Galveston > Isla Mujeres

[avinsa]

hi
I would like to sail from Galveston to Isla Mujeres next week (Allmand 35). I would like to know the best route for this time of the year.
Many thanks and kind regards
Marco Gross

[Hud3]

Hello, Marco.

I'm not a Gulf sailor, but I can point you to the Pilot Charts. Find the one for June and it will show you average wind and current conditions for the area you're interested in. Click on "Publications", then "Atlas of Pilot Charts", and go from there.

There are some sailors here who have made similar voyages, so I'm sure you'll get some firsthand advice. Good luck!

[drew.ward]

How now that sounds like a cool trip!

Marco are you German? (thought maybe with the name) There are actually come cool German cultural spots along the Gulf Coast of Mexico.

[idpnd]

really? what sort?

[drew.ward]

Several little resorts, restaurants, and guesthouses along Costa Esmerelda mainly (between Tampico and the City of Veracruz). Veracruz in itself is worth spending a few weeks in. It's like the US mixed with Mexico mixed with the Caribbean. And it is SOOO cheap!

There were a couple waves of German migration to this par of Mexico. First they came through New Orleans and moved west settling into two communities in Louisiana, several in Texas, and finally along the coast in Mexico. (this is why Cajun, Tejano, and Mexican music sounds an aweful lot like Bavarian folk songs...they are).

Then after WWI another group left Germany and settled in Veracruz. It' kind of funny because some of them fly the Weimar flag.

[avinsa]

my name is Marco Gross and I was born in Switzerland, however I am living in the bush in Central America since 1977 (little hotel, travel agency for special interest), I bought a boat in Houston and the former owner comes with me, I am new to sailing. Where can I find the long
time forcast for that area.
I fully trust the captain, he is german, we have not used the possibilities of the internet.
I noticed that you can access knowledge through this forum, I am strictly interested in the sailing part (what I want to learn.
many thanks and kind regards
Marco Gross

PS we are getting the boat ready, not often online

[Hud3]

Passageweather.com is a good source of global model data in a graphical format.

You can also access NOAA forecasts at these links, among others...

NOAA marine weather forecasts

Radiofax charts-New Orleans

[CapnTony]

Sail to the Galveston sea bouy and point it toward Isla.

[Ocean Girl]

Howdy Marco,
I live in Kemah and I think I know your new boat! Sweet boat! I have done the Galveston to Isla five-six times, I've been as far south as Guatemala (It has been a long time though). It is 680 miles rum line to Isla, make as much easting as you can because you don't want to get caught in the Bay of Campeche. If you get caught its very hard to get around the Yucatan penn (the gulf stream screems around the corner). The time I got stuck in the bay of campeche I had to tack out a full day to get out of the current. A lot of sailors actually run for Tampa and then "take a right" when they line up for the north end of Cuba, thus making two big tacks to get to the tip of Isla- It can actually be faster (go figure).
The down side:
This time of year is not the best time because Hurricanes can form right out in the gulf over your head. You are on a leeshore as soon as you leave Galveston (thus the added danger of the leeshore). The tack you need to take will keep you in the rigs a bit longer than if you had a northern to spit you down. It stays shallow for about 70-100 miles, then you'll see fewer and fewer rigs, crew boats, survey vessels etc.
The up side:
People do this trek all the time, year round. Its a good shake down trip that should only take a week to 10 days, the longest for me was 13 days, that was the time I got caught in the Bay of Campeche. The shortest trip was 8 days.
There really is so much info, if you want more just PM me. There are others who will have a more updated info and I'll be glad to see if I can get you in contact with them.

When are you thinking of leaving?
Hope this helps,
Erika

[sageofsalem]

I made the trip in April across the gulf from Pascagoula to isla Mujeres. We watched the weather quite closely for weeks as we "finished" prepping the boat. We watched this site in particular to get a handle on the real-time currents and eddies and the counter vortices and their movement::https://oceanography.navy.mil/legacy/web/cgi-bin/animate.pl/metoc/40/84/0-0-17/2.
This is a navy site, so don't be intimidated as it seems it is only for DOD use, keep clicking and you'll get into a great source of real time currents based on live data.

Another site that has reports for Isla Mujeres wind and weather is "windguru.com" and they also report from Ambergris Key, Belize.

Using the Navy site allowed us to place our course between the main Gulf Stream gyre and the counter gyre that was south of New Orleans enabling us, after clearing a 100 miles or so, to get a two knot kick in the ass all the way out to the 9,000 foot deep water past all the oil rigs/ 600 miles in 4 days and two hours in a Morgan 462, my son and i.


Watch out, that Gulf can get wild and you might end up in Progresso!

[avinsa]

hi

many thanks for all the information, my next question is if there is a regular weatherreport, that I could receive with a shortwave radio, if yes which one is a good one?
kind regards Marco

for example
Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception

[avinsa]

hi
we cannot open this site https://oceanography.navy.mil/legacy/web/cgi-bin/animate.pl/metoc/40/84/0-0-17/2.
there is a warning ??

saludos Marco

[Ocean Girl]

NOAA all weather transmit site NOAA Weather Radio .

This is the link to the local Ham guys they might know some good short wave Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club

Hope this helps,
Erika

PS. do you guys have an experienced crew coming with you?

[avinsa]

the former owner (who comes with me) is very experienced and has already done this trip, I am a beginner and figuring out how to do it (so I learn), the boat is not equipped with ham radio or weather fax, so I was wondering if a normal shortwave table radio gives weather reports once we have no other communication. before I buy something I like to understand if it is useful and necessary.
the boat has lots of stuff on it (for costal cruising what I am going to do the next years), but is not the bluewater type, however she has already been in australia.
saludos Marco

[Ocean Girl]

Marco,
I have been in the atlantic on a Allmand, I was hit by a storm that reached 80 knot gusts, they are built like tanks!
Erika

PS KHB40Galveston162.550