Mississippi to Venezuela next month

[inchcailloch]

If insisting on going I would go east of Cuba due to winds and currents plus have the Windward/Leeward Islands for stop overs. However Venezuela? Ok, if you have suicidal tendancies! I hear its very dangerous, even when we were in Grenada, Trinidad etc too many yachties being boarded, attacked injured by Venezualan pirates, even Triniad fishermen being attacked and having their boats and tackle stolen. Keep at least 100 north of Venezuela. Even south of Curacao, Aruba especially the small island of Klein Curacao caution needs to be taken due to its proximity to Venezuela. But wow would I love to go to Venezuela, no doubt the majority of people are wonderful and their county is amazing. Having spoken to the occasional yottie who has gone says it is a tremendous experience. But is it worth the risk? Every one makes up their own mind. Hopefully one day there will be political/social stability and yachties can make a contribution to their society.

[Dave22q]

Too much for his skill level and a 25' boat. Long hauls without help to stand watch. Awful choice of destination. There are much easier ways to end it all.

[category4jay]

Wow! This can't be real. WTF would he go to Venezuela ? Now? They're killing zoo animals to feed themselves for crying out loud. I was there 15 years ago and it was dangerous as Hell then. It would be a helluva deal to survive the hurricane season, the pirates off the coast of Honduras, and then the criminals in boats off the coast of Colombia and then be hacked up by machetes in Venezuela. Stop your friend. He WILL die. Make no mistake about that.

[River Cruiser]

Buy a very large life insurance policy on your friend if he insists on doing this.

[inchcailloch]

Originally Posted by River Cruiser

Buy a very large life insurance policy on your friend if he insists on doing this.

I doubt if insurance policies include piracy and most would exclude Venezuela!

[lars]

I like the way he ended the post. "In his mind he's already gone"

[goat]

Ho-hum just another boring day on the sailing anarchy forum.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by goat

Ho-hum just another boring day on the sailing anarchy forum.

Ahh.... You think a troll sent from SA for a little pre-weekend fun? Yes, too many controversies in one post to be true.

I love the 'he can't use a computer so I can be as vague as hell..." lol

[080122]

Originally Posted by wayne.b

===

I'm still trying to figure out if this is a troll or not. If not, your friend is terribly misguided. First and foremost US citizens are not welcome in Venezuela at the present time so even if your friend is fortunate enough to get there, he will probably be given a hostile reception at best. Secondly, that's a very challenging voyage for an inexperienced person and he'll be lucky to make it half way. If he's not to be dissuaded, best bet is to route him along a path where he'll have time to learn without getting totally over his head. Start by heading east along the Gulf coast to the vicinity of Carrabelle, Florida and then offshore to Clearwater, and then south to the Florida Keys. That will give him some experience but still within US waters and with fairly ready assistance available. From the Keys there are many well known routes down through the Bahamas and Caribbean. It's unlikely he'll make it that far but if he does, it's simply a matter of continuing south through the Leeward and Windward Islands to Grenada, Trinidad and Venezuela. With the exception of the Bahamas most of the entry and exit fees are fairly reasonable but that will be the least of his expenses. There is a lot of valuable information here: www.Noonsite.com and here: www.activecaptain.com

Thanks for the info and for the links. The route you suggested along the Florida coast is the same that my friend was thinking.

Originally Posted by inchcailloch

If insisting on going I would go east of Cuba due to winds and currents plus have the Windward/Leeward Islands for stop overs. However Venezuela? Ok, if you have suicidal tendancies! I hear its very dangerous, even when we were in Grenada, Trinidad etc too many yachties being boarded, attacked injured by Venezualan pirates, even Triniad fishermen being attacked and having their boats and tackle stolen. Keep at least 100 north of Venezuela. Even south of Curacao, Aruba especially the small island of Klein Curacao caution needs to be taken due to its proximity to Venezuela. But wow would I love to go to Venezuela, no doubt the majority of people are wonderful and their county is amazing. Having spoken to the occasional yottie who has gone says it is a tremendous experience. But is it worth the risk? Every one makes up their own mind. Hopefully one day there will be political/social stability and yachties can make a contribution to their society.

This is the type of opinion I expected from most. I'm disappointed that so many gave less friendly opinions instead. Thank you for your advice.

Originally Posted by EmeraldCoastSailor

Throw a great party for your friend before he leaves and say good bye cause you ain't gonna see him again.

You're right, I won't see him again. He's coming into the last stages of a terminal illness. Regardless of where or how far he sails, he won't see July of next year.


To everybody else that had so many negative things to say, please keep it to yourself next time. You certainly don't know all there is to know. My friend is Venezuelan. He's always dreamed of sailing to and through the Caribbean, all the way back to his home. So rather than sit on his couch watching TV and then die in a hospital bed, he's going to follow his dream.

As for Venezuela, are you all from Venezuela too? Do you have family living there? Do you watch Venezuelan news? I don't mean news about Venezuela on CNN or BBC or whatever, I mean do you watch anything like Globovision, Telesur, Promar or even Corporación Venezolana de Televisión? US news stories about Venezuela only tell you the most worst things happening because that's all that's "news worthy." Yes Venezuela is in a very bad state right now, but not all of it is a war zone. When you see a 30 second clip of violence, that is not the whole country. Simply stepping foot on Venezuela does not mean certain death, even if you aren't Venezuelan.

To those that had constructive things to say, thank you. You have helped make some important decisions. My friend thanks you as well.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by drvlikhell

This is the type of opinion I expected from most. I'm disappointed that so many gave less friendly opinions instead. Thank you for your advice.

Well, you haven't been there. I have.

Now stop playing victim and consider the advuce from those that know better

If the person is actually from Venezuela then that omission from the original post puts you into troll category. So a little humility please.

☺

[jhulmer]

YES. In our defense there are a lot of troll pranks here and this fit the profile. Not having more information we are left to fill in the blanks.



Good luck to you And to your friend and good on him! I hope he has a fantastic trip!

cheers

[oslokid]

There may be another explanation. Safety is relative. For him, maybe Venezuela is safer than where he is now.
I once came in contact with a guy who was having some troubles here in the USA. I later find out he traveled to and settled in Romania in December, 1989. At the time, the safest place for him.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by John Holbrook

Maybe the guy is a Chavista and needs to get to Venezuela asap to fight for President Maduro and the Socialista revolution.

Or...maybe his is going to invade, overthrow Maduro, and set up his own little kingdom...after all, who would suspect such a foolish gringo.

[belizesailor]

Filling in those details, puts a whole different spin on the story and makes it sound much more credible. The first post was just so full of holes that it didnt sound credible. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

That said, I agee with the suggested E Carib - ABCs - Venezuela routing. Once he gets into the southern E Carib, its an easy downwind sail to anywhere in Venezuela. And, there are a number of Venezuelan islands along the route he could use to break it into shorter legs.

Going the other way (W Carib-Panama-Colombia) would be a bitch once you head E from Pamama. The "Throny Path" (S thru the E Carib) aint always easy either, but at least the legs are short. He should read "A Gentleman's Guide to Passages South" by Van Sant (sp?).

Alternatively, with the right weather window, he could go just far enough SE to get a good sailing angle on the Trades (not something to be avoided, but rather used to advantage) and then he could make a long single leg sail across the Carib Basin to Venezuela.

I have a number of Venezuelan friends who have left Venezuela. Some still have family there. Per them its not as bad in the country side and out at the islands. Loads of Venezuelans immigrating to Panama now...rather unusual to hear of someone wanting to go the other way.


As pointed out, hurricane season is just around the corner...most boats are making plans for where to ride out hurricane season about now...not planning a long journey thru the Carib.

Does he have any official proof of his Venezuelan origins? Might make things go a bit smoother with officials.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

...
...

.. The "Throny Path" (S thru the E Carib) aint always easy either, but at least the legs are short. ...

...

That should read ..."Thorny Path"...