Going South Along Venezuela, Trinindad, Guyana, Brazil

[dpons]

The conventional wisdom is that going from the Caribbean towards South America along the coast is a bad idea. Wind and current are adverse, more the current than the wind.

Yet, looking at this I see eddies (about 300 nm out) that would run towards SE. Am I reading this chart wrong or is this a possible way south?

Thanks for any comments

[MarkJ]

Yes you're right.
This is why doublinig that cape north of Recife is a pain in the neck (Cabo De Sao Roque) because the closer you get to the Cape heading south the more current you have, and the more on the nose it is.

Instead of 1.5 knots against you, head offshore those 300nms and you will only have .5kt and thats on the beam, and then you cop it up the butt where it splits at the Cape.

Also the further you go out the better the wind becomes, less SE and more E.

One would guess thats why the sailing ships of old went to Recife from the Cape Verde Islands, not the Caribbean


Mark

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by dpons

Am I reading this chart wrong or is this a possible way south?

Thanks for any comments

You may like to check this source too:

The North Brazil Current

Pretty sketchy too, no?

and then there are the Pilot Charts.

There may be eddies. Depending on time of year and on particular season. However, the fluky (if existing) eddies are NOTHING compared with the NBC and Guyana currents AND the wind.

I have sailed this stretch downwind and it was a highway. Going upstream on a highway is ...

Some boats coast as there seems to be less current on the shallow and at times the currents do run SE in the narrow coastwise belt. But I would personally not coast there - to many small unlit boats, deadheads, etc..

b.

[dpons]

Thanks for the comments. If I do the trip, I'll do it via almost Azores, Cabo Verde. Yet that animated current chart was intriguing...

--Diego

[Brazil]

A better departure point is saint marteen . South of Trinidad the wind will be SE. North of Trinidad , early in the season, ( november to january) you can find Ne winds. You need to make as much east as possible early in the Trip . If you reach Guyana you will probably go back to the. Caribean. Near the 5* north you have a chance to get no wind . If it happens motor due east. I will make this trip November next year leaving from Florida or Bahamas . I plan to make at least 1000 miles east ( between 20 and 30 North) before turning south.
No matter what do you do this is a very difficult trip.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by dpons

Thanks for the comments. If I do the trip, I'll do it via almost Azores, Cabo Verde. Yet that animated current chart was intriguing...

--Diego

Then from Cape Verde its fine! Landfall it Recife. I did it a few years ago and its a fine passage. We headed down Brazil to Argentina.