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FLORIDA TO THE CARIBBEAN - THE DELIVERY SKIPPERS' ROUTE

Ah, the West Indies! The Virgin Islands, St. Barths, Nevis, Martinique, St. Lucia, the Grenadines... What sailor's heart doesn't beat a little faster at the sound of those magical names! They're all part of the Lesser Antilles, the chain of emerald islands spanning the Eastern Caribbean Sea.

As irresistible as the mythical Siren's Song of old, every year these islands lure more and more yachtsmen down to the steady trade winds, warm waters, white beaches, and tranquil harbors. But for adventurous sailors who cast off the mixed blessings of mainland civilization to find their tropical paradise, there is a long and sometimes daunting offshore passage to make before the first Caribbean island heaves into view.

To sail from the U.S. East Coast to the Lesser Antilles, many choose Florida as their jumping off point and the Virgin Islands as their Caribbean landfall. Every autumn the migration of sailboats arrives in Florida, mostly via the Intracoastal Waterway. For those who have set their sights beyond the Bahamas to the Lesser Antilles, it might be useful to take a look at the professional delivery skippers' boat preparation, route planning, and passage making techniques for the 1,100-mile, Miami-to-the-Virgins crossing.

Preparation

The first step toward accomplishing any goal is to make the mental commitment to do it. If you want to sail to the Virgin Islands and beyond this season, say so! Brag about it to your friends. Set a departure date. Visualize the trip. Buy the charts and guide books. Arrange to have your mail forwarded there so you absolutely have to go. A determined attitude is a prerequisite to completing any substantial voyage. This goes for professionals and cruisers alike.

The next step is provisioning. Here's one instance where pros and cruisers differ greatly in their requirements. For the delivery crew, provisioning is simply a matter of loading up on a few weeks worth of food, figuring on a 10-day average passage and then doubling the amount to cover unexpected delays. But for the cruising sailor who is heading down islands for the season, for the year, or longer, Florida is the last chance to really stock up. Everything costs more in the West Indies, and many things commonly found in Stateside stores aren't available at all in the islands between St. Thomas and Venezuela. Cram every locker, compartment and crevice with non-perishable foods and supplies. You really can't have too much aboard. Same goes for equipment, spares, tools, and chemicals. Outfitting the cruising sailboat is a considerable project that ought to be completed before leaving the mainland. Both Fort Lauderdale and Miami are excellent places to do this, with many stores and services that cater to yachts.

Finally, plan to carry plenty of fuel for the auxiliary engine. You may wind up motoring for days before reaching the steady trade winds. Delivery skippers insist on having at least a 500-mile motoring range for this trip, even if this means carrying extra Jerry jugs of fuel lashed on deck. They're pros, not purists: If the wind won't give them a boat speed of 4 knots or better, the auxiliary will.

Route Planning

It's the delivery captain's business to move a boat from point A to point B as safely, directly, and quickly as possible. While the cruising sailor isn't in such a hurry, there are some good reasons to follow the pro's lead on this passage. If you glance at a chart of the region, it appears that you could easily island hop all the way from Miami to the Virgin Islands, with the longest "offshore" leg being the 100 miles between Grand Turk Island and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. But this is deceptive. As you sail southeastward on this route, through the Exumas chain of the Bahamas, you soon run head on into the Northeast trade winds. In the fall, these perennial winds blow most often from the ENE at 15 to 25 knots; sometimes harder. If you do beat your way down to Puerto Plata on a hard port tack, you'll still be facing nearly 350 nautical miles into the teeth of the powerful wind and seas - a miserable prospect at best. Add to that the knot or two of adverse current and you've got a long, grueling journey that will test the resolve of the captain, the loyalty of the crew, and the structural integrity of the vessel. This is why the Bahamian port of Georgetown, Exuma (nicknamed "Chicken Harbor") is crowded with Caribbean-bound boats that won't make it the rest of the way this year.

Beating into the trade winds is the pits! Avoid it! If you want to spent a winter cruising the Bahamas, that's OK. But if you're intent on reaching the Lesser Antilles, follow the delivery skippers' route - offshore to the east.

Most boats make the passage from Miami to the Virgins at the end of the hurricane season in November and December. The Pilot Charts show us that the northern limit of the Northeast Trades is roughly on the same latitude as Miami at that time of year. Since the object is to avoid going east into the boisterous head winds likely to be encountered south of that latitude, knowledgeable sailors head east from Miami, through the Bahamas, and then due east, or even a shade north of east, into the Atlantic. The idea is to make nearly all of your easting north of the trade wind belt in the area of relative calm called the Horse Latitudes.

Legend has it that the Horse Latitudes earned their name back in the days when sailing ships carried live horses as cargo bound for the New World. Sometimes becalmed for weeks in this region of light and variable winds, the ship's crew would find themselves running short of drinking water. Rather than share it with the livestock, they'd jettison the unfortunate animals - a gruesome reminder of life before engines!

For today's auxiliary sailboat, the Horse Latitudes can provide a relatively easy path to the east. This leg of the journey can, however, require plenty of fuel (i.e., those extra jugs you lashed on deck) and a healthy engine - or else the timely arrival of a seasonal "norther". But more on that later.

How far east into the Atlantic should you go before cutting southward toward the V.I.? Yacht delivery crews have debated that question over many a cold Heineken in the watering holes of St. Thomas. The trick is to enter the trade wind belt when you're north - or slightly west of north - of St. Thomas. That way the trades become your ally as you reach southward across them on the home stretch to the islands.

You'll need a number of charts and guidebooks for this journey. In addition to those covering the route we're discussing, you ought to also have charts aboard for the areas along and to leeward of the planned route, in case you're forced to make an unscheduled or emergency landfall. See the Chart and Guidebook list in the sidebar for recommendations.

A Final Check

When a delivery skipper takes command of a boat that he has agreed to sail offshore, he's got to assure himself that it's fit for sea in every respect. He becomes, in effect, a surveyor, and will spend hours or days checking out the equipment and systems aboard before setting sail. The cruising sailor has the advantage of greater familiarity with his vessel. Nevertheless, glancing over the Delivery Captain's Check List (see sidebar) may remind you of overlooked items.

All right, you're committed, provisioned and prepared in every way. Tomorrow is the departure date. Actually, I don't know any cruiser who's ever ready to leave on his original departure date. We always run a few days (or a few weeks) behind schedule, but so what! You're not trying to be a delivery captain, just to learn a little from them.

Last minute chores: Clean the bottom and stow the inflatable dinghy. If you carry a hard dink, lash it on deck like you mean it, with chafe protection and lots of strong lines cinched up tightly. Check the weather forecast for late hurricanes and early cold fronts, treat the crew to one last dinner ashore, file a sail plan and ETA with some responsible person, top off the fresh water, and go!

The Passage

The first hurtle to overcome on this passage is crossing the infamous Gulf Stream. Sailors who know the Gulf Stream by reputation alone, fear it. Local sailors respect it. In fact, for a seaworthy sailboat in normal conditions, crossing the Gulf Stream is no big deal. There are, however, a few precautions that will ensure a smooth start:

Rule number one in the Gulf Stream is to avoid northers, the cold fronts that come blasting down the Florida peninsula every so often, usually beginning in November and becoming more frequent and more boisterous as the winter season progresses. A bit further on, these wind shifts will become our ally. But when the strong northerly winds blow against the north-bound current of the Gulf Stream, big, steep, breaking waves build rapidly, making for a rough passage. If it blows really hard, the Stream can become treacherous for even the stoutest vessel.

There's no excuse for getting caught by a norther your first night out. Just listen to a NOAA weather radio forecast on the VHF before casting off. They'll report approaching cold fronts at least 24 hours in advance.

It's about 45 nautical miles across the Gulf Stream from Miami to the western edge of the Great Bahama Bank; 55 miles to the Bank's northwest corner marked by the Great Isaac lighthouse, which will be your target. When laying your course, remember to compensate for the 3 knot (midstream average), northerly-setting current by steering about two points south of the rhumb line. Work out a current vector based on your boat's speed.

Most skippers make a night crossing of the Stream in order to arrive on the other side with daylight. This does make the ship traffic, which can be considerable near Miami, seem more intimidating. Don't hesitate to shine a bright spotlight on your sails if you determine a big ship is on a converging course. Make sure the ship's watch sees you. If you have the right of way and he doesn't alter course in plenty of time to avoid you, then you avoid him. This is known as the "might is right rule". Anyway, the traffic will thin out soon after you get away from the coast.

For setting watches, three hours on and six off works well with a three man crew. It not only allows enough rest, but also rotates the watch schedule, giving each crew member his fair share of sunrises at sea.

You'll be heading for Great Isaac Light, which boasts a 23-mile visibility range. Maybe they're exaggerating a bit, but you ought to spot it off the port bow before dawn. By sunrise, you should be rounding Great Isaac. On approaching the light, be sure it is bearing more than 60-degrees true. A heading of less than that will put you in danger of coming up on the off-lying reefs. Also, be sure to give Great Isaac a wide berth as you round it - about 5 miles. If the tide is rising on the Banks, it'll tend to sweep you in with it at a knot or more toward the rocks.

For the next 65 miles, you'll be heading a point south of east in Northwest Providence Channel, which carries you through the northern Bahamas in a 30- to 50-mile wide, deep water pass. You'll be sharing the waterway with freighter traffic and the occasional cruise ship, but it'll be daylight and there are likely to be fewer than there were near Miami. After dark, Great Stirrup Cay will make itself visible with a 22-mile light and a flashing red aero beacon. You can pass fairly close to Great Stirrup with plenty of water.

If you've been making decent time, you'll cross Northeast Providence Channel on your second night out. Now, before heading out into the open Atlantic, you have the option of stopping in Spanish Wells, Bahamas, just west of the northern tip of Eleuthera Island. Spanish Wells is a prosperous community of mostly white Bahamian fishermen and their families, descendents of the original Loyalist settlers. Here you can replace any fuel you burned en route from Miami, and top off the water tanks one more time, too. A little dockside R&R for the crew is a good morale builder just prior to the offshore leg of your trip.

To enter Spanish Wells from Northeast Providence Channel, carefully follow the Yachtsman's Guide to the Bahamas' instructions for the southerly approach past the stranded freighter. There is a shortcut through the north reef, called Ridley Head Channel. It's a handy exit when departing for the open sea, but requires good eyeball piloting skills and a bright, high sun.

Fueled and rested, it's onward to the Caribbean! But first, a weather check: Radio Bahamas, ZNS 1, Nassau, 1540 kHz on the AM dial, carries 20,000 watts. They broadcast local weather forecasts from 0630, a special island by island forecast at 0845, and Bahamas weather at 12 noon, repeating this information at various times throughout the intervening periods.

At this point, the professional sailors are hoping for a norther. Those same cold fronts that you were avoiding just a couple of days ago in the Gulf Stream can now be a real asset. The prevailing winds here are from the east and southeast - exactly where you want to go (naturally!). But as a norther approaches, it sets up a veering wind pattern. First the wind shifts to the south, then southwest. Just ahead of the front, it may die in the west. Then the leading edge of the front comes with a cold rush out of the northwest, usually accompanied by cloudiness and rain showers. Finally, as the sky clears, the wind clocks around to the north and northeast before settling back into the prevailing easterly again. Delivery skippers, setting sail as soon as the wind goes south, use these favorable wind directions to make a few hundred miles of "free easting" into the Atlantic. Just be sure you're sails are reefed way down before the arrival of the actual front. It can carry a brief but powerful punch!

In the absence of a norther, the likely alternatives are beating into steady easterlies, or motoring into light easterlies. If the former, leave North Eleuthera on the starboard tack to gain plenty of distance from the leeward reefs and islands to the south. If the latter, head due east under power, feel the gentle rise and fall of the Atlantic rollers, and count your blessings.

For the next several hundred miles, you've got to resist the temptation to head southeast toward the Virgin Islands. You'd soon find yourself beating into the trade winds with the additional threat of dangerous reefs to leeward. Keep your resolve to go east. It'll pay off.

As you're making easting in the Horse Latitudes, the Pilot Chart indicates a couple of notable features: On the second day out of Spanish Wells, a current may set you 10 or 15 miles to the north. Later, somewhere around 68-degrees west longitude (depending on your latitude), you'll cross the San Juan-New York shipping lane. Keep a sharp lookout here; there may be a lot of traffic.

Around 70-degrees west, start putting a bit of southing in your course so that you cross the 25^th parallel somewhere between the 69th and 68th meridians. Then head roughly southeast toward a waypoint of 22-degrees north and 65-degrees west. This meridian, called "I-65" by some of the "regulars", marks the last leg to the V.I. - and the best part of the trip. You sail due south from here. By now you've picked up the Northeast Trades, and the boat's flying along on an easy reach with a bone in her teeth. Man, what a sleigh ride!

Here you may see another sail on the horizon. Give `em a call on the VHF and say hello! Keep an eye out for freighters, too. They pass this way travelling between Europe and Panama.

As you approach the Virgin Islands from the north, a 1/2-knot current will nudge the boat westward. But be careful not to overcompensate. If you stray farther east than 64 30' W, you risk sailing onto the infamous reefs of Anagada. They've claimed hundreds of unwary vessels over the centuries, and still manage to snag the occasional yacht today.

Land Ho! If you find you're closing with the islands after dark, don't risk entering at night. Heave-to and wait for dawn. Accidents often occur at the very end of an offshore voyage when the skipper is tired and overly anxious to get into harbor. Even in daylight, it's hard to tell which island is which at first. They seem to overlap. Be certain you have good position fixes.

It's easiest to sail into the islands by passing either east or west of Jost Van Dyke, then on to St. John, which is a much nicer place to clear into the U.S. Virgin Islands than St. Thomas.

Better yet, make your landfall in Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke, one of the British Virgin Islands. This is the kind of place you've dreamed of sailing into. After the simple formalities with officialdom, stroll down the white, palm-fringed beach to Foxy's thatch-and-bamboo beach bar for a well deserved rum punch. You and your crew have earned it!

Best of all, the whole Caribbean now lies waiting for you, one harbor at a time! Welcome, Mon!

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(Continue for Sidebars)

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The following charts and guide books should provide all necessary navigational information for the experienced mariner to take a yacht from Miami to the Virgin Islands.

Recommended Charts for the Miami to Virgin Islands Passage

(* Indicates charts not essential but recommended for the safety of alternative landfalls)

1. Pilot Chart of the Central American Waters (November) (D.M.A. Chart Number 3500)

2. Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (D.M.A. Chart Number 410)

3. Straits of Florida and Approaches (N.O.S. Chart Number 11013)

4. * Florida East Coast and the Keys (B.B.A. Chart Kit, Region 7)

5. Approaches to Miami (N.O.S. Chart Number 11460)

6. Northwest and Northeast Providence Channels (D.M.A. Chart Number 26320)

7. * Andros Island to San Salvador (D.M.A. Chart Number 26300)

8. * San Salvador to Mayaguana (D.M.A. Chart Number 26280)

9. * Caicos Islands and Adjacent Passages (D.M.A. Chart Number 26260)

10.* Hispaniola with Windward and Mona Passages (D.M.A. Chart Number 26020)

11.* Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands (N.O.S. Chart Number 25640)

12. Virgin Islands (N.O.S. Chart Number 25641)

Recommended Guidebooks for Miami to the Virgin Islands

1. Yachtsman's Guide to the Bahamas (Tropic Isle Publishers, Inc.)

2. Yachtsman's Guide to the Greater Antilles (Tropic Isle Publishers, Inc.)

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(See: The Delivery Captain's Checklist by Tor Pinney)

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