Beyond the postcard: Discovering the Caribbean’s hidden corners

Seen one Caribbean island, seen all of them? By no means: the area presents superb variety, from unbelievable habitats to vibrant cultures. For a lot of cruisers the Caribbean is an prolonged stopover vacation spot – a pleasant cruising floor for one season, typically en route from Europe to the Pacific, or because the spotlight of the Atlantic Circuit. However when you look nearer, there are lots of alternatives to remain longer.

The hurricane season from June to December successfully cuts the Caribbean cruising yr in two, between blissful crusing in winter and spring, and the necessity to retailer your yacht in a secure place for six months. That is when many cruisers both fly residence or journey inland to memorable locations inside attain, for example Central or South America.

The six secure cruising months can be utilized to discover the Caribbean in depth. Should you do it clockwise you profit from the prevailing wind and present.

Whereas the Caribbean is famend for brief passages between islands, the entire crusing space is surprisingly giant: to finish the complete ‘circle’, you’d want 4 seasons. The geography of the area means you may make as many shortcuts as you want, or you may use every year to discover the 4 cardinal instructions of the compass: east, south, west, north.

Jap arrival

There may be nothing higher than making landfall at a Caribbean island after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Usually, yachts arrive in December or January and have 5 months accessible to discover the closest island chains.

Should you plan to cruise for a number of seasons within the Caribbean, it pays to goal for a vacation spot additional north within the Leeward Islands. Making Antigua your first cease and dropping the anchor within the sheltered Falmouth Harbour or English Harbour is a second to savour. After celebrating your ocean crossing and exploring the island, you possibly can both go north to Saint Barth, Sint Maarten or Anguilla otherwise you use the prevailing east/north-easterly winds to hold you south to the opposite Leeward and Windward islands.

In winter, the north-east tradewinds blow with regularity and the times and nights are pleasantly heat. In summer season and autumn, the tradewinds get lighter, however the specter of hurricanes will increase.

There are lots of choices to select from as you sail south. Machiel Hermans and Liselotte Goddijn cruised their Root 51 Pitou extensively within the Caribbean.

Palm-fringed seaside. Photograph: imageBBroker/Alamy

“All of the islands are completely different and every has its personal distinctive character. We love the French islands, due to the tradition and the culinary delights. Nothing beats consuming a scrumptious croissant for breakfast below a swaying palm tree,” Liselotte says.

Machiel provides: “The Caribbean is a windy place, however when you hold a eager eye on the climate forecast you may make stunning and cozy passages.”

On the southern finish of the Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago provide many choices to retailer your yacht for the hurricane season.

Some adventurous cruisers head even additional south-west to Suriname, the smallest nation in South America, the place you may wait out hurricane season inland up the Suriname River. However remember, visiting sailors have reported that there are little to no amenities for elements or repairs, and paperwork might be cumbersome.

Machiel Hermans and Liselotte Goddijn have cruised the Caribean of their Root 51 Pitou. Photograph: Machiel Hermans

Staying south

Usually many cruisers head south to keep away from the hurricane belt, which suggests the second yr of an prolonged Caribbean cruise could possibly be spent exploring the south Caribbean Sea. Alan and Terry Ryall cruised their 50ft Island Packet Seminole Wind for 12 years within the Caribbean. Alan recollects: “Crusing from Grenada to the Dutch ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) is pleasant. It’s a downwind sail and with the assistance of the sturdy west-going equatorial present, we made wonderful velocity.”

Terry provides: “The three Dutch islands are very completely different. The diving and snorkelling round Bonaire is extremely stunning. To guard the coral, you possibly can’t anchor there. The accessible mooring balls are located simply on the dropoff, so that you actually leap off the again of the boat for probably the most superb underwater vistas.”

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Curaçao is the biggest of the three and, other than the quaint pastel colored buildings, has good amenities for visiting cruisers. Within the Spanish Water pure lagoon, many yachts anchor in sheltered circumstances or haul out for the hurricane season. Aruba is pleasant as nicely, and regardless of quite a lot of tourism on the island there are nonetheless genuine locations to be discovered. Machiel Hermans notes: “There are wonderful yacht storage choices on Aruba, each in water and on land.”

From Aruba it’s simply 250-300 miles to the South American mainland and Colombia. Regardless of the nation having a – maybe unfair – fame for being unsafe, many cruisers report it to be an interesting and engaging vacation spot, with various ecosystems and tradition.

The outdated walled metropolis of Cartagena is a spotlight for a lot of cruisers, in addition to Santa Marta, the place the yacht might be left for some inland journey as nicely. Passage to Colombia from the ABC islands might be tough, particularly when crusing nearer to the coast in shallower water. There may be the choice to cease in Colombia and retailer your yacht for the hurricane season in Santa Marta or Barranquilla, or proceed westward towards the San Blas islands and Panama, the place there are additionally storage choices in Shelter Bay Marina.

English Harbour, Antigua. Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

The west-bound passage to Panama is greatest made when summer season approaches, by April or Might, because the tradewinds usually are not as sturdy and the downwind passage might be made extra comfortably. In winter, the tradewinds are at their strongest and enormous seas might be anticipated on the way in which west.

On the way in which to Panama the idyllic Guna Yala, or San Blas islands, are a must-see. The indigenous Guna individuals are very welcoming of cruisers to their islands and eager to share their tradition. “The Guna are hunter-gatherers and it’s fascinating to see how they forage of their dug out canoes,” says Terry Ryall.

Coiba Nationwide Park, Panama. Photograph: Max Campbell

Western adventures

The western Caribbean presents some lesser identified cruising areas, with many international locations in Central America blessed with stunning nature, attention-grabbing cultures, hospitable folks and scrumptious meals. The numerous reefs, islets and shoals that dot the coast could make for attention-grabbing navigation and plenty of locations to drop their anchor.

The prevailing wind tends to be extra north than north-east alongside this coast. Nevertheless, the affect of land- and sea breezes can assist yachts make progress when crusing northwards towards the tradewinds.

Terry and Alan have spent many seasons exploring the western Caribbean. “First, it’s far much less crowded and business than the Windward/Leeward islands, and we discover there’s way more distinction and variation when it comes to surroundings and tradition,” Alan explains.

“Second, we discover it secure and welcoming: there’s far much less problem. And cruising budgets stretch a lot additional right here – the worth for cash is unbelievable.”

In Panama, the Chagres River is an attention-grabbing cease; however most cruisers go to the Bocas del Toro archipelago, close to the border with Costa Rica.

Caribbean coast of Colombia, South America. Photograph: Christian Kober

The dearth of port amenities and restricted anchoring alternatives in Costa Rica lead many cruisers to go to the nation by land with the boat safely tucked up in Shelter Bay, Panama.

“The Colombian Islands of Providencia and San Andreas are an awesome cease off north of Panama: they’re round 100 miles to the east of Nicaragua and nicely to the south of the shallow banks on the northern tip of Nicaragua,” says Alan. “There are reviews of Nicaraguan drug smugglers utilizing the fishing camps on the small islands within the banks so it’s clever to take an outdoor route and keep away from the internal channels.

“From there, it’s not that far to the jewel within the crown of this space: the Bay of Islands of Honduras. There are three completely different islands, that are all very completely different.

“The pleasant folks, the fascinating coral which you’ll discover both diving or snorkelling, the amenities for yachts – it’s only a fantastic place the place many cruisers linger longer than anticipated.”

Off the coast of Belize, the pure wonders are additionally famend – significantly the diving alongside the Mesoamerican reef, the second largest barrier reef on this planet. Belize has attracted some small-scale constitution yacht fleets, however the price of permits for visiting yachts is way increased than different international locations within the area.

Spectacular isolation in Panama’s Rio Chagres. Photograph: Tor Johnson

Persevering with north means that you can discover the coast of Mexico. Past the overdeveloped tourism of Cancun, the Yucatan peninsula has attention-grabbing and historic locations to supply. The Yucatan Channel has a fame for confused seas because of the numerous currents coming from completely different instructions: the Yucatan present flows from the north, the Gulf Stream flows from the south into the Gulf of Mexico, whereas prevailing easterly winds and tides push in from Cuba.

For hurricane season, a broadly really helpful possibility is to go to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala, an extended, winding river which widens in a number of locations to create sheltered lagoons – the biggest a spot the place yachts assemble within the hurricane season. Terry: “Our boat has a comparatively shallow draught. Boats of as much as 2m can recover from the bar to get into Rio Dulce. Deeper draught boats might search for hurricane season storage in Panama (Shelter Bay).

“There’s a large freshwater lagoon in the midst of the jungle. No hurricane has ever handed there. We’ve spent 5 hurricane seasons in Rio Dulce and name it a ‘sticky place’, as a result of when you’ve found it, it’s arduous to go away. There are a number of top quality boat yards for haulouts and refit work. The standard of the workmanship and the low costs are very engaging.”

Brent Grimbeek and Ana Hill, seasoned circumnavigators on Impi, a Lagoon 440, are at the moment in Rio Dulce: “There’s a giant social community between cruisers right here, with a number of organised get-togethers and journeys. Many eating places and bars make for a full of life ambiance,” they report. “And the jungle is unbelievable: we noticed hummingbirds nesting in entrance of our eyes, there are toucans and within the water the odd dugong cruises by.”

Alan and Terry Ryall sail the 50ft Island Packet Seminole Wind. Photograph: Alan Ryall

Northern Antilles

When you’ve got a fourth yr to discover the Caribbean, or wish to keep additional north, you may spend a season within the Larger Antilles, earlier than heading again to Europe in spring – or exploring the Gulf of Mexico or the US east coast.

Cuba, the Cayman islands, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico are bigger islands that have an effect on the native climate circumstances because of their top and place. The land breeze at night time counters the tradewinds, giving calm circumstances. Crusing west from Central America inevitably means quite a lot of upwind work, however you possibly can monitor south of the islands to get shelter from wind and waves as you go alongside, with many stops that may be made underway. Alternatively, passing the islands on the north aspect offers the benefit of east-going Luperon present.

Guna Yala within the San Blas islands of Panama. Photograph: Max Campbell

Each the northern and southern coasts of Cuba are attention-grabbing to go to, and between the reefs and shoals offshore there are lots of safe anchorages. The Bahia de Jagua on the south aspect has a marina, the place you possibly can moor your yacht to discover inland. Simply south of Cuba is Jamaica. Close to the capital Kingston the Royal Jamaica Yacht Membership presents a heat welcome to cruisers.

The Dominican Republic has lengthy been a favorite for cruisers, particularly within the giant Luperon Bay within the north or Samana within the north-east, that are each ports of entry. And the final cease for a lot of earlier than returning to Europe is the stunning island of Puerto Rico. You would decide to only cease within the capital San Juan, but when extra time is accessible a cruise alongside the south aspect of Puerto Rico presents nice anchorages. On the east aspect of Puerto Rico is the massive Marina del Rey, the place your yacht might be moored for provisioning and clearance for the lengthy passage to Europe.

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