Best Time of Year to Cross

captnnj

I have been researching all the great info on here regarding running over to Bimini and / or West End and am in the process of putting a trip together sometime next year.

What have you guys found to be a reliable time of year to cross? :huh

The boat, 28' CC, will be in Melbourne over the winter and March / April seems like it would work out best for taking time off of work, but is it a risky time to plan a trip due to weather. I know weather always plays a factor and if we have to call it off, we can always fish on this side, but if it makes sense to plan it for April / May or whatever, we could just start there.

As always, thanks for your opinions and advice.

probate-r

Capt,
I'd say anything before Memorial Day is generally hit or miss.... might be flat or might be 2-4'on any given day. You can certainly have some great days for crossing in late April and early May, but you are still going to have some rough patches in there as well. As the summer progresses, the seas should be calmer on a routine basis, although I think this summer was a lot rougher in general than the past few years. By July and August average seas should be about a calm as they are going to get, but there are certainly less fisheries to take advantage of as many of the pelagics are winding down by then.

Al Bundy

Over the years I've learned that there is a difference between unsafe and uncomfortable. I also have a 28ft and have never felt unsafe when crossing in the spring through late summer...on either end of the summer you can quickly change from flat to uncomfortable but rarely unsafe. I have not crossed in the winter because it could quickly become unsafe, no matter how much you plan. Agree with Probate...you are rolling the dice putting all your eggs in a pre-june basket but it depends on what your tolerance for uncomfortable is...

dpdash

Most consistently flat seas are July, also before real threats of storms materialize. August/Sept have calm seas as well but your trip/vacation can easily be interrupted by hurricanes

hoo's up

Capt, I make this crossing a lot, several times a year. The one thing I've learned is plan ahead and be flexible. I've crossed probably every month of the year but certainly Winter months can be the most challenging. Watch your weather close and if there is a North wind, beware. The gulf stream can get pretty nautical with a north wind. July and early August can provide the best weather/seas for crossing, but if your looking for fish, the fishing really slows down that time of year. I like April, May, and June. You need to watch your weather and plan ahead, but the fishing is great. Dolphin in good numbers and the Wahoo are typically still there through mid May. Also the Tuna are there in good numbers.

One caution, make sure you plan enough time to stay in the Bahamas a little longer than planned or carry enough money to fly home and leave the boat. Crossing over is one thing, but you still have to come back. I don't know how many times I've run into people there that are scrambling for a place to leave the boat and someone to watch it because the weather blew up for their return and they needed to get back to work...

If you've not been before, buddy boat the first time...Safety in the crossing and maybe learn some of the ropes while there too. My boat is in Canaveral and I cross from there a lot. hit me up and we can plan something.