Honolulu to Panama

[Ken of KC]

Skipmac, I am not a person that acts on potential of luck as I do not consider my self a person of luck, I must be paying for the sins of my youth! Actually your weather site actually looks a bit better than the one atoll sent me, after I viewed IT I had to take my off watch nap!

atoll,I guess I am confused, I thought you or maybe it was some one else said that April had a good chance, did I read it wrong? Or do you disagree? So put another way in the next 4 months what would you see as the best month to go?

Oh, cold and rainy, sounds like normal old New England! Surely there has to be some fog also! At least not as far north anyway.

I looked at some of the rally events and they are like in July, so one seems to get a mixed bag on the route. I'm starting to think the 1200' long taxi is looking good.

Go in mid year and have good weather as long as no hurricaines form, go now and never be able to bear children again from the cold. Oh the sacrifices we make!

Thanks again all,

Ken of KC

[savoir]

The first month you would probably encounter pleasant conditions is April. Add a dash of luck and you might squeeze into March. You definitely don't want to be out on the North Pacific in January or February - 40 knot winds and 20 foot waves day after day. YUK . . . . . yes, I have done it.

Why not see a little of the Pacific ? You could safely head for Palmyra anytime - smaller waves, warmer weather, lotsa coconuts.

Assuming that plan won't work then I suggest waiting until April and sailing North on starbord for about 3 days before turning right. Settle the boat down at a comfy close reaching angle of 60 or so. As you approach the coast the wind will probably turn North and make life a little easier. The wind in that area is notoriously fickle so you must be prepared to motor the last 2 or 3 days. You should make land round about Puerto Vallarta and be at sea around 4 weeks.

[donradcliffe]

Don't even think about going north from Hawaii in the winter, and you want to get to Panama by the first of May. It would be better to go as close to the wind as is comfortable on port tack until you get down to about 6 degrees North. There is less wind there, and a favorable counter current. Once you get east of 120W, you would probably want to drop down to about 2 degrees north to get southerly winds. Its 4600 miles rhumb line distance. We did it in 29 days going the other way, but I'd estimate its going to take you about 50 days.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Ken of KC

Skipmac, I am not a person that acts on potential of luck as I do not consider my self a person of luck, I must be paying for the sins of my youth! Actually your weather site actually looks a bit better than the one atoll sent me, after I viewed IT I had to take my off watch nap!

atoll,I guess I am confused, I thought you or maybe it was some one else said that April had a good chance, did I read it wrong? Or do you disagree? So put another way in the next 4 months what would you see as the best month to go?

Oh, cold and rainy, sounds like normal old New England! Surely there has to be some fog also! At least not as far north anyway.

I looked at some of the rally events and they are like in July, so one seems to get a mixed bag on the route. I'm starting to think the 1200' long taxi is looking good.

Go in mid year and have good weather as long as no hurricaines form, go now and never be able to bear children again from the cold. Oh the sacrifices we make!

Thanks again all,

Ken of KC

no it was a bit tongue in cheek suggesting to go now using the northen route!

best stratergy would be to cross to the mainland in spring.

heading south and waiting in palmyra is not really an option these days as a permit is needed for short stays,then you still have 3000 + miles to windward.

[daddle]

In late spring and summer the northern route is the quickest route to Panama. But what after Panama. How to get to Florida? That's the tough part with no cruisey options.

My advice. Go W from Hawaii to SE Asia. Forget frickin' NJ. The game is here! Take a Boeing to NJ if you must.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by atoll

no it was a bit tongue in cheek suggesting to go now using the northen route!

best stratergy would be to cross to the mainland in spring.

heading south and waiting in palmyra is not really an option these days as a permit is needed for short stays,then you still have 3000 + miles to windward.

Awww go easy there atoll. I was just trying to seduce OP into a lap of the Pacific - palm trees, cool breezes, coconuts, guavas, pawpaws, pamplemousse, real bananas, mangoes, pineapples etc etc

A young man could do worse you know.

[Ken of KC]

Well, it seems back to the drawing board on this one. It would seem the best would be to delay until March, do final preperations, utilize a weather service, head to the main land, re-provision and head south. Spending the extra time to explore the Pacific is not really an option at this time, inviting as that sounds. Sounds like some extra diesel would be prudent as well, the boat does have 70 gallons, but you can't always get it all when it's rough out there. My original estimate going the great circle route was 42 days. But with the conditions you guys talk about and the additional miles 50 may still be a bit optimistic and that's a lot of provisions to carry for 4 people. 4 weeks in April seem more comfortable, less provisions to carry for less time, cheaper.... Being used to the East Coast you either ride the stream north or stay inside of it and can duck in for hugh storms and have the advantage of having on board weather like Serius or CDL40 from Garmin, both of which work well. I'm a little surprised also about what Daddle says about the Gulf. It just seems a 10 day run, maybe a little longer if one has to go west, there is always Belieze, then Cancun, then the Texas slolum around the unlit rigs, I had not decided west of Cuba or right, was going to make that decesion based on weather, but that seemed a less formatable jaunt than Honolulu to Panama, it all seems or looked easy after that. When I get back to Florida it's back on home court pretty much. Your right about real banana's though for sure. Again, you guys have given some great feed back and it is appreciated beyond what I can tell you. Ken

[savoir]

The best bananas I ever ate were in Solomons and Vanuatu. Yum !

I do miss them.

[daddle]

Honolulu to Central America is reaching and downwind: cruising conditions. Correct me if I am wrong, but sailing ENE of Panama is an upwind slog no matter what one tries. Oh and TRS's too. One probably needs to hang in Central America between the Pacific and Caribbean legs. Sabe?

What I don't understand is taking a boat from Honolulu to NJ.

[Ken of KC]

Daddle, that seems to contradict what everyone else has said. My original in tent was to just do the great circle to Panama, on the weather charts that I viewed that atoll referred me to it looked with the current in places and into the prevailing winds most of the time. Once I get to Panama if need be I can always hug the coast and go around the toilet bowl, Belieze, Cancun, and on around if need be. My biggest concern is Honolulu to Panama, not a lot of places to catch a break or buy some fuel. I will only have 70 gallons, may have to run with out the frig. I don't understand TRS's, possibly tropical rain storms? That sounds better than north atlantic sleet storms. Timing and route are everything. And as Savoir said a young man could do worse than the Western Pacific, heck I'm not getting any younger I'm 62, not looking for a masochistic experience here. As for NJ he's moving there and lives on his boat in Honolulu, guess he has a place there, maybe that was his 1 year plan I don't know. I just know I need to get the boat there. Thanks all, Ken

[hpeer]

Cornell has recently published some new pilot charts that can differ pretty significantly from the regular charts.

His one example is in the Pacific, somewhat near the end of your route IIRC.

They are about $80. Probably a worth while investment.

Jimmy Cornell

Cornell’s Ocean Atlas is:

The first significant innovation in pilot charts — an essential tool for passage planning — since pilot charts were developed by Lieutenant Maury of the US Navy in the mid-1800s.
The first and only pilot charts to be based on extensive near real-time geospatial and remote buoy sensing data from 1987 to the present measuring true surface wind and current – gathered from a network of OSCAR and other meteorological satellites, using NOAA and Earth and Space Research (ESR) data programs

[Ken of KC]

hpeer, thanks sounds right, they look good, if I continue with the project and have the time it would seem a small price to pay. thanks again, Ken

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Cornell has recently published some new pilot charts that can differ pretty significantly from the regular charts.

His one example is in the Pacific, somewhat near the end of your route IIRC.

They are about $80. Probably a worth while investment.

Jimmy Cornell

I have been checking the GRIBs for the area as found at passageweather.com and also looked at your link to Jimmy Cornell's site and from Panama to Hawaii the predominant winds still look like E-NE north of the ICZ and E-SE south of the ICZ. Maybe Cornell's charts differ from the original pilot charts in some areas but seem about the same in this one.

As you close with the Central American coast the wind patterns are more random and you might catch a favorable breeze but all in all, unless you catch a really strong El Niño it sure looks like a beat to me.

Now I've never been on the Pacific side of Panama so all I am saying is based on research from first hand reports by other sailors, weather charts, pilot charts, etc. So maybe there's something I'm missing here?

[daddle]

The great circle route from Honolulu to Panama is a beat into weather and seas. On starboard tack you will end up wallowing in the N Pacific High. On port tack pushed into even less desirable winds in the equatorial regions. Either way it is a long slog to weather. You will find yourself on S headings bound for the Marquesas. Which is a great destination.

You can do it. Be sure to report back to us. Some of those who have wrote that it was a terrible passage. The nice easy fast traditional way is to depart Honolulu on a northerly course around the high.

A TRS is a Tropical Revolving Storm: Hurricane.

The only thing I know about the Caribbean passage is the relentless easterlies and TRSs.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by daddle

The great circle route from Honolulu to Panama is a beat into weather and seas. On starboard tack you will end up wallowing in the N Pacific High. On port tack pushed into even less desirable winds in the equatorial regions. Either way it is a long slog to weather. You will find yourself on S headings bound for the Marquesas. Which is a great destination.

You can do it. Be sure to report back to us. Some of those who have wrote that it was a terrible passage. The nice easy fast traditional way is to depart Honolulu on a northerly course around the high.

A TRS is a Tropical Revolving Storm: Hurricane.

The only thing I know about the Caribbean passage is the relentless easterlies and TRSs.

Sorry I'm confused about your comments. Your last post you said "Honolulu to Central America is reaching and downwind: cruising conditions."

Maybe you meant reaching to go north of the Pacific High and then downwind along the coast to Panama?