Routing Galveston to Miami

[the_lullaby]

Greetings all,

I am planning a passage this spring, and the first leg will be Galveston to Miami. The ICW is not an option. Wind permitting, I''d prefer to rhumb it to the strait, but this, of course, is not going to happen. I''m currently researching weather patterns for the Gulf, and would greatly appreciate any first-hand information/reccomendations regarding this route.

Departure date is on or around Feb 14th, and the boat is a 29'', 4ton fin/skeg sloop.

Any info would be helpful, and I''m particularly curious to know if I can take advantage of both the great circle and the westerlies, or if the Gulf pattern would render this unimportant.

Best Regards,

Eric

[Billpjr]

In Florida, northers show up as westerly winds rotating clockwise to north and east. How fast it rotates is how strong the front is...fast = strong. I''d pick up the westerlies and sail south as it rotates. It can blow hard in Feb and the gulf gets plenty rough due to shallow depths. There are many ships going and coming from New Orleans so beware of ship traffic down to the Florida Straights.

[tumbleweed35]

I have a bit of experience departing from galveston at various times of the year. Can tell you what works and what doesn''t. Email me and we can discuss in detail