Route from Panama to East Coast?

[mrybas]

I'm buying a catamaran on the Caribbean side of Panama. Does anyone have experience with the route from Panama to East Coast?
I'd due the passage in April as trade winds should be dying down and before tropical activity.

[skipmac]

I've made the trip a couple of times and it can be a really, tough bash.

A lot depends on where on the east coast you want to go and how much of a hurry you're in. Also how well your boat sails to windward.

Basically two options, Windward Passage or Yucatan. If the winds are not too NE then you can make the Windward and be in a better position to head up the east coast. Once you turn the corner it's down wind and down current to FL or a nice reach to head north. One downside to this route, you have very few places to stop if you need rest or repairs. Jamaica in the Caribbean, Haiti is a bit iffy these days. If you turn NW from the WP to FL you will be in the Old Bahamas Channel with banks on the north and Cuba to the south. Not sure if eastern Cuba allows checkin and the rules for Americans still problematic.

If you go the Yucatan you have Central America for stopoffs but some of the areas are getting quite dangerous so take care. Also leaves you with a beat from the Yucatan up the Straights of FL until you round the Keys.

I would consider waiting out the weather in Panama for a good window and wouldn't mind leaving as late as end May/early June.

[Paul L]

April is probably too early. We waited for the trades to shutdown and left in early May. Did an easternly tack from Cristobol till near the San Blas, tacked and made the Caymans with an easy, comfortable sail. Then through the Yucatan pass to Key West. This was a slow leg. All in all, a pretty pleasant trip.

[s/v Moondancer]

We did the same route as Paul. There has been some serious piracy/boat attacks 20-30nm off Honduras in the last year so go straight to Grand Cayman.

It was an easy reach to lay Grand Cayman and from there we went straight to Cancun. However, the wind was directly from Cancun so we sailed best course to windward on the starboard tack going west...all was corrected by the northerly setting current that flows from the Caribbean through the Yucatán passage.

From Cancun you ride the current that becomes the Gulf Stream through the Florida Straights all the way to the US east coast.

There are lots of places to stop...do not miss Puerto Morelos, the Dry Tortugas and Key West.

[TJ D]

We went San Blas-Ft. Lauderdale non stop a couple of years ago in April. We did it all on one tack, 6 days for us.

We waited a couple of weeks for an E shift in the trades and then booked it right to the Yucatan channel.

All in all, about as good a trip as one could hope for. We had some upwind after rounding W. Cuba, but once we could crack off a little more northerly, we were back to reaching.

Anyway, April was not a problem for us, but we did exercise some patience on the departure.

TJ