried 10 gallons of gas for my Honda five. I'll have 14 on
My M. The M is a better sailor then the 22 also. Can't wait to get her over there.
Put a big enough motor on it so the boat can do 7-8 k in a pinch. That's like a fifteen on a 26. That way you can shoot the cuts if you don't want to wait for the tide.
I saw a number of other macs over there. One 25 had serious hull cracking.
Don't push the boat as far as weather goes. The bahama banks, though shallow can get crappy fast. NW providence channel and the tongue of the Ocean are both very deep. Most small boats wait for good weather to cross.
If anything breaks its a long way to find supplies. Be able to fix or jury rig anything on the boat. Fortunately it's usually down wind on the way back to the States.
Ixneigh

[cptron]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Dry Tortugas in the spring and the Bahamas the year after that. It sure would be nice to get a group together to make the trips. I will post more later on a seperate thread later if anyone is interested.
Ron

[Ixneigh]

I might be up for that.
I just figured out a way to rig an emergency rudder in case the brackets get damaged too. That was my foremost concern about the M model. See other post for details.

[Saxacussionist]

Might want to check with the Conch Cruisers. Some of our members have made the crossing with them.

~Rich

I checked their website, looks like they are still alive and well... I'll watch for a while and see if they plan a Bahamas trip for 2013. If not, I'll post a question to see if there is any interest. There certainly seems to be plenty of interest with MacGregor Sailors!

[Saxacussionist]

I made it down to Grand Exuma in a v22.2. I'm sure you can do it in a nice 26.
The boat should be right. Good engine good rig good sails serious anchors.
You'll be sailing a lot and it's usually windy and on the nose. The boat also has to be able to make mileage under power. You need a range of at least 100 miles. I carried 10 gallons of gas for my Honda five. I'll have 14 on
My M. The M is a better sailor then the 22 also. Can't wait to get her over there.
Put a big enough motor on it so the boat can do 7-8 k in a pinch. That's like a fifteen on a 26. That way you can shoot the cuts if you don't want to wait for the tide.
I saw a number of other macs over there. One 25 had serious hull cracking.
Don't push the boat as far as weather goes. The bahama banks, though shallow can get crappy fast. NW providence channel and the tongue of the Ocean are both very deep. Most small boats wait for good weather to cross.
If anything breaks its a long way to find supplies. Be able to fix or jury rig anything on the boat. Fortunately it's usually down wind on the way back to the States.
Ixneigh

Thanks Ixneigh - that is exactly the kind of information I am looking for!

The Heaven Bound has been well maintained. Everything looks good as far as the rigging and sails. The motor is a Honda 8 hp. It is extremely reliable, however, not the hp you are recommending. Do you think it would be worth the expense to upgrade to the larger motor? (looks like I also need to determine what kind of speed and mileage it gets as well...)

[Saxacussionist]

Let me throw another question out there....

I have a couple of friends who would like to go with me, however, they would like to be able to sail their own boats (not MacGregors - (gasp!!!))

What is your opinion on single handed sailing to the Bahamas?

[bahama bound]

i dont think the brand of boat would be a issue ,as long as it was able to make the trip ,but i will say its nice to have at least one other person on the boat ......

[March]

Single-handed sailing has its appeal, for sure: independence, self-sufficiency, full access to the entire beer supply on board, and the like. The downside, however, is also pretty obvious. If anything goes wrong, you've got no one to blame but yourself. If anything goes right, there will be no audience and witnesses.

The safety issue aside (two buddies are twice as likely to solve the occasional issues in time) it would be soooo.... selfish? not to share this wonderful experience with at least one person? The Mac (or equivalent) is a perfect boat for two people: enough elbow room not to feel constricted and to bump into each other. One person can steer, the other one can man the sails. One can set the anchor, the other one can handle the engine, and so forth. More than four people aboard and things get pretty cramped really soon. But one cannot beat the arrangement of a solid couple that know how to cooperate and work with each other in tandem.

I did the Exhumas last summer, with a very good friend of mine. In retrospect, I think one could cross the GulfStream single-handedly easily enough, especially if the weather cooperates... but those long sailing days and nights across the Bahamians shallows or in between islands would have been such a drag in the long run. The next best thing would be, another Mac in sight, in close radio contact, or even two or three. But I also remember how often we decided to change our sailing schedule on the spur of the moment. Not depending on anyone to sail on or to stay made things much easier. We missed the camaraderie at times and the companionship, but we managed very well in the end. In all honesty, I would never attempt it single-handedly though of course, it could be done, especially if you're the solitary type.

[dlandersson]

There is a huge safety issue in single-handing on a trip like that.

Let me throw another question out there....

I have a couple of friends who would like to go with me, however, they would like to be able to sail their own boats (not MacGregors - (gasp!!!))

What is your opinion on single handed sailing to the Bahamas?

[Matt19020]

This is a link to a previous post:
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... 09#p174609

This is not exactly the same but you may find some usefull tips here from someone I know someone who did the trip from New Jersey to the Bahamas in a 19' West Wight Potter with VERY little sailing expierience...
His story & Pictures are documented in the links below:
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories44.html
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories45.html
http://www.wwpotterowners.com/SailingStories46.html