George Town, Bahamas to St Thomas?

We are currently in George Town in the Bahamas and are headed to St Thomas. Has anyone made this trip? We have cats on board so will probably jump from Great Inagua rather than the Turks and Caicos. Is it worth a brief stop in the DR? Go around the south or north side of Puerto Rico? Interested in your experience. Thanks!

Route depends on if you are planning to go straight though nonstop or island hop. Lupton is difficult to get into and dirty. Samanna is OK but you must take care security wise. The Mona Passage can be a nightmare if you take the normal route to the south of PR. The north coast of PR is rarely used by those who are stopping for the night as there is only San Juan as a harbor.

DR is tricky with animals, make sure you have the DR permit before you enter. Don't know what this is for cats.

When I stop in the DR it's in Puerta Plata (Ocean World) and Samana.

I have not had security issues at with place. But you still must be cautious and use common sense.

The Mona is no big deal as long as you work the weather and follow Van Sant's advice. Don't push it. You may have to wait several days for the right conditions.

Going around the south of PR can be great, IF the wind direction is just coming offshore. Which isn't all that often this time of year. But there are more places to stop.

I would spend time in Vieques and Culabra before going to St. Thomas. And there is a nice marina at Palmas Del Mar on the east coast of PR.

Personally I'd look at leaving from someplace like say Grand Turk or Salt Cay. That way you start out much farther east before you head down and east.

You could jump to Sousa or Río San Juan for an over night break before heading to Samana or further east.

Capt.Bill has good suggestions. I made the trip in the opposite direction. The year I returned the Northern swell was significant and it made the North route around PR problematic and the Southern route preferable. So find out what the waves are doing. I echo his thoughts about the Turks & Caicos and Vieques and Culabra. My stop in the DR was Samana and we had no security or other issues. I'm envious of your trip.

Thanks for all the advice! I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't opened Van Sant because of the title, but I read it cover to cover on our passage to Luperon. I really really wish I had done so before! Looking forward to following his methods for the rest of the trip.