Single handed crossing to bahamas

If you have to ask here it's not for you. I have many miles of solo ocean sailing under my keel and the "I don't know what I don't know" phase has to end long before considering anything along these lines.

I ve done it many times over the years in a Johnson 70 and in a Lazzara 84. No big deal. Usually to and from the Exumas either Staniel or Gtown running mostly at 10kts ot a few hours running 22/24 to save time. No big deal. Going over I used to clear in Cat Cay... leaving Miami in the afternoon, anchoring out and then clearing first thing in the morning. Then a long day to Staniel or Gtown

returning I d usually leave Staniel early and run straight to Cat cay anchor out and cross the next day

now that Cat Cay is closed to transient it s a little more difficult. Last trip we ran straight to Chub, clear in the morning and on to Staniel. I had crew on that Trip. Coming back, solo, I was able to get the Newly mandated outbound clearance thru our agent in NAS via email and ran Staniel -Cat then crossing the next day

I Prefer having company but it doesn’t make a Difference m

As long as you check the weather I'd say you could do it in almost anything. Knew one guy who made almost weekly runs to Bimini in his little Sonic.

Being in good shape is not even in the discussion. The boat needs to be in good shape, and you need to know what to do when (rarely if) something goes wrong. Check those boxes and there isn’t much to worry about aside from preparation and common sense.

Cruised solo from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini and back on a 28’ Albin last year.
Weather was good, it was a non issue, but the boat was well equipped and well maintained: 2 VHF radios, EPIRB, bow thruster, etc.

Thread reminds me of stories from my father who built a small sailboat as a youngster in Miami and would sail with a friend to the Bahamas from Angelfish Creek via sailing as tightly into the prevailing wind as possible, turning about at lunch time if there was no sight of land. No sat phones back then...

I’d never do it, I’ve had so many things break and go wrong over the years that required a second hand to fix or take care of or safely navigate that I never would single handed. You can’t be in two places at once. Risk mitigation is the number one job of a captain.

I'd think it kind of depends what you're running. It's 60 miles from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini. You mean if an owner flies over to Bimini on Friday and asks you to pick him up with his 45 Dancer on Monday you're going to tell him he has to hire a 2nd for the 3 hour cruise? What about when you're moving boats to boat shows, you're moving a 30' center console 60 miles, pay for a 2nd?

I know an awful lot of guys who've gone out alone on their boats for 3 hours.

A center console is a little bit of a different story. The op is talking about a 45-60’. I once had to run a 55’ neptunus from Nassau to staniel Cay, blowing 25 knots, bank was a nasty 3-5’ short spaced sea. All of a sudden engine room bilge keeps coming on, (which it never did before) so I have to put the boat in neutral, go across a wet slippery deck, down a steep ladder, rolling around between hot engines just to investigate it. Was just the float such location. However, if I had a real flooding situation having a mate to assist would be the difference between the yacht sinking or not. Then I get down there and getting to the dock safely and tied up was another real bear. What about a medical condition? Slip overboard? Fire? Or any other mechanical issue. And no, I’m not running a 45’ searay across the Gulf Stream by myself.

With all the costs of running a boat and of running one to the Bahamas, then to not take the precaution of the second crew member just seems like an unwise way to try to save money. It's such a minor part of the cost of the trip. If I was a paid captain, I'd not run it single handed in the boat in question either.

It's wonderful having company, and if a friend's day off happens to coincide with a delivery I'd love to have them on board. Unfortunately most of the people I associate with have actual jobs. I was thrilled if I could find a driver to pick me up and get me back to my car in the days before Uber. Now if I'm running a boat that's too large to single hand that's one thing. If I'm doing a multi-day run that's one thing. But if I'm afraid to move a boat 3 hours by myself I should be working behind a desk.

When I have to run alone to or from the Exumas, And that’s maybe once a year, I am a lot more picky about weather... I think it s also a lot safer in a larger boat, running from an enclosed helm (less fatigue), a boat you know well, etc. it s not black and white.

There's no one afraid of anything and if you don't appreciate the safety value of having a second crew member then you should be working behind a desk. Oh, forgot, you are. lol. That's meant humorously, not ugly so please interpret that way.

Captains who are active have contacts and can find the second crew member fairly easily. There are problems that can arise on any trip and having two people make them far easier to resolve. That's not saying one person can't handle them, just not what I consider or Capt J considers ideal. We don't run our boats from our slips to our home without two.

Are two a luxury or necessity or something in between. I'd say somewhere in between but with me, they're a standard practice. It's a cheap insurance policy. Perhaps one out of 50 times you'll be really glad you had two on a short run like Bimini. And one out of 500 times it may be crucial and may prevent serious problems. Capt J says sinking, I'd be more inclined to worry about fire, but even if it just allows you to avoid a tow it's valuable. I can't anticipate every possible occurrence and I'll freely admit that times the second crew member would be crucial on the Bimini trip are few and far between. However, that's how "insurance" works, whether it's an insurance policy or the insurance of a second crew member. Our operating procedures do not allow running with only one crew member. One other consideration I'd point out is that a captain can have an injury or a sudden health condition and in that case one more person aboard may literally be a life saver.

That's a bit of a harsh perspective given that a displacement trip across to the Bahamas from South Florida is anywhere from 7 to 11 hours, closest point. That being said, I have no issue with it on my own boat, knowing what I know of my boat and equipment, but I'd be (as has been said) weather-finicky.

This is how I feel as well, and I have no issue with the single handed concept. I choose my routes and weather carefully, and I have lots of Plan B's in mind along the way, even if just to tuck in and drift or idle through a passing storm.

Since when is a 45 Dancer a displacement vessel? How did 3 hours turn into 11 hours? Did I say single hand the Queen Mary on an around the world Cruise? Love the tangents some will go on to create a point on which to argue. So the message from you folks to boaters is to never take your boat off the dock alone? Maybe we shouldn't drive our cars alone either since we could have a heat attack? Maybe we need to outlaw truck drivers working alone. This topic has come up many times and every time it goes from the sublime to the ridiculous. Before anybody wants to accuse me of operating unsafely try matching my record of being on boats since I was 6 y.o. and completing a 30 year career as an independent captain running thousands of different boats without a scratch, injured guest or serious incident. Get off the soap box guys.

Cute. Lots of different boats and experiences being discussed here. Plenty here have and do make these trips alone, but all with the caveats of the boat and the weather. Hell, I posted in Post 17, the post right after Post 16 you quoted that I do this trip alone. Maybe add fiber to your diet.

We do a lot of deliveries to/from Ensenada, MX. It's about 60 miles, and we get questioned about needing two people frequently when giving a quote.
We get paid as professionals to exercise reasonable care and skill. It's foreseeable that mechanical issues can arise, as Capt J points out, and it's also possible that the sole operator can have a sudden onset health issue. Being in the position to maintain a proper lookout while a mechanical issue is fixed (hopefully) or the helmsman can be relieved (double entendre intended) is due care.
I like Oscarvan's answer the best (#2), since the original post is just asking what happens if he rolls the dice. Just asking the question illustrates that he's aware of risk.