How to Get From the United States to the Virgin Islands by Boat

Making the 1,200 nautical-mile ocean passage from the United States mainland to the Virgin Islands requires advanced voyage-planning and navigational skills. The passage transits the territorial waters of two countries, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands and requires re-entry through U.S. Customs at Puerto Rico--where you first enter U.S. waters. Stops along the way for reprovisioning might turn into minivacations before you reach your final destination in the Virgin Islands.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Charts
• GPS
• Light List
• Sailing Directions, Planning
• Sailing Directions, En Route
• Passport
• Courtesy flag, Bahamas
• Courtesy flag, Turks and Caicos Islands
• U.S. ensign (national flag)
• "Q" flag

1. Enter a route on your charts and in your GPS as follows: from the Government Cut Inlet Buoy at the Port of Miami, N25 deg 45 min 22 sec W 80 deg 07 min 20 sec, using the following waypoints:
   N25 deg 00 min 17 sec W75 deg 15 min. at Port New Providence Marine, New Providence Island, Bahamas.
   N25 deg 45 min 00 sec W 77 deg 00 min 00 sec as a median waypoint--in your GPS, taking you past West Harbor Island.
   N21 deg 29 min 54 sec W 71 deg 30 min 43 sec, to Crocker Town, Turks and Caicos Islands.
   N 21 deg 36 min 15 sec W 71 deg 28 min 06 sec, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
   N 18 deg 20 min 12 sec W 65 deg 04 min 54 sec, Charlotte Amalie Harbor, St. Thomas, USVI.

2. Depart the Government Cut Inlet, Miami, bound toward New Providence Island, Bahamas. At the sea buoy, make your course 102 degrees true to Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas.
   Provisioning and fresh water are available here and recommended.

3. Make your course northeasterly 22 degrees true, a distance of 51 nm, toward the waypoint at N25 deg 45 min 00 sec W77 00min 00sec; Harbor island and North Eleuthera Airport will be to starboard. When you arrive at the waypoint, turn southwesterly and make your course 134 degrees true.

4. Make passage for a distance of 550 nm to Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands. Do not allow your course to stray southerly, lest you encounter Cuban patrols. Cuba's territorial waters extend 12 nm from the country's coast, but Cuba maintains a claim to an exclusive economic zone 200 nm from its coast. Porting and provisioning in the Turks and Caicos Islands is recommended.

5. Departing the Turks and Caicos Islands, make your course 121 degrees true and travel 380 nm to San Juan, Puerto Rico. After clearing U.S. Customs for re-entry and reprovisioning, if necessary, make your course 096 degrees true, for a distance of 72 nm and arrive at St. Thomas, USVI.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult the Light List and Sailing Directions, both Planning and En Route, for specific information on the waters you will be traversing. Upon entering the territorial waters of the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos and, upon re-entering U.S. waters, fly the "Q" signal (the square yellow signal flag) from your port fly requesting free pratique (declaring your vessel "healthy").
• Use courtesy flags in foreign ports, and keep your ensign two-blocked at all times.
• You will have to clear Customs in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos as soon as possible after entering the territorial waters. Re-enter U.S. waters and clear U.S. Customs in Puerto Rico. Until Customs has been cleared, crew and passengers must remain aboard; the master is permitted to leave the vessel to attend to Customs clearance.
• The Sailing Directions for the Bahamas state explicitly, "Deep-water passages through and around the Bahamas number more than a half dozen and, without exception, present no major difficulty to full-powered vessels. The significance of the individual passages is largely determined by destinations outside the Bahamas, such as the Straits of Florida and Windward Passage to the W and S, and the ports of the Mediterranean Sea, North Europe and the E coast of the United States to the ENE, NE and N."
• The Sailing Directions also caution: "The Bahamas abound in shoal water of a remarkable transparency which allows an experienced lookout aloft to assist in navigation by observing the subtle shift in water color over various types of sunken dangers and sea floor compositions. Mariners are cautioned in this regard to have the sun well overhead or astern, and to realize that passing clouds can cast a shadow that might very well conceal a sunken danger."

References

• Pub 147 Sailing Directions, En Route, Vol. 1
• Pub 140 Sailing Directions, Planning
• Pub 110 List of Lights

Resources

• Bahamas
• Turks and Caicos
• San Juan (PR) Marinas

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