Brunswick, GA to Cartagena de Indias Best Route ?

[KEKKUL]

Hi i am solo sailing i need suggestions, i want sailing next week to Cartagena de Indias.
Thanks in advance

[osirissail]

Where are you now? What type of boat & size? I assume you are talking about Cartagena, Columbia?

[stevensc]

The name of the country is spelled Colombia
Steve

[KEKKUL]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Where are you now? What type of boat & size? I assume you are talking about Cartagena, Columbia?

Steve i am in Brunswick Landing Marina, Brunswick Georgia, my boat is Tartan 3000 Year1982. http://www.tartanownersweb.org/model...Tartan3000.pdf
Yes Cartagena de Indias Colombia.

[speciald@ocens.]

Next questions - When are you intending to go, what is your offshore experience?

[KEKKUL]

Originally Posted by speciald@ocens.

Next questions - When are you intending to go, what is your offshore experience?

I want go as soon as possible, max 10 th of june. I acroos the ocean with a 44 feet Sun Magic By Jeanneau in 1995 (4 crew persons), i make the return trip to Europe in 2001.

[slomotion]

I've never done it, but the obvious route is east across the Gulf Stream, then southeast to the Windward Passage. From there the prevailing winds are favorable for a straight shot to Cartagena.

[capt_douglas]

It a long trip, but can be a lot of fun.

I think you have two possible routes: (1) through the Bahamas (or along the eastern side), down the Windward Passage between Haiti and Cuba, then on a broad reach to Colombia; or (2) along the western side of the Bahamas (but outside the Gulf Stream), westward towards Mexico, then south to Colombia on a beam reach.

There are pros and cons to each.

The virtue of (1) is that you avoid the Gulf Stream but the negatives are crossing the Old Bahama Channel and winding your way down the Windward Passage and the problems of those countries and having little choice for repairs. provisioning, or crew change. You can hit Jamaica (or maybe you could hit, imo, I'd stay far away from Kingston for a while) or further south to the ABCs.

The virtue of (2) is almost the opposite of (1) but you have to contend with the Gulf Stream until you turn South off the western end of Cuba. You'll have the Gulf Stream for a considerable length of time. And there's that BP fiasco in the Gulf.

Distances are about the same but the slower speed due to the Gulf Stream may impact the time. Given the choices (and I've done it both ways), and a well found boat and crew, I'd opt for (1) despite the tension crossing the Old Bahama Channel and the Windward Passage.

Good luck on the trip. It can be a fantastic way to get some long distance offshore sailing, some fine fishing chances, and a real taste and smell to the Caribbean.

[KEKKUL]

Originally Posted by capt_douglas

It a long trip, but can be a lot of fun.

I think you have two possible routes: (1) through the Bahamas (or along the eastern side), down the Windward Passage between Haiti and Cuba, then on a broad reach to Colombia; or (2) along the western side of the Bahamas (but outside the Gulf Stream), westward towards Mexico, then south to Colombia on a beam reach.

There are pros and cons to each.

The virtue of (1) is that you avoid the Gulf Stream but the negatives are crossing the Old Bahama Channel and winding your way down the Windward Passage and the problems of those countries and having little choice for repairs. provisioning, or crew change. You can hit Jamaica (or maybe you could hit, imo, I'd stay far away from Kingston for a while) or further south to the ABCs.

The virtue of (2) is almost the opposite of (1) but you have to contend with the Gulf Stream until you turn South off the western end of Cuba. You'll have the Gulf Stream for a considerable length of time. And there's that BP fiasco in the Gulf.

Distances are about the same but the slower speed due to the Gulf Stream may impact the time. Given the choices (and I've done it both ways), and a well found boat and crew, I'd opt for (1) despite the tension crossing the Old Bahama Channel and the Windward Passage.

Good luck on the trip. It can be a fantastic way to get some long distance offshore sailing, some fine fishing chances, and a real taste and smell to the Caribbean.

Thanks a lot, you give me a good informations, in this days i have to choose between route number 1 or route number 2........

[osirissail]

To add more detail to Capt Douglas' #1 route through the Bahamas - work your way down the east coast to Miami - and be ready to "jump" across the Gulf Stream anywhere from Lake Worth to Miami whenever a good weather window appears.
- - Then work you way down the Bahamas to Great Inagua Island. From there head south to run 12nm off Cuba. Watch out for the shipping traffic lanes off Punta Maisi. Head for Jamaica and Port Antonio for refueling and restocking and a good weather window to cross directly south to Colombia. The Great Inagua to Jamaica leg is about 235 nm.
- - From Jamaica head southeast to Morant Point - stay well offshore as there are shoals off the Point. From there it is about 182 degrees mag to Cartagena and about 480 nm for the leg. You can decrease the mileage a little by making landfall and little north of Cartagena. But stay away from Rio Barranquilla as it is a known pirate haven.
- - Considering that that sea between Jamaica and Colombia is normally a blustery and gale prone area most of the year, currently the seas and waves this week from the Windward Islands to Panama are almost flat calm So this is probably one of the best times to go if you are a "lucky" kind of sailor. Be warned that the early Tropical Storms form in the Western Caribbean between Jamaica and Panama.
- - I have had several friends do this route in the last few years and they did not have much more than a couple of days of gales and 12 ft seas. The rest of the time it was quite nice.

[KEKKUL]

Originally Posted by osirissail

To add more detail to Capt Douglas' #1 route through the Bahamas - work your way down the east coast to Miami - and be ready to "jump" across the Gulf Stream anywhere from Lake Worth to Miami whenever a good weather window appears.
- - Then work you way down the Bahamas to Great Inagua Island. From there head south to run 12nm off Cuba. Watch out for the shipping traffic lanes off Punta Maisi. Head for Jamaica and Port Antonio for refueling and restocking and a good weather window to cross directly south to Colombia. The Great Inagua to Jamaica leg is about 235 nm.
- - From Jamaica head southeast to Morant Point - stay well offshore as there are shoals off the Point. From there it is about 182 degrees mag to Cartagena and about 480 nm for the leg. You can decrease the mileage a little by making landfall and little north of Cartagena. But stay away from Rio Barranquilla as it is a known pirate haven.
- - Considering that that sea between Jamaica and Colombia is normally a blustery and gale prone area most of the year, currently the seas and waves this week from the Windward Islands to Panama are almost flat calm So this is probably one of the best times to go if you are a "lucky" kind of sailor. Be warned that the early Tropical Storms form in the Western Caribbean between Jamaica and Panama.
- - I have had several friends do this route in the last few years and they did not have much more than a couple of days of gales and 12 ft seas. The rest of the time it was quite nice.

Ok, my doubt was olso the hurricane season start right now, and i am afraid about tropical storm in this area (Jamaica-Panama), i study the chart pilot and hurricane statistics for June. I miss to install solar panels and buy 50 metres of chain for the anchor.... and waiting for a good windows. (NOT like windows Vista).

[osirissail]

Go to Unisys Weather: Hurricane/Tropical Data
for the last 15 years of hurricane data tracks and storms. Look under Atlantic for each year back in history and you will see where and when the storms occurred.

[KEKKUL]

Old Bahama Channel, where is located? I don't understand about route #1, if i have to sail between east coast of florida and gulf stream until Miami or take Intracoastal Waterway until Miami?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by KEKKUL

Old Bahama Channel, where is located? I don't understand about route #1, if i have to sail between east coast of florida and gulf stream until Miami or take Intracoastal Waterway until Miami?

The Old Bahama Channel is along the north coast of Cuba going east from Florida towards the Windward Passage. You are limited by the southern edge of shallow Bahama Banks on the north edge and Cuba on the south. At it's narrowest point it is only about 15 Km wide and typically has a lot of commercial traffic.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by KEKKUL

Old Bahama Channel, where is located? I don't understand about route #1, if i have to sail between east coast of florida and gulf stream until Miami or take Intracoastal Waterway until Miami?

I can only assume either something is wrong or lacking in Dutch to English translations or are you going as "crew" on this trip? Do you have access to nautical maps of Florida and the Bahamas and the western Caribbean?
- - The normal route from Brunswick, Georgia to Miami is a combination of both the ICW and out in the Atlantic Ocean sailing close offshore along the east coast of Florida.
- - If the weather is not very good you would stay inside the ICW starting from Jekyll Island south to Florida. And then down the ICW in Florida - again depending upon weather - as far as necessary to reach Miami.
- - When the weather is good you can save a lot of days of sailing by leaving the ICW and sailing south just offshore of the east coast of Florida. You will need to do some chart work as there are shoals and areas that must be avoided on your way south.
- - Anytime after you pass Lake Worth Inlet in Florida - if the weather is good for a Gulf Stream crossing you can sail east to the Bahamas.
- - Once in the Bahamas you would work you way down the Bahamas Islands to the Island of Great Inagua.
- - You would not sail in the "Old Bahamas Channel" to go east or south. Doing such would be trying to go against the current and prevailing winds. Instead you enter the Bahamas Islands and then work your way south as the weather permits.