Baltimore, MD to Eastern Caribbean by way of Central America

Yes we do have stabilizers. This boat is a ballasted full keel full displacement round bottom sailboat with a power boat top. So she rolls alot. Unlike a sailboat with sails up. It is a slow roll but my wife still doesnt like it. So I copied Larry M's paravane setup and built the same on mine. Cheapest option and I can use them at anchor. They work great, I would not do this trip without them.

I haven't really looked at your route, but a sailing friend of mine often references a book about sailing routes, maybe Jimmy Cornell? At the end of the day we go where we want, when we want mostly. Because we have found even if you do everything you are supposed to something always goes to sh#!. Hell even catching too many fish just slows you down! Just too many variables out here. Alot different then when we cruising the Chesapeake bay.

I made the sailboat comment based on my previous experience. I have been offshore from Bermuda to New England in a Tartan 37. Just too much exposure to danger and the elements as I saw it. Also very fatiguing compared to sitting in a wheel house watching the screens so to speak. To each his own, but as you can tell by my dingy selection, I just prefer to be "inside".

I am a real.. real sailor, although i must admit after sailing 40+ years, behind the anchor i often look jalous to the people in their confy trawlers/motoryachts but when i am out on the blue sea i feel sad for them fighting wind and weather. I hang out on Trawler Forum because my age and wife push me more and more in the direction of a motorized water vehicle..

But no plan to sell yet. The Caribbean Hurricane Saeson started last week so i have till November finishing all my little projects to be able to share Christmas with my family on Bonaire and leave with my wife (she doesn't like my boat at all, she prefer planes) to Sint Maarten.

Please explain "fighting wind and weather" as I see it the same way when looking at sailboaters in foul weather gear and harnesses. As I can go any direction at any speed regardless of wind, inside off a wheel house with glass and windshield wipers. I try not to "fight" mother nature of course, because she will always win eventually!

Leaving Providencia very early tomorrow morning for San Andreas should be a 10-12hr run. Still a Colombian island, but need to clear in and out of every port here. Will probably spend a week or so then on to Albuquerque Cays to the south for some more pristine underwater time, before making Bocas by July 1. Having a blast!

Scott: Do you still an agent to check/out each time?

Yes. Mr. Bush gets $180 USD these days, and San Andreas will be $50 USD (can't remeber agent's name), because we are already in Colombia. Definately worth the stop, wish we could linger a bit longer but want to leave time for Albuquerque Cays since we missed Chinchorro Banks Mexico, and all of Belize's outer reefs. I'm mentally preparing for what Panama is going to get me for in fees!

We have picked up a traveling companion we first met in Isla Mujeres. His wife needs to fly home for emergency medical care for a while. So we will follow him to Bocas del Toro to keep an eye on him, as he has never single handed their sail boat

The good part (other than the cost), in Panama, is you can do the check in/out your self and it's good for a year (use to be).

The only thing I'm watching now is the San Blas situation. They removed the port captain from Provenier, now Portobello is used. Apparently Panama and the Kuna are in dispute. I will watch and wait until closer since it is still changing. We will be in Bocas for at least a month maybe two, because Caroline is flying home for a few weeks.

After 3 months in Bocas del Toro, Panama, we will begin going east in a few days. Planned stops are: Escudo de Veraguas(offshore islands), the chargres river(jungle river safe for navigation), Portobello(like in the Jimmy Buffett song), Isla Linton(visiting friends), then on to San Blas by December 1st for 4 months. We of course will have the delorme tracker on, use satellite view for more fun, although lots of cloud cover here in Bocas on map. We have loaded 5 months of provisions on board ($4k (lots of rum and beer) and couple hundred pounds). Plan is to be in Cartagena sometime in April.

My wife is still dealing with the picture links in the blog, I asked her to fix the refit first All of the recent post and any going forward will be fine, she just has to change all the past ones from Picasa to Google.

Still have not run across a power boat of any kind actually moving anywhere, a few in marinas, but haven't moved in years. Anxious to see what the first cruising power boat will be! Side note: Richard on Dauntless plans on passing by San Blas in Feb. I gave him an invite to "stop in by boat", we'll see if he goes straight to the canal or not.

Having to delay departure a bit due to the possible tropical low. Bocas has many protected anchorages, Escudo and Portobello have none from the west, and chargres river has shoaling that makes it "iffy" in north winds. So we will femain here for another week or so, then non stop it to Portobello most likely....ahh cruising

Sealife said:

After 3 months in Bocas del Toro, Panama, we will begin going east in a few days.

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Wifey B: We just loved loved loved Bocas del Toro. One of the coolest places on earth. We liked it so much we returned for a second time there. Now we only had a total of 10 days there but we will go back.

Wifey B, of all the places we have been so far, this is only the second we thought "we could live here". We may return from the Eastern Caribbean this way and stay for a year if an employment opportunity works out in the area.

Well, looks like I made the right decision....hurricane Otto it is. Portobello is getting WNW - WSW winds 30kts, and is exposed to the west. I hope the Albuquerque Cays make out OK, as it was such a beautiful place. Looks like we will be here for another few days at least. Thanksgiving in Bocas it is! At least we have had good internet and Caroline has finally posted the updated refit page complete with all the new photo links!

Finally, after 2 weeks, offshore waters are good for departure. We will cut out the Chargres river due to lost time, and probably shorten our stay at Escudo de Veragaus. Otto supposedly did a number on the anchorage in Portobello with West winds to 50 kts and 11-15' seas. We will wait and see.

Sealife said:

...Otto supposedly did a number on the anchorage in Portobello with West winds to 50 kts and 11-15' seas. We will wait and see.

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We stopped in Portobello. Any west in the wind is the pits but it is worth the stop if weather cooperates.

Well, we have made our way East across Panama, and will be departing tomorrow morning for San Blas where we will stay until April.

Caroline's blog will be slow depending on internet availability. When we get to Cartagena she will upload all the photos if possible between binging on "civilization"

Escudo de Veraguas was awesome, Portobelo was nice.

I formally invited Richard on Dauntless to stop in on his way to Panama Canal...we will see if it happens.

Anyplace that looks like that would be tough to leave.

So in response to post #40....
First power boat was a Marine Trader 36 aft cabin. "Frances Ray" left California in 2003, is going back through the canal and heading to Western Mexico. Second was Richard on Dauntless (pics to follow, crappy internet here), third just showed up, and is a 42 Grand Banks classic. So there you have it, excluding yachts (there have been several 150'+).

Scott

We have had a few more power boats in the Eastern Caribbean this year. At one lunch we had crew from four Krogens. Also a couple of Nordhavns have been here.

But as with the Western Caribbean this is a sail boat world. 19 out of 20 boats are sailboats.

Here os the Picture of Dauntless & Sealife in the San Blas Islands of Panama.

Scott,

I have sailed our 43 foot sailboat through the windward islands, from Tortola to Trinidad and back. There were only a couple of days that I thought "rough." I am wondering how my Ocean Alexander 456 with hydraulic stabilizers would fare? Any reason it would do any worse than the KKs?

Thanks
Gordon

GREAT pic Scott or is that Great Scott, what a pic!
Continued safe travels to both.

Gordon, there are so many variables, I wouldn't fathom a guess. It seems to come down to what you and your crew are willing to tolerate while factoring in possible equipment failure (stabilization, auto pilot, etc.). Fuel range, water tankage, etc. can become an issue, as "quality" refills aren't always available. How are you with weather can factor in.

The list can go on forever. Sometimes I think the boat is a small piece of the equation, but....if mistakes are made, its good to have a vessel that won't make you pay dearly for bad decisions.

Scott,

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I am unsure what you mean by quality refills. In our 18 months (aboard our sailboat) in the leeward islands, from Tortola to Trinidad, we had no bad experience with diesel or gas.

Understand about water. We have a water maker on board.

Our sailboat hull was of course closer to the shape of your hull than that of our current boat. I would think that if there were stabilizer failures, that would be catastrophic for either of our boats. I have rocker stopper/stabilizers for at anchor. I guess if I found my hydraulic stabilizers un repairable, I could always send for some birds to hang of the ends.

Yes, I think the boat is a small part of the equation. While cruising, our motto is that if while discussing a departure, we stay if any sentence starts with if, as in: if this weather pattern holds as predicted, or, if we can make maximum speed the whole way, or if the winds don't go above the forecast 25 knots, etc, etc.

If our safe arrival depends on things out of our control, generally we delay.

So, having never been in the Caribbean on anything other than a sailboat, I was hoping for a perspective on trawlers. I guess it comes down to needing a bit more experience in varied conditions so I know how to make the call.

Thanks again,
Gordon

Gordon,

Not having been to the Eastern side yet, I can only speak to the Western side. Here the fuel is transferred several times to all manner of containers before eventually going into an open 5 gallon bucket (for measuring), then into your possession. Gas and Diesel treated the same.

As for stabilization, My boat has already crossed the Atlantic without any. I added the paravanes for this trip for my wife. So If I did have a failure I was unable to repair, I would hope it would not be "catastrophic".

In your situation, if a failure did occur, the probability of it being in a harbor is probably slim. Sending out for parts or birds, etc. might not be the best option. I would take your boat offshore, turn off stabilizers, and see for yourself what your comfort limits are and how the boat behaves. If you decide to use birds underway as a backup, make sure your rig is acceptable. The forces underway are different then those at anchor.

In a few months after transiting from Puerto Rico to Grenada or Trinidad, I can give you a first hand account.

Scott

There has been at least one Krogen 42 here in the Eastern Caribbean without stabilizers. They were happy.

Don't know how a semi-displacement boat would do without stabilizers.

You could always test that issue as you are going south from the Exumas.

One warning. There are no authorized facilities to repair stabilizers between Trinidad and St Martin. Thus you may have to travel to have repairs, or fly the repair crew in.

Sealife said:

I would take your boat offshore, turn off stabilizers, and see for yourself what your comfort limits are and how the boat behaves.

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We often talk about thrusters and practicing with and without. The same is true for stabilizers. Some boats still handle conditions well, just not as well. Other boats without stabilizers go from incredible to horrible in one easy step and this includes some very good boats which were designed from the outset to have stabilizers. Know your boat.

Sealife (Scott and Caroline) is about an hour out of Cartagena, Colombia after a bumpy 30 plus hour trip from the San Blais Islands of Panama.

https://share.delorme.com/SeaLife

Still binging on civilization. Caroline hopes to be caught up on blog before we leave! So far so good. Still haven't had customs aboard, but passports stamped. Steak houses are plentiful and cheap. Been to walled city once, can't wait to go back. Overall, have felt really safe. Most people do not speak English (marina staff included), this has been a little challenging as my Spanish is not great.

Still washing salt off boat, etc. Hope to be in tourist mode by weekend. Using trip advisor etc. to locate happy hours, restaurants, etc. Caroline has already been to "a real" grocery store. We are the oldest smallest boat in marina.

More to come