San Diego to Panama Canal: Advice Please!

[SeaMeGo]

Originally Posted by Jon Hacking

Nauticat, first I'd like to welcome you to Cruisers Forum!

What nobody seems to have posted is that the leg from Panama to the E Caribbean is a real bear. We've done it the other way (E Caribbean to Panama) twice now, & been smacked hard both times over the top of Columbia. I'm talking sustained 40 knot winds & 20' (6m) seas. Going north might be easier, but we actually preferred the Pacific. Yes, some of the distances are long, but the cruising is magic.

What month did you cross the PC and experience such high seas?

[Jon Hacking]

SeaMeGo, both times were during the so-called "Christmas-Winds" where the trades in the Eastern Caribbean blow harder, typically 20-25 knots. Those winds typically blow from about Christmas through March or April. We made those passages LONG ago, but they were both in Feb as I recall. My point is that the winds over the top of Columbia were MUCH stronger than the rest of the Caribbean. We were in contact with a professional weatherman in the USVI at the time, & he was baffled (as were we) as all our forecasts were showing only 20 knots.

The months of lighter winds are, of course, the summer months that coincide with Hurricane Season, as it takes calm winds to produce the elevated sea-temperatures that produce Hurricanes.

[Dsanduril]

Since this thread seems to have been resurrected I’ll echo Jon’s sentiments. I’ve done the downwind passage ~Grenada-Panamá three times and the upwind leg Panamá-Caymans-Jamaica once. The downwind ones are pretty easy, with a strong breeze off the corner of Colombia a nearly permanent feature during the cruising season. Most recent was March last year when we had ~35 knots for 12-24 hours - and we had timed our departure from Bonaire for a lull.

Our upwind leg was first intended to get from Panama to Grenada, when we got off Columbia we tacked over to starboard tack, headed north, and decided the Caymans were a better destination. Was easier to work upwind from the Caymans. That’s our experience, it’s only one trip (March), YMMV.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

I cant say much about El Salvador or Guatemala but I just returned from a year in Nicaragua.
Nica is safe , cheap and warm. San Juan del Sur had 10 - 12 cruising boats last time I was there. There is a marina just north of Corinto that can help with check in. The local food is pretty bland although shopping is good in Rivas. Busses and taxis are cheap. The local beers are Tona and Victoria neither are anything to write home about. Rum was running about $5/L for mediocre and $12/L for good stuff.

The best rum I've ever had was Flor de Cana. It's Nicaragua's best export