Hey everyone.
We are 3 friends in our 20's who own a 1972
Columbia 30. We are currently in Utila,
Honduras, but are trying to get to the
Eastern Caribbean this
winter. We could spend a couple months coastal cruising north to
Mexico and then east and down, but for many reasons we are more interested in getting straight to
Jamaica and starting our cruising from there. The leg from Utila to
Jamaica is around 500 miles, definitely is
offshore, and will require some good beating, but the planned departure will be in Dec or Jan to find a clear
weather window with the northerlies already set in.
We could consider ourselves intermediate level sailors, we have about 1000
passage miles each on other
boats, but have not made a major crossing with our
boat yet. We bought the
boat in Feb in decent condition but with plenty of issues, and have spent a lot of time since then working her into shape and taking it out for day
sails. The boat is sound now. She has a good thick
hull, we have completely overhauled the
engine and replaced both side stays and the backstay which had cracked fittings, etc. However, as with all old
boats with a few previous owners, you never really know what can come loose here or there and cause problems.
To get to the point...Who wants to buddy up and sail from the Bay Islands/Rio Dulce area to Jamaica (or a bit beyond if your intentions lie elsewhere)? We want to make the crossing with another boat to create a mutually supportive situation so we can all be safe! The most I have been
offshore is 50 or 60 miles and I would love to have another boat with me the first time I cross the
Caribbean.
Anyone planning on heading that way around Dec/Jan?
Cheers!