Crossing from Bonaire to Culebra in Early November with Catamaran do-able?

[hoiwurff]

Hi sailors,

I am thinking about heading to ABC Islands from Grenada end September and then cross to Puerto Rico early November to continue to cruise in the Carribean. Ideally I end up in Culebra or even further East. I will be sailing on a Leopard 48 Catamaran. I am fine to motor sail it. I am doing it with my wife and 3 kids (11-10-9) so some level of comfortable sailing is important. I would try to look for a window that has wind with a SSE component in it.

I have read the guidebooks and now I was hoping for the perspective from people with actual first hand (or close second hand) experience:
- Is it realistic to end up in Culebra, leaving from Bonaire with a Cat?
- How bad/tough would a crossing like that be on Catamaran in Early November?
- Any other advice on this crossing?

Big thanks,

Marcel

[Zanshin]

The course is a tough one to do directly. If the winds are north of east you won't be able to hold it and even in a big cat if the winds are south of east it will be close to do on a single tack. Motorsailing makes that angle eminently doable. I'm assuming you don't want to go back upwind and visit the islands on the way north, which would be easier apart from that first Bonaire-Windward sail. Call it just shy of 500nm it will 4 days or more and the Atlantic swell will make it less than comfortable but you are on a cat

I did a trip from the BVI to St. Lucia a couple of weeks ago with sub-optimal winds. 3 days and it took several heavy rains to wash all the salt from the decks! And I had summer Atlantic waves rather than "Christmas Winds" with corresponding high waves.

So I think it isn't a problem but won't be a particularly comfortable trip. Grenada to Culebra would be a much, much easier run!

[dcareri]

I've done Bonaire to USVI and Salinas, PR for the last 3 years in November and December. Best bet is to wait for a low wind weather window and motorsail so you don't give up easting due to the strong west bound current. We're on a Lagoon 450 and it's 2 1/2 fairly easy days to the USVI. There are groups of boats usually leaving at every good weather window that time of year if you don't want to travel alone.

If you don't want to motor sail Salinas or anywhere further west in Puerto Rico is very doable under sail but you'll be close hauled until about half way until where the current shifts.

Do be aware that the moorings in Bonaire are very busy and you need a reservation in the marina to insure you can stay in the country. If you get here without a reservation and no mooring balls are available (which is likely the case) your only option is to head to Curacao.

[hoiwurff]

Thank you - helpful perspective. I think we will go for it and take our time to wait for a goog window with lower winds and idealy a southern component to the wind.

Marcel

[hoiwurff]

Originally Posted by dcareri

I've done Bonaire to USVI and Salinas, PR for the last 3 years in November and December. Best bet is to wait for a low wind weather window and motorsail so you don't give up easting due to the strong west bound current. We're on a Lagoon 450 and it's 2 1/2 fairly easy days to the USVI. There are groups of boats usually leaving at every good weather window that time of year if you don't want to travel alone.

If you don't want to motor sail Salinas or anywhere further west in Puerto Rico is very doable under sail but you'll be close hauled until about half way until where the current shifts.

Do be aware that the moorings in Bonaire are very busy and you need a reservation in the marina to insure you can stay in the country. If you get here without a reservation and no mooring balls are available (which is likely the case) your only option is to head to Curacao.

Super helpful! Dcareri, could you say a little bit more about the current shift. I have read that the equatorial Northwest facing current is ~2x more powerful south by the ABC islands vs in the Northern by the virgin islands. What does this mean in practice though? Do you notice it?

Thank you,

Marcel

[dcareri]

Go look at the current picture on Windy (https://www.windy.com/-Show---add-mo....319,-67.628,7) to get a good view of what it looks like.

The current is generally stronger the closer you get to Bonaire from St Thomas but right now there is also a branch of west bound current closer to St.Thomas.

On our sail from St Thomas to Bonaire in June we battled a 2-2.5 knot north west current, heavy on the north component, for the first third of the trip which is something we haven't seen before.

[hoiwurff]

Got and thanks - great Windy chart btw... I bookmarked it. Normally I use predict wind, but they don't have ocean current outside of their top tier subscription. Thanks for sharing this!

Marcel

[hoiwurff]

I just wanted to close the loop on this with the actual trip and findings.

I ended up leaving Bonaire in the late afternoon rounding the South-East point to not give up "easting" in the first week of November. I set my destination to Frederiksted- USVI St Croix. Below my findings:

- This route is doable on a Catamaran, but I did find myself motorsailing on the main, outside of ~10hrs. It took me ~2 days + 20 hrs. I left Kralendijk , Bonaire, ~5pm and arrived in Frederiksted ~1pm 3 days later. Speed was lower than expected (barely breaking 5.5knots most of the way) due to current. I was not really able to fly my Genoa most of the way on my cat. We got to our destination, relatively comfortable after a bit of a rough start because of high wind and waves in the first 24 hrs. I would do a few things different if I were to do it again:

- prioritize low winds (<20knots) vs direction. I looked for a window that had forecasted northerlies, and sacrificed lighter wind a few days later. This caused a very rough ride in the first 24 hrs, and I was motor sailing regardless.....
- Be prepared to motorsail all the way and take all pure sailing you get in as bonus.
- I would even be willing to give Saba/Anguila/St Maarten a try next time I do, 10 degrees more to East. Needless to say, this would be more motorsailing, and no sailing.

I hope this helps others planning to make a similar passage.

Marcel