Sailing from Californa to Panama

[tant]

Hello,
How is it to sail from San Diego to Panama City? It looks like more than 3000 miles and more than 3 weeks to sail nonstop. I don't see many marinas or protected bays to anchor between Mexico (Marina Chiapas) and Costa Rica (Marina Flamingo), like 500 miles. Is it better to avoid this section and sail straight (~4 days)? Any weather/current patterns to watch or best/worst time of the year to go?
Thanks,
Tan

[Don C L]

Hi Tan, welcome aboard! I have compiled a lot of threads related to travelling up and down the coast of the eastern Pacific; you may find some of the threads helpful.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...t+sailors.html

I haven't been there yet, but I am curious if there is some reason folks avoid the Gulf of Fonseca?

[mvweebles]

While I was at Marina Chahue a couple months ago (Huatulco area), a French boat came in thet had sailed nonstop from Coos Bay Oregon. He was an old salt who has gone through the Northwest Passage on his homebuilt boat.

Why did he stop in Huatulco? Tehuantepec storms. They blow incredibly hard. And the cycle repeats off Nicuragua and Costa Rica - the Papagayo winds. They start to die down a bit around this time of year. Or at least the weather windows get longer. I guess you could sail several hundred miles offshore and avoid the high winds that whip over the isthuns of T-Pec and the papagayos.

I don't know why anyone would sail nonstop. There is some wonderful cruising in the middle stretch of Mexico, including some life-changing inland trips such as Oaxaca.

It's a great trip. Worth taking your time. There are some really fun destinations along the way Shawn and Heather Breedings book on Pacific Mexico is a great cruising guide.

[donradcliffe]

The time it takes depends on your boat. May through October is hurricane season from 15 to 30 degrees North.

Respect the winds with names. Have one foot on the beach between huatulco and chiapis, and between Fonseca and Cabo Santa Elena.

There is a good but windy anchorage anchorage in Bahia de Salina.

Expect a strong beat from Punta Mala to Panama City.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Hi Tan, welcome aboard! I have compiled a lot of threads related to travelling up and down the coast of the eastern Pacific; you may find some of the threads helpful.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...t+sailors.html

I haven't been there yet, but I am curious if there is some reason folks avoid the Gulf of Fonseca?

I've not sailed into Bahia Fonseca, but I have travelled along it by land. Three countries border this bay, creating a chaotic stretch of boarder crossings. My concern re water travel there would be fragmented jurisdiction...which often attracts bad actors. However, I do not know for sure whether it is a problem spot or not.

Very interested to hear from anyone who has stopped in there.

[tant]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

While I was at Marina Chahue a couple months ago (Huatulco area), a French boat came in thet had sailed nonstop from Coos Bay Oregon. He was an old salt who has gone through the Northwest Passage on his homebuilt boat.

Why did he stop in Huatulco? Tehuantepec storms. They blow incredibly hard. And the cycle repeats off Nicuragua and Costa Rica - the Papagayo winds. They start to die down a bit around this time of year. Or at least the weather windows get longer. I guess you could sail several hundred miles offshore and avoid the high winds that whip over the isthuns of T-Pec and the papagayos.

I don't know why anyone would sail nonstop. There is some wonderful cruising in the middle stretch of Mexico, including some life-changing inland trips such as Oaxaca.

It's a great trip. Worth taking your time. There are some really fun destinations along the way Shawn and Heather Breedings book on Pacific Mexico is a great cruising guide.

Hi,

I did not mean I want to go non-stop. I'd like to stop/shelter but I don't see many places after Mexico and before CR.

Thanks for the weather info.
Tan

[Benz]

Heading south from Marina Chiapas, there's Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala, pretty much the only Guatemalan port on the Pacific. No one I know has gone in there--it's a small port and expensive. I'd say emergency only.
El Salvador has two ports before Fonseca. Bahia del Sol was recently the topic of a long thread on its dangers. Barillas has a similar, though less dangerous, bar. Still, long approach for indeifferent reward.
In Fonseca, there's plenty of good stops. Meanguera has a lovely sheltered anchorage, Isla de Tigre is worth a visit. There's access, by your own boat or water taxi, to shopping in La Union, and San Lorenzo is also worth a stop.
In Nicaragua, Corinto is a viable stop, though crime- and corruption-ridden. There was a place just north of there, and there's another bay just before Costa Rica where surfers go, so not sure how great the anchoring is.
In Costa Rica there's all sorts of gunkholing: from Santa Elena in the north all the way to Golfito, you can pretty much day-sail the coast with anchorages--often rolly, nearly every night. Only occasionally will you have to do a multi-day. The marinas and fuel are blisteringly expensive, but anchoring is always free....