Alabama to Costa Rica

[MASTER CHIEF]

New on board and looking for basic info for trip from Bama to Costa Rica. Best time of year, estimated transit, best course ect. New to cruising and just looking for basic info.
V/R
Mater Chief

[skipmac]

Most answers will depend on what boat you have. Sail or power? Length? If power, fuel range?

Then, do you want to go direct or along the coast? Get there quickly or take your time to sight see?

[MASTER CHIEF]

32 ft Sail boat, straight trip to start with unless it looks like there will be time to do some other things. really just gathering info.
Thanks
V/R
CMC

[skipmac]

Have you picked up a chart to look at the route? I would start there.

Assuming you don't have a chart it is +/- 1400 nm as the crow flies.

Don't go July - Oct, hurricane season. Winter winds can be strong so late fall or spring might be the best option.

About 165 degrees to the Yucatan Channel. Then depending on the time you have and winds, about 150 degrees to clear the tip of Honduras then south to Costa Rica.

[MikeTurner]

I considered crewing on a 28' sailboat from Tampa to Belize last year. The original plan was to leave Tampa for the Dry Tortugas, then sail direct from the Tortugas to the western tip of Cuba, then across the Yucatan Channel and down the coast into Belize. As I recall there was discussion about some significant northward currents in the Yucatan Channel that could tend to drive you northward, and opposing winds that could make things choppy, so I'd suggest you check into those factors to see how they might affect your trip.

I didn't make the passage due to some questions about potentially calling on Cuba. I subsequently heard that the owner/skipper did the trip single-handed and did in fact have problems with the currents; he wound up backtracking to somewhere quite a ways north on the Mexican coast and then heading south down the coast to get into Belize.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, MASTER CHIEF.