Sailing from Puerto Rico to Rock Port texas. Best route? North of cuba, or south?

Question

formosa 41 sailboat. Leaving Feb 23th 2008

Answer 1

If you are going in Feb., stay north of Cuba and stand about 200 miles offshore when you come past the mouth of the Miss. river to miss all the drill rigs.  In late February, the prevailing winds are out of the South East so you should have a nice trip.

You may want to cut through to get into the Gulf as soon as you can so you can get out of the rough stuff because the waves really build up at that time of year, but if you are going to stop at Key West, then it's a nice run up from there too.

Just don't even LOOK like you may be heading to Cuba or you will probably get stopped... The coasties are getting real prickey about that these days.

Let me know when you get to Rockport (it's one word).

They have almost doubled the size of the municipal marina in Rockport and half of it is empty, but the prices have gone up.

Answer 2

Sail North of Cuba...don't even head toward it.

Answer 3

North of Cuba

Then cross the Gulf Stream to Key West

Time to rest and re-provision.

Through the north channel into the Gulf of Mexico.

Then either a rhumb line course to your destination or given the time of year a route hugging the coast, say forty miles off past Tampa, Pensacola, Mouth of the Mississippi then West. This give you the option of tucking in for shelter if the weather turns bad.

Answer 4

if you are going to stop in Key West and clear in then north up the old Bahama Channel is the only way......lots of merchant traffic and the worry of straying too close to Cuba, and then into the teeth of the Gulf Stream from Cay Sal to the Tortuga's....and LOTS of visits from the Coasties along the way!

if I was doing it and not planning to stop there is no question I'd go south of PR ( if leaving from Farajdo/east coast), then south of the DR /Haiti in the lee of the islands , then I'd go south of Cuba.....like about a hundred miles,... and pick up a favorable current in the Yucatan........

good luck with all the oil rigs in the Gulf!

Answer 5

Look at the charts stay in the stream and gain a knot or to>Watch the North coast of cuba & Cay Sal bank>Head to Ft jefferson Or Key west>If weather gets bad> the weather is N By W this time of yr So plan your trip by the fronts coming down from the North>Or the winds could be on your nose>>

Answer 6

Sail south of Cuba through Yucatan Channel.

This puts you in a strong favorable current.