Miami to Antigua

[knothead]

I am planning a trip from Miami to Antigua in early Feb. and would value any information anyone has to offer regarding routes, stops, experiences, etc.
Thank you in advance.

[WHOOSH]

Knothead:

The best reference for you to use is Bruce VanSant''s _Passages South_. It''s been a bible of sorts for folks trying to get S & E against the prevailing winds, wind-driven current and seas for over two decades, and Bruce discusses weather & obtaining weather f''casts, offers waypoints for common stops along the way, how to get things ashore and much more.

However, he only discusses the island-hopping route, not an offshore approach to reaching the E Caribbean.

Note in particular his comments about making it to Antigua once you arrive in the E Caribbean; getting there often entails sailing south and past it, then coming back to it; it''s often a tough slog to go direct e.g. from St. Martin.

Jack

[knothead]

Thank you for that information Jack. I will check it out as soon as I can find a copy.
I was hoping to make only one stop, probably in Puerto Rico, but nothing has been set in stone.
Steve

[WHOOSH]

Steve, just keep in mind that the ''Hwy 65'' route (perhaps jumping off at San Salvador Is. with hopes to get E/SE to 65W and then rhumb line to your destination) is a very different experience than island hopping. Late Fall/Spring - either before or after the Winter Trades set in - it''s more do-able task than mid-Winter. Some crews get a good wx window, don''t find the run too tough, and exclaim that this is a slam-dunk run. Some crews can''t make it at all and end up falling off to T&C Is. We met a youngish couple on a big Swan with a compressed timetable (both airline pilots) and they couldn''t get their boat to windward past the T&C''s even after some extended effort, so there is some luck involved in a weather sense.

Jack

[knothead]

I am bummed. The owner has decided to cancel the trip. He says maybe next year.
Anyway, thanks for the valuable info.
Fair winds,
Steve