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Cruising Florida and the Bahamas

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/09/2009 : 19:14:12

A pair of good friends in the Miami area and I were talking last week about sailing and cruising around Miami, the Keys, the Bahamas and thereabouts and both of them said that nearly a week does not go by without hearing a harrowing story about cruisers being robbed, assaulted, hijacked, having the boat stolen or, in a few cases, murdered!

One is involved in landside law enforcement, and he claims his Coast Guard buddies hear about this kind of thing a lot.

I said, "no way". "Hey this is America, we have laws and law enforcement, you guys must have overactive imaginations."

I said that you very rarely hear of boaters encountering criminals or piracy in the Outer Banks, Chesepeake or any place around New England.

They said, well sure, but that's America. The Caribbean has always been a place between different countries, where stuff happens. They said they would never cruise anywhere in S. FLA, the Bahamas or in the Gulf.

Maybe I'm naive, but it just doesn't seem like a reasonable belief. Anybody knowledgeable, pro or con, on this one?

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2009 : 20:42:59

I have read several times that the Bahamas are safe. Most stories are based on events that happened more than a decade ago and just keep circulating like internet myths. Most involve accidently coming upon a drug drop or transfer or boats stolen and used to transport drugs, and there was some truth in that 20 years ago. Do an internet search for news articles on piracy in the Bahamas and see how little you get. Cruising World had a good article addressing these concerns a year or so ago,

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2009 : 06:22:59

That's news to me!
We hang out in Miami, the keys and have taken JD over to Bimini.
The last bad news we had was regarding the Joe cool powerboat incident.

We have never felt at any kind of risk from the population either afloat or ashore.

You'll have a great time cruising either the inside or outside of the keys.

We would not go out to Bimimi again unless we were in convoy with other similar sized boats and had no time restraints (I think we went in June and caught some really nasty weather!)

Biscayne Bay is worth several days if you are new to the area, Key Largo has John Pennekamp State park which has many educational facilities as well as great slips. Long key is beautiful as are most of the middle keys.

If we were 'cruising' the area, we would want several weeks! there's so much beautiful sailing.

No mountains, so the scenery is pretty flat, so totally different from more northern locales.

Paul

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2009 : 16:28:39

Dave B
That was the exact story they related. An older couple went out cruising and every night when they dropped anchor, they'd call their friends on the SSB just to check in. A few weeks went by and they reported in every night.

One night came and went and the couple did not call in. Their friends called and called, but no answer. The next morning, they called the local authorities and related the trip and where the couple was supposed to be, and the authorities went out and checked.

They found the boat, riddled with bullet holes, sitting on the bottom of a shallow cove with the mast protruding from the water. The couple was never found. Divers later ascertained that the couple had moored on top of a cave that had been used by smugglers as a drug drop. They must have been surprised by the smugglers . . . .

Obviously, this story has all the makings of an urban legend.

As for me, my family and I have spent many vacations in Feb & March in Miami, Key Largo, Key West and further north. We rented a Cat 25's from a guy in Biscayne Bay (we found the bottom a few times), a daysailer in Key B, a fishing boat down in the Keys, I took the kids snorkeling on the tour out to Pennekamp, kayak fishing off Islamorada, and we all have our Bahia Honda teeshirts and caps.

Seemed to me that just about everywhere we went we were invited to share in this beautiful area.

In fact, the only Pirates I've ever seen were dancing down Duval Street during the FF Parade several years ago!

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2009 : 20:00:10

One (questionable) anecdote does not a reality make.

Various friends who've done the Keys and the Bahamas have related that the only real danger is crossing The Stream (to the Bahamas and beyond to the Caribbean), which often makes its own weather. Pick your weather windows carefully--avoiding northerlies--and as Paul says, sail with other boats if possible. The Keys, by comparison, are benign.

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2009 : 06:08:36

Daytona's a bit north but I'm still close enough to get the local news and I haven't heard of any pirating incidents in years. Until the 1987 there was a particularly ruthless drug pusher (Carlos Rivas) that lived on a Bahamian Island and ran his ring from there. I'm sure there were more incidents then but ...........

Did a little looking and found some info on [url="http://www.maxingout.com/davidsjournalarchive16.htm"]Carlos Rivas[/url]

Edited by - on

Don B
Captain

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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2009 : 07:45:57

"They said they would never cruise anywhere in S. FLA, the Bahamas or in the Gulf."

Ummm, yeah, that's it...all sorts of weird stuff going on down here...cocaine cowboys, cigarette boats, square groupers, long lines at the country kitchen buffet. As the saying goes, ""El Caribe... Spanish Main... Land of Voodoo, Hoodoo, and all sorts of weird sh--..."

I probably wouldn't go

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2009 : 09:29:52

There's hundreds of places to cruise here in the States (and Canada). Let's keep the money at home this year!

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2009 : 12:33:10

And Old Joshua Slocum had to put tacks on deck to keep the natives out of his cabin. Seems like there is always some excitement in Sailing. (OhNo long lines at the Country buffett!!!)

Stay Safe... we almost got eaten by Gators and surrounded by cowboys on Lake Seminole last month.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2009 : 18:35:17

I love it. The sarcasm is as thick as the Maine fog.

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2009 : 12:39:49

I've been involved with going places wild all my life. I'm a good boy scout and I expect anyone with me to to provide cover. When I say Stay Safe I mean it. It's good to be prepared. It is prudent to be trained. It is not good to be afraid. Keep you eyes open and expect the unexpected.

Peace be with you.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2009 : 12:48:50

Dear Friends,

Georgian Bay and the North Channel is rife with Pirates. The ones with wooden legs and hooks. In fact they prey on people in secluded coves. I strongly urge you to reconsider your plans to come up here this summer.

(Besides, I want all those little anchorages to myself!!)

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2009 : 12:54:50

Just saw on CNN that many of the Somalian pirates are fed up with the international forces showing up there and are now moving to the San Juans and Puget Sound area. Bummer. Forget going up there too.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 05/12/2009 12:55:36

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2009 : 17:54:55

Okay Chris
You have to tell me, how the heck do you get Iris to sail up the Niagra River, up the falls, through Lake Erie then into Huron [edit] and into the Georgian Bay?

The trent severn canal seems a bit complicated.

Edited by - Voyager on 05/12/2009 18:02:23

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2009 : 07:17:04

Bruce, I have to be honest here... We are really, really good sailors. You have to be since ascending Niagara takes some skill. Especially the inevitable tack halfway up the falls.

A hint... We aren't on the Great Lakes, although we are in their drainage. I sent you an email, reply and I'll attach a KMZ of how it works.

Edited by - Prospector on 05/13/2009 07:19:56

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2009 : 13:08:42

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The trent severn canal seems a bit complicated.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The Trent-Severn passage was one of the high points of my boating life. Easy and spectacular!

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2009 : 15:56:06

Chris -
I just checked my personal email, but I did not receive your note. AOL is a bit over-the-top regarding spam filtering. It will often just delete emails and not tell me, and there is no white list. Pls try again with a simple one line email.

Dave -
According to the Wiki article, the T-S is 386 kilometers long (that's 241 miles in American Money) and with 44 locks and a marine railway, and reaching 256 meters above sea level, all you can call it is a PASSAGE.
Assume 20 miles a day and that's the better part of two weeks.
It sounds like fun. And then you're in the Georgian Bay and the 30,000 islands.
Way Cool

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2009 : 16:39:04

And that neglects the hydraulic locks at Peterborough. Instead of rising water in a closed lock, they are essentially huge tubs with your boat floating in it. When the upper lock is over-filled, its weight lifts your tub around 100 feet with incredible views. Sitting on the bow of a boat that is in the sling of a marine railway as you cross a road and drop down The Chutes is unforgettable.

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2009 : 07:46:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Voyager
 Chris -
I just checked my personal email, but I did not receive your note. AOL is a bit over-the-top regarding spam filtering. It will often just delete emails and not tell me, and there is no white list. Pls try again with a simple one line email.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

If you don't get the email I just sent, how about you email me, and I'll reply to you.

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