Yes single handing is sucky at times. It's dangerous. I have no choice. Such is life.
The few times I've had someone else it was actually more dangerous.
Sail the boat as much as you can. The more used to it you are the safer you'll be. It's motion, habits, noise ect.
Avoid sailing at night if you can. Even the Bahamians try not to. The ones I talked to thought I was insane for contemplating a night passage down the tongue of the ocean. (it was creepy)
Ive only been the the central Bahamas and heres what I do.
Cross the stream on a nice day at 4am. Get to gun cay or Bimini late afternoon. Motor don't sail unless everything's perfect. Cross the bahama bank at dusk after sleeping all day. Motor or sail. Do Not go in a raging norther. Heave to (out of the traffic lanes) when you get tired and sleep for a bit. Do not anchor unless its a millpond. Youll roll badly. Carry on at dawn so you can reach Chub Cay or Morgans Bluff by afternoon. You want settled weather for all of this. NW channel light and vacinity will be very unpleasant in small boats with an outgoing tide and strong easterly winds OR strong northerly winds and incoming tide (worse) moderate northeast winds are nice. You can motor sail across the banks very easily then.
No more night passages are needed until past great Exuma.
Yes convoys are fun IF the boats are similar and owners have same style.
What's fine sailing for a Westsail 32 is going to beat the crp out of my Mac. Meanwhile I am going to want to find some tidal flat to anchor in and THEY won't sleep less they got three feet under them at low tide. Right. Seeya!!
Even with similar boats, sometimes problems arise. They encourage pushing boats and crew. Everyone else wants to make X harbor by lunch but they all have crew to help change sails and steer. It's just me and my dogs on my boat and well have to break our asses to try to keep up.
Nuh uh. We'll see you guys this afternoon, or tomarrow or whenever cause I'm not going to be Reefing and unreefing the main after every squall.
Then there's the boat where something's broken. And the next day and the next. They don't need tools cause someone in the convoy usually has them, right? Then theres the boat that chooses destinations by booze and ice availability. Or by organic yogurt, or what have you.
Or they want to wedge themselves into a crowded anchorage so they don't have to tow as far to visit other boats a d I like to be far, very very far away from other boats.
If you do the cruise circuit you will often fall into an informal group anyway. After a while I saw the same boats in each anchorage. I like this informal deal the best.
