Story and photos by Todd Duff and Gayle Suhich
In all the years since renowned 1950s yachtsman Carleton Mitchell coined the term “The Thorny Path” for the often difficult and taxing passage from Florida to the Virgin Islands via the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, sailors have in great numbers taken this well-trodden route. Numerous books and articles have addressed the tactics and pitfalls to be overcome when making this classic run, and yet it seems that many sailors are missing some of the simplest and most important strategies that can assure a relatively easy, if not completely painless way down the Thorny Path.
The biggest problems most sailors face are, of course, the nearly incessant easterly trade winds and large sea conditions which prevail much of each year along the southern parts of this route, as well as winter cold fronts that can strongly affect the northern parts.
Many people undertake the passage as part of a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean; they also may return via this same route at the end of their adventure. With a priority given to timing and a careful watch of weather conditions, it is entirely possible to travel all the way through the Bahamas and on to the Virgin Islands without bashing to windward or beating the crew up in rough conditions. It depends on when you leave and how willing you are to make use of good weather windows when they arrive.
Retired cruiser Bruce Van Zandt’s Passages South, written in the late 1980s, has for years been considered by many newbie cruisers to be almost akin to a textbook on making the run down through the Bahamas to the Eastern Caribbean. While some of the tactics and ideas in that book are very good, all too often people seem to overlook the most obvious ways to truly have a thornless passage south.
Number one is timing. Try to leave Florida or the southeast US coast no later than early to mid-November, making use of the effects of early autumn cold fronts and the weather windows that they can create. Instead of making mini hops and stopping at each island along the way or avoiding overnight runs, ride these favorable wind shifts for as far and for as long as you can. In late fall, two- to five-day stretches of northerly, northwesterly, or light winds, are not uncommon.
If you want to get south and east quickly, leave as soon as conditions allow and ride the favorable weather window until the wind and sea conditions change for the worse. If you take the path through the Bahamas and along the coasts of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, you can stop at one of many harbors along the way and enjoy a new place when the winds crank back up and the seas get too large. When things lay down again, leave as soon as conditions permit, for an easy way east.
While heading directly offshore from farther north and making the run out to 65 west and south is surely the quickest way to the Eastern Caribbean, you run the risk of being caught in heavy weather. If you take the Bahamas path, you will always have the option of pulling over and stopping when conditions become uncomfortable. If you begin in November and plan to be in St. Thomas or the British Virgin Islands by no later than Christmas, chances are good that you will have lighter and more favorable winds and smoother conditions all the way.
Another good time to head south is in May and June and even into early July. As long as you take care in choosing a window for departure and keep a close watch for potential early season tropical development towards the end of this period, the wind and sea conditions during these months can be quite benign.
Making use of early or late season cold fronts, or a high-pressure ridge if you are lucky enough to encounter one, will usually assure you of several days of good sailing, or at least comfortable motorsailng conditions. If your wish is to see the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, and to spend a month or two cruising those areas, consider making that a part of your return trip. It is much easier and more fun to sail the whole way through the Bahamas going downwind, stopping whenever you wish, instead of bashing upwind to each island along the route. Sailing downwind on your return voyage will be enjoyable and relaxing, and then who cares if it’s blowing 20-25 knots? You will only have a nice fast sail, unlike the fellow who had to beat into it because he tried to visit all these places at the wrong time of year.
Although it is possible to make the voyage to the Caribbean islands via the Bahamas in almost any month and have good conditions, in the height of the winter season the favorable weather windows tend to be shorter, the seas rougher and the wind shifts more abrupt. Still, riding a cold front south and east can gain you precious miles without the need to motor or bash to windward. But be prepared to put into a port by the time the winds clock to the northeast and east, and be ready to wait for up to two or more weeks for your next chance to move along if making this voyage in the winter months.
I may be a bit old fashioned: I still strongly believe that in addition to a sat phone, In-Reach or other satellite messenger device or Starlink, it’s a great idea to also have an SSB radio. An SSB radio lets you monitor the National Weather Service’s NMN offshore weather broadcasts and listen to weather guru Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center forecasts. All of this can be a real help when choosing your weather windows for moving east. And the below listed radio nets are also a good way to stay in touch with other cruisers and relay important safety or security messages.
Many boats successfully access internet through cell towers in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and along the coast of the Dominican Republic. Many of the larger cell phone providers allow for limited high speed internet usage along this route. Iridium Go or Starlink have become quite common on cruising yachts, which allows for frequent weather monitoring using some of the weather apps like Predict Wind or Windy and others.
All of this demands a lot of careful planning, so paying close attention to the various computer models as well as listening regularly to Parker’s morning synopsis can be a big help. For a modest fee you may also elect to subscribe to his daily weather updates via email or check in with him by SSB radio or email if the need arises. Usually just keeping a close ear on the daily changes in the forecasts will give you a pretty good idea of when to leave for each leg of your voyage, but long-range forecasts can be a great boon as you decide just how soon the conditions may change, or how far you might go before deciding to put into a port.
Thanks to ongoing advances in weather prediction — from computer models like GFS, ECMWF, UKMO, and NAM to hybrid tools such as SPIRE and PWG — planning a comfortable passage has become far more manageable. Add satellite data and the seasoned advice of weather routers like Parker, and planning and completing comfortable passages should be a simple exercise.
If you’re willing to do a few overnighters or two- to three-day runs, it is entirely possible to make your voyage down to the Eastern Caribbean islands truly become the painless way down the Thorny Path!
Veteran Caribbean sailor, author and accredited marine surveyor Todd Duff is always on the move, seeking new adventures. A version of this story was originally published in Cruising World magazine.
Weather information Via SSB Radio:
Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center’s radio schedule:
Nets are conducted six days/week, Monday through Saturday.
SUMMER: Effective during US Daylight Saving Time (March-October):
4045 & 8137 USB 6 a.m. AST / EDT, 1030 UTC – E. Caribbean
4145 & 8137 USB 6:30 a.m. AST / EDT, 1030 UTC – Bahamas
8137 & 12350 USB 7:30 a.m. AST / EDT, 1130 UTC – W. Atlantic and Bermuda
8137 & 12350 USB 8:30 a.m. AST / EDT, 1230 UTC – Eastern Caribbean
8137 & 12350 USB 9 a.m. AST / EDT, 1300 UTC – Western Caribbean
WINTER: Effective during US Standard Time (November into March):
8137 & 4045 USB 7 a.m. AST / 6 a.m. EST – Eastern Caribbean
8137 & 4045 USB 7:30 a.m. AST / 6:30 a.m. EST, 1100 UTC – Bahamas (note that sometimes depending on which forecaster is on the Bahamas and E Caribbean times may be switched, so tune in early!)
8137 & 12350 USB 8:30 a.m. AST / 7:30 a.m. EST, 1230 UTC – US East Coast, Western Atlantic and Bermuda
8137 & 12350 USB 9:30 a.m. AST / 8:30 a.m. EST, 1330 UTC – Western Caribbean
Coast Guard NMN radio schedule for SSB:
HF Voice Offshore Forecast Broadcast Schedule:
4426, 6501, 8764 kHz (USB) @ 05:15Z
6501, 8764, 13089, kHz (USB) @ 11:15Z & 23:15Z
8764, 13089, 17314 kHz (USB) @ 17:15Z
Radio nets of interest
Cruiseheimers Net: 8152 @ 1230 UTC (sometimes gives weather details but also a good way to keep track of friends). Covers East Coast and Bahamas and to some extent the northern Caribbean.
The Doo-Dah Net for Offshore Passagemakers 2130 UTC
(1700 Eastern Time) 8.152 mHz
The Doo-Dah Net and Cruiseheimers are operated by volunteers and provide a shore-side or relayed (via other yachts) source for check-ins as well as emergency contacts for sailors on offshore passages to and from the Caribbean. Most recently, Doo Dah also includes transatlantic sailors who may use this net to record position reports at 1700 every day, and also to facilitate connecting with fellow cruisers or shore-based contacts.
Websites
Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center (mwxc.com)
Passage Weather (http://passageweather.com/)
NOAA New Orleans Weatherfax (http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/gulflatest.shtml)
Wunderground’s Tropical Weather Page (http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/)
National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov)
Apps
Windy.app: Offers useful user-friendly ways to interpret computer-generated weather models. One of the two most popular sites for cruising sailors.
PredictWind.com: offers virtually the same weather models as Windy presented in a slightly different format.
Mike’s Weather Page (https://spaghettimodels.com/default.htm): A subscription service with almost too much information, but a great site full of links and assessments.
