When I last posted I was given some good suggestions and sent home with some homework. I have now spent some time studying the Explorer charts, and thumbing through the Pavlidis guides and can ask more intelligent questions.

First impression is that the area involved is huge. The Virgin Islands for example are about 3 or 4 islands, your major decision is whether to go around them clockwise or anti-clockwise. It fits on the screen at a 2 mile zoom level. Conversely, the Bahamas fit only on a 50 mile zoom level, and nearly 500 miles end to end.

The guides I have are of little help in prioritization: every island and anchorage described as beautiful. Perusing the charts seems to provide at least some exclusions: with our 6.5 ft draft it appears that Andros, Long Island, most of the Acklins, and Caicos would be very challenging at anything but the top of the tide. Caicos is also another country and cruising permit. The description of the Raggeds suggests they may be challenging in mid-winter for area newbies ("no anchorages with 360 protection…."). That leaves the Abacos, Eleuthera, the Exumas, and Cat Island, and the Berry Islands - still quite a lot to cover. Have I gone wrong in any of this thinking yet? Of those, what would be the top and bottom of the priority to see, if a choice has to be made?

Next is basic routing. I was initially going to sail to the south eastern end and work back. But this is not an island chain so much as a large area, a one way trip through it going to miss much. A couple of possibilities (assuming leaving the US from Savannah, returning to the Florida keys):

1) Landfall at Cat Island, then to south end of the Exumas, work back to Eleuthera, Abacos, Berrys, then Florida.

2) Landfall at Marsh Harbor, do the Abacos, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Exumas, Berrys, then Florida.

3) Some other suggestion? and why?

I am sure there are many ways to skin this cat, and the answers are no doubt more obvious once you have been there - which is why I ask this group.