Crew Wanted: Galveston to Panama 3/15

[Vagabondroller]

Hello,

I am leaving from Galveston next week bound for Panama via Isla Mujeres and Isla San Andres. My crew had problems at home at the last second and now I am faced with the prospect of single handing which I would prefer not to do. This is not a paid position and I would like someone who can pay for their own food and entertainment. Boat check in fees and fuel will be covered by me.

The boat is a Cheoy Lee Golden Wave 42 that is just off of a fresh refit. New chain plates, standing and running rigging, paint, radar/plotter AIS, sat phone, epirb, feathering prop, sails in good shape and just back from refreshing at the sailmakers. There are still some aesthetic issues here and there but everything that makes the boat go has been gone through. I have only done coastal cruising up and down the West Coast between SF and Mexico so this will be my first real open ocean sailing but I feel the boat and myself are well prepared.

I am a happily married 39 y/o male and am not looking for any romantic encounters and I have no age/race/sex preferences. If you are getting on in years then please have a fair amount of experience and be reasonably fit. My wife will be joining me for a few weeks once in Panama. Absolutely no drugs, smoking or drinking while underway. There will be some drinking in port of course but if you like to dabble with drugs then this is not the boat for you.

[Wrong]

Checked your pilot charts for current and prevailing wind direction for this time of year departing from Galveston? Lots of hazards between Isla Mujeres and Panama with west setting current.

Have a safe trip.

[Vagabondroller]

Yup, it's mostly to weather and there are some reefs and shoals.

[Wrong]

So. Any pressing reason you must leave now? The Gulf of Mexico can be quite dangerous in a storm and depending on your planned route is full of oil induustry related hazards. I've sailed from Grand Cayman Island to Galveston twice and have encountered lows both times. The last one arrived just as I was exiting the "Garden" where there are lots of oil platforms. Had to heave to overnight, experiencing waves and wind equal to anything I encountered in the course of two near global circumnavigations. Unsettling since my direction of travel while hove to was back toward the Garden and oil platforms. A significant extra consideration is, although the wind turns the farther south you go those reefs and shoals are on your lee with the current pushing you toward them. Experienced crew and a fail safe auxiliary diesel are in order for your planned trip, especially since you'll be travelling to windward for much of the distance.

[Vagabondroller]

I can't see any reason to wait. The boat is ready and there is still some time before hurricane season. The Lakewood yacht club runs a biannual race in mid to late June and I have spoke to several local sailors who think this is one of the better times to make the transit.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by Vagabondroller

I can't see any reason to wait. The boat is ready and there is still some time before hurricane season. The Lakewood yacht club runs a biannual race in mid to late June and I have spoke to several local sailors who think this is one of the better times to make the transit.

Your sources have made this trip themselves?

Granted, Galveston is at the bottom of my list for desirable locations during the hurricane season, but there are other options. If you have the ability to delay your departure from Panama to the South Pacific one year, St. Petersburg, Florida is rarely affected by hurricanes. You've got time to combine the I.C.W. and relatively short coastal passages between Texas and Pensacola, Fla. where the sail to St.Petersburg can then be completed.

In December you can sail Down Island, and if any repairs/boat work is required stop off in Trinidad. Then, with or without stops in the ABC islands, the passage to Panama can be made. Your arrival in Panama will provide sufficient time to leave for the South Pacific in March or April.

Another alternative is to plan your departure from a point farther east along the Gulf coast, choosing a relatively safer place to wait out the end of the hurricane season. Although hurricane Rita struck Orange, Texas while I was there in 2005 or so, my boat was unscathed because I found a good spot with sturdy trees on both banks to which she was tied off bow & stern. There's a good anchorage in Orange I was able to use until circumstances allowed trucking her back to California. Happy to share the coordinates.

Whatever you decide to do, best wishes.

[Davidhs]

Hello,
What is the exact date you are going to depart. I am returning from S.America To Tulsa on May 20th. I have some experience, but can't be in Galveston until the 24th earliest. I am very good crew. I have a 50 ton captain's licences but it does not interfere with me taking orders. I would like to learn the route to Panama from Galveston. I have sailed west form Cartagena, Colombia to Panama. . Hope you can wait, but if not maybe next trip.

[Wrong]

If you go as planned, please let us know how the passage went. It's a route not frequently taken, and finding related information on the internet is a wasted effort. Just lots of links to cruise ship information.

Thanks.

[Vagabondroller]

Will do! Thanks for relating your first hand experience of the area. My surveyor has done the trip from Galveston to Isla Mujeres more than thirty times and he doesn't think it's crazy to go this time of year...but maybe he doesn't like me much...

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by Vagabondroller

Will do! Thanks for relating your first hand experience of the area. My surveyor has done the trip from Galveston to Isla Mujeres more than thirty times and he doesn't think it's crazy to go this time of year...but maybe he doesn't like me much...

Did he go on a cruise liner?

Hope you find reliable, experienced crew. Fatigue is no fun and the passage looks like it has all the right ingredients for it. Years ago I contemplated making a variation of the trip to Cartegena, but on my approach to the west end of Cuba from the Dry Tortugas the wind went south... In those conditions it's possible to encounter standing waves off Cuba. So, I ended up right back where I started before taking the ICW to St. Petersburg, Fla.. Galveston.

Made the monumental mistake of thinking Lake Charles, La. would be a good refuge from possible hurricanes. No hurricanes threatened Lake Charles while I was there, but for other reasons I had one of the worst experiences of my life.

Good luck.

[PappysSailing]

Vagabondroller.. this is Pappy in Houston.
Just delivered a Beneteau 42 for a new owner from Tampa to Kemah. Gulf was a little rough and will get worse. Not a problem.
My boat is parked about 5 miles north of you. If you have not chosen crew yet, email me at paul9446@att.net. I'll be teaching an offshore course for BASailing on June 12 and may be available after that... but, of course, could leave tomorrow based on what I hear. Cheers !

[Vagabondroller]

Thanks for the replies all. I found crew and am planning on leaving on the 30th (depending on the weather) of this month. I will be looking for crew later in the voyage so expect some more activity on this thread. Any first hand advice for transiting during hurricane season would be greatly appreciated!

[Cap Erict3]

Head to 27N 86W and ride the stream down.

Have a good trip.


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Looking for another pretty place to work on the boat.

[tiomattfraggle]

Hi VagabongRoller,

I saw your post a bit late so I'm wondering if you could still use an extra hand on your way. I'm currently in Cancun (read Isla Mujeres) waiting to join a boat in Rio Dulce to go South, but just got news that her refitting may take longer than expected, so I'm free until mid-July and it's also a
possibility that she stays the hurricane season in Rio Dulce, which
means I'd be ashore until November, so I'm considering other options
and your plan is mighty interesting.

Please have a look at my profile (also Crewbay #37319 ) and let me know if I seem like a fit for your trip. I'm very flexible, I'll accomodate your
schedule as best I can. Fairly fit and very eager to learn. I'm a
professional translator with Spanish as a native language, which could
help along the way.

Cheers, Jose.