I am planning on singlehanding from the Virgins to Key West via the
Old Bahama Channel. I am concerned about places to anchor and rest on
the trip to be sufficiently alert for traffic and narrow channels. I
do not want to clear in DR or Bahamas to save money and time. Anyone
have any recent experiences with this? Fly the Q or just keep a low
profile. Great Inagua is right on the track, but a port of
entry...so potentially a problem. what to do. TIA for replies, Larry

On Feb 22, 5:19 pm, wrote:
I am planning on singlehanding from the Virgins to Key West via the
Old Bahama Channel. I am concerned about places to anchor and rest on
the trip to be sufficiently alert for traffic and narrow channels. I
do not want to clear in DR or Bahamas to save money and time. Anyone
have any recent experiences with this? Fly the Q or just keep a low
profile. Great Inagua is right on the track, but a port of
entry...so potentially a problem. what to do. TIA for replies, Larry

Well, if I was to try this, I would certainly not fly the Q flag
(duh!). I'd fly the proper country's courtesy flag, keep a low profile
and never touch land.

On 22 Feb 2007 13:19:44 -0800, wrote:

I am planning on singlehanding from the Virgins to Key West via the
Old Bahama Channel. I am concerned about places to anchor and rest on
the trip to be sufficiently alert for traffic and narrow channels. I
do not want to clear in DR or Bahamas to save money and time. Anyone
have any recent experiences with this? Fly the Q or just keep a low
profile. Great Inagua is right on the track, but a port of
entry...so potentially a problem. what to do. TIA for replies, Larry

There is no where to anchor on that route unless you go into Puerto
Rican, Hatian, DR, Bahamian or Cuban waters. If you do that you will
need to fly a Q flag for sure, but you are also expected to clear in
under normal circumstances. I thinks it's very risky unless you keep
moving in international waters. Commercial shiping traffic is very
heavy in the Old Bahama Channel. I was through there north bound two
years ago and probably saw at least 20 south bound freighters in 12
hours or so.

On 22 Feb 2007 14:01:25 -0800, "capt.bill11"
wrote:

Well, if I was to try this, I would certainly not fly the Q flag
(duh!). I'd fly the proper country's courtesy flag, keep a low profile
and never touch land.

Illegal unless you clear in.

There is no where to anchor on that route unless you go into Puerto
Rican, Hatian, DR, Bahamian or Cuban waters. If you do that you will
need to fly a Q flag for sure, but you are also expected to clear in
under normal circumstances.
According to Noonsite, One can enter the Bahamas and travel until
reaching a Port of Entry. You can not go ashore. This is a legal
possibility. Too bad Great Iguana is a POE.I could detour to Castle
or Ragged. I do not want to give the impression that I have cleared in
when I haven't by flying the courtesy flag. In the E. Carib, I've
done lots of overnite anchorages flying the Q and some not flying it
and not cleared in. Never had a problem. The Bahamas are supposedly
harsh about this practice, and the DR is looking for handouts and so
likely to check one out. Cuba's bureaucracy shouts stay away to me.
Does anyone know whether Domingo Cay south of the Old Bahama Channel
offers protection and if so in what conditions? Cay Lobos in the
southern part of the channel itself? Tnx for ideas, Larry

On Feb 22, 8:03 pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On 22 Feb 2007 14:01:25 -0800, "capt.bill11"
wrote:

Well, if I was to try this, I would certainly not fly the Q flag
(duh!). I'd fly the proper country's courtesy flag, keep a low profile
and never touch land.

Illegal unless you clear in.

No ****! :-)

He didn't seem to care about the legalities. And if you are trying to
do it under the radar, you're not going to fly the Q but you should
fly the courtesy.

And quite frankly, the likelyhood of getting caught, if you anchor out
all the time, is pretty small.

On 22 Feb 2007 16:28:20 -0800, wrote:

According to Noonsite, One can enter the Bahamas and travel until
reaching a Port of Entry. You can not go ashore. This is a legal
possibility. Too bad Great Iguana is a POE.I could detour to Castle
or Ragged. I do not want to give the impression that I have cleared in
when I haven't by flying the courtesy flag. In the E. Carib, I've
done lots of overnite anchorages flying the Q and some not flying it
and not cleared in. Never had a problem. The Bahamas are supposedly
harsh about this practice, and the DR is looking for handouts and so
likely to check one out. Cuba's bureaucracy shouts stay away to me.
Does anyone know whether Domingo Cay south of the Old Bahama Channel
offers protection and if so in what conditions? Cay Lobos in the
southern part of the channel itself? Tnx for ideas, Larry

Your best bet in my opinion is to get one or two crew and do it
non-stop. It's totally legal that way if you stay in international
waters. Old Bahamas Channel is within 12 miles of both Cuban and
Bahamian territory but considered international if you stay near the
center and keep moving.

Just park it when your tired, then get underway when you're rested up. Why
bother getting close enough to drop an anchor?

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On 22 Feb 2007 16:28:20 -0800, wrote:

According to Noonsite, One can enter the Bahamas and travel until
reaching a Port of Entry. You can not go ashore. This is a legal
possibility. Too bad Great Iguana is a POE.I could detour to Castle
or Ragged. I do not want to give the impression that I have cleared in
when I haven't by flying the courtesy flag. In the E. Carib, I've
done lots of overnite anchorages flying the Q and some not flying it
and not cleared in. Never had a problem. The Bahamas are supposedly
harsh about this practice, and the DR is looking for handouts and so
likely to check one out. Cuba's bureaucracy shouts stay away to me.
Does anyone know whether Domingo Cay south of the Old Bahama Channel
offers protection and if so in what conditions? Cay Lobos in the
southern part of the channel itself? Tnx for ideas, Larry

Your best bet in my opinion is to get one or two crew and do it
non-stop. It's totally legal that way if you stay in international
waters. Old Bahamas Channel is within 12 miles of both Cuban and
Bahamian territory but considered international if you stay near the
center and keep moving.

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:39:21 -0500, "Bryan"
wrote:

Just park it when your tired, then get underway when you're rested up. Why
bother getting close enough to drop an anchor?

There's a *lot* of large commercial traffic moving through that area,
very dangerous to not have a lookout.

Also, your presence might be misconstrued by governmental authorities
if you do not seem to have a purpose for being there.

There's a *lot* of large commercial traffic moving through that area,
very dangerous to not have a lookout.

Also, your presence might be misconstrued by governmental authorities
if you do not seem to have a purpose for being there.

Once I enter the Old Bahama Channel I will need to be on watch all the
time. I want to be well rested upon the start of that so I can do
it. Parking it on the open road as Bryan suggested is ok for a couple
of hours if in relatively calm sea state, but not for a long
restorative sleep before hitting the heavy traffic. Crew would be an
obvious solution, but I am an obstinate singlehander and can choose my
departure and delays without pressure from crew's limited time needs
It's an additional 40 nm to detour from Great Iguana to Castle and
then Ragged, both "legal" rests, but 90 nm from Ragged to the OBC with
150 nm to the first anchorage on the north end, Anguilla Cay. tough
go unless a stop such as Cay Lobos or a stop on the banks was
doable. Larry