West Coast Florida to Panama Canal routing

[sanibel sailor]

With COVID-19, everything is uncertain, but I was hoping to make a trip in 2021. Looking at routing options from Florida West Coast to Panama Canal. I’ve looked at Thornless, Calder’s Cuba and NW Carib books. More inclined towards Cuba/Central America than Bahamas, where I have already been once.
Florida/Dry Tortugas/Cuba seems like a good start, then perhaps the Yucatán which is appealing, but the leg East from Bay of Honduras seems dreadful with the Nicaraguan coastline and reefs being an unpleasant lee shore.

I would be interested in how others have approached this passage.

[belizesailor]

A couple of relevant threads below:


https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f129/fort-lauderdale-to-panama-non-stop-route-recommendations-233037.html

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f19/crossing-gulf-stream-current-from-key-west-230795.html

[belizesailor]

The leg E from Bay Islands, Honduras around the bend of Honduras/Nicaragua is not bad if you have plenty of time to wait for a weather window. Favorable wind shifts are more common in the winter months with cold fronts. Once you get far enough around the bend its typically an easy down wind sail to San Andreas/Providencia, which are both great stops.

Nicaragua doesnt really present a lee shore danger as the normal route is many miles offshore. If you are close enough in that it does, then you have bigger concerns as that puts you close to a very sketchy coastline in terms of security. The reefs and shoals on the Nicaraguan Banks are more of a first time thru anxiety, the typical routes are well clear of them...though prudent navigation is still adviseable.

The Nica Banks have also had their share of security issues. See NoonSite and CSSN for the latest info and historic reports.

Headed S from there, if you make for Bocas del Toro then you will likely lose the wind about 11N...and be in for a slow slog motor-sail from there to Bocas. If you make for Colon or points E of there then you can likely stay in some wind for the entire route.

[mvweebles]

In a prior life I was a delivery captain and brought a trawler yacht from California to Ft Lauderdale. Last leg was non-stop from Canal to Florida and had difficult headseas from NE for several days that kept pushing me west. I thought about working towards Providencia, but I would have needed to start further east from the canal to get a decent angle. As I prepare to bring my personal boat from California to my now-home on Florida's Gulf Coast, I have looked at these routes too.

As BelizeSailor points out, I found the security concerns off the Nicaraguan coast concerning. Incidents of piracy are fewer now than a couple years ago, but the severity of the events - armed boarding by multiple persons - was enough for me, especially as reports were the pirates traveled a great distance offshore, close to Isla Providencia.

For me, based on the recommendation of a delivery skipper off this forum (I forget his handle - it was good advice), I will head from Panama Canal to Port Antonio Jamaica then through the Bahamas. It's less than 600 nms to Pt Antonio from The Canal anyway.

Someday I'd like to cruise The Rio and the Bay Islands but will do that from Florida. I do have interest in Cuba, however in watching Project Atticus's YouTube videos, it appears beautiful, but movement is very restricted meaning you much check in/out of each town, and not all towns allow cruisers. Also requires carrying a lot of cash.

Would be interested to see what you finally decide. I look forward to follow-up posts

Peter