The forecast is not good.  The truth is that I am here way too late.  I may well be the last boat who is still running to get south of 10*N latitude for hurricane season.  Most boats in the area have already run into the Rio Dulce in Guatemala to seek safe harbor for the rest of the season until November.  I just can’t bring myself to do it.  I’ll be on full hurricane alert until I make 10N, but I think it is worth it to continue traveling instead of wasting away in a river in Guatemala.

Here is the problem.  This time of year the trade winds blow very hard from the East.  They don’t do so without interruption, but getting the timing right is very difficult due to a seemingly never ending series of tropical waves.  Timed properly, the best case scenario will have me motoring directly into or just off the wind in 3 – 4 foot seas in 5 – 10 knots of wind.  Timed poorly, seas build rapidly to 10 feet and winds blow 20 – 30 knots.  If I get caught out in the later conditions I don’t know that I could make any progress at all and would most likely be forced to run off parallel to the wind and sea until conditions abated.

Still, the longer I sit here the higher the chances become for truly severe weather including tropical storms and hurricanes.  Thus, I’ve solicited the help of some professional weather routers.  Commanders Weather helped me when I was picking a window for my Gulf of Mexico crossing back in January.  Now, they’ll again be helping me find the best window to cross the Bay of Honduras and to drop South down to 13* N latitude.  The picture shows my basic route.  The white line will be a 200 mile jump from Roatan to a small island where I can rest after the slog to windward.  From there I’ll go another 50 miles on the red line offshore to an offshore waypoint where I’ll turn South and head towards the Colombian island of Isla Provedencia.  Sounds good, now I just have to do it.  Lay down winds.  Lay down.

Lee Winters
Phone: (281) 336-0855
Satellite Phone: 8816-316-59853

Web: www.SailingForSOS.com
Email: Lee.Winters@SailingForSOS.com