From key west to isla mujeres

[jrodri1981]

Sailing from key west to isla mujeres mid February 2019 then to rio dulce, wonder if any other sailor going, great to have another boat for company

[model 10]

It doesn't seem that people hook up much in Key West, but once you get to Isla you will find people to cruise with. Boats start to hang out, and then you meet people. Same with Belize.
Oh, some sail boats do FL to MX in 74 hrs. My last trip was 114 hrs. Super slow but it was calm.

[jrodri1981]

Thank you

[a64pilot]

Seems some sit and wait for a window at the Dry Tortuga’s

[model 10]

I don't understand why you would wait for a window in a National Park. It could take a month to get out, you have little radio reception and then they might kick you out. I would rather factor in another day and leave from KW. Think how much money you could spend.

[a64pilot]

A month?
You can receive Chris Parker via HF, but that and a Sat phone is all there is comms wise, and of course there is a reason it’s called Dry Tortuga’s.
It’s knocks a day off the trip is why, and isn’t a bad place to visit for a day or two.

[laika]

We waited it out for 3 weeks in the DT last January. By the time we left we left with a few other boats, 2 to Havana and 1 going direct to Mx. There will probably be more this year as the dust has now settled from the US administration's 'new' Cuba policy.

Originally Posted by Ecos

I don't understand why you would wait for a window in a National Park. It could take a month to get out, you have little radio reception and then they might kick you out. I would rather factor in another day and leave from KW. Think how much money you could spend.

You have to not mind being stuck in a NP for a couple weeks! And you have to pack it all in. No stores or water supply (tho you could get water from the daily tour boat pretty easily if needed). They wont kick you out and it doesn't cost much.. i recall we paid something like $20 for the whole wait. It's far and away the most beautiful area of the keys, and the fort and it's surrounds is worthy of a trip in of itself. Plus you shave about 70nm of westing off the trip. We found it to be a good spot to stage and would do it again.

[mindsofman]

if you have a good Cancun window,, go
if not, D.T. is ok to hang for a little while.
Tourist boats come in,, talk to one of the crew
before they leave, you should be able to trade /buy
whatever they have left over...
out of all my deliveries to the west Carib, half
the waits are probably in D.T., GR8, safe spot.
Beware of the reef that comes out west of
Hemmingway and extends to the end of Cuba.
Safe Sailing.

[vlathom]

That can be quite a hummer of a trip to Isla Mujeras, especially when you round Cuba into the Yucatan Straights. We were too stupid and lacking in weather information in the 70s to plan any weather window, so we got really socked. We also arrived at Isla at 2 am and had to sail back and forth, waiting for dawn, surrounded by cruise ships.


We were reluctant to anchor in Key West, so we went straight from Marathon to Mexico.

[model 10]

[QUOTE=a64pilot; A month?


Don't be surprised. During the winter, fronts can come through almost every week. If you figure in a day for the sea to clam down before you leave, 3-4 days for the passage and then have the Yucatan straight conditions you can live with, plus a fudge factor, it can take a month easy. The Yucatan Straight can be the deal breaker. I've decided I will only do it with seas at about 3'@maybe 6sec, that doesn't happen every week either.
The big sport fishing boats do the trip in 24 hours.

[LLP]

Hello! We are also making this same passage. We are first headed to the Bahamas for a shakedown Saul from Florida ... then Isla to Rio Dulce ... are you still planning this trip?

[jrodri1981]

WE are going to Bahamas for 2 moths first.
We are leaving around February 12 to the exumas
JAIME/ Marta

[LLP]

We are headed out to West End from somewhere on the southeast coast of Florida with an ultimate destination of Rio Dulce ... leaving sometime next week

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, LLP.

[a64pilot]

[QUOTE=Ecos;2736760][QUOTE=a64pilot; A month?


Don't be surprised. During the winter, fronts can come through almost every week. If you figure in a day for the sea to clam down before you leave, 3-4 days for the passage and then have the Yucatan straight conditions you can live with, plus a fudge factor, it can take a month easy. The Yucatan Straight can be the deal breaker. I've decided I will only do it with seas at about 3'@maybe 6sec, that doesn't happen every week either.
The big sport fishing boats do the trip in 24 hours.[/QUOTE]



If you desire wx patterns that benign, you can sit in KY, then go to Dry Tortugas and get a good nights sleep and then leave, or not. It’s just does knock a day of constant travel off is all.