- - Technically you may not be crossing a region of
water that is named the Mona
Passage - but you are crossing the larger region that has the same attributes as the Mona. Given that the trades are east (a little north or a little south depending upon the season) you will be punching to a mixture of south flowing
water from the Mona and west flowing water from underneath
Puerto Rico. If you go further south you will be solidly in the westerly winds of the trades (15-20 kts) and the normal waves 5-8 feet by mid-day. All of this right on your bow.
- - The further south you are the less effect the North American
weather fronts will have depressing the normal trades and giving you low winds and waves.
- - It is about 1280 (+/-)nm from Bocas to Boqueron, P.R. if you go north to
Jamaica then the D.R. and then to Boqueron. If you go from Bocas to Aruba/Curacao straight east then north to P.R. it is about 1140 nm. So there is not that much difference except the northern
route is down
current / beam reach first then slog east while the southern
route is slog east first then beam reach to P.R.