Commuter cruising has allowed us to cruise, six months at a time, to some pretty amazing places. If you’d like to go back to my original Sail Winterlude blog, twice a month (more or less) for family & friends while we were cruising the Western Caribbean (2006-2010) and the Exumas (2012), click the link.
Passages
Belize
Bahamas & Exumas
Colombia – Cartagena & Sapzurro
Colombia – Providencia & San Andres
Cuba
Florida Keys
Guatemala – Rio Dulce
Honduras/Bay Islands/Vivorillos Cayes
Mexico, Yucatan Coast
Panama, Bocas Del Toro, Rio Chagres, Colon, Portobello
Panama, Kuna Yala (San Blas Islands)
Southwest Florida – Everglades/10,000 Islands to Punta Gorda/Charlotte Harbor
USA East Coast
Commuter Cruiser Off Season Adventures
Passages
Several passages from overnight to 5 days, provide adventures from being attacked by the pots and pans to being dive bombed by little birds with no land in sight for days.
28 Hours at Sea: Bocas Del Toro to the Rio Chagres
Big Ship Tips
Caye Caulker, Belize to Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Cruising Route: Florida Keys to Northwest Caribbean: Mexico, Belize, Rio Dulce, Guatemala
Dry Tortugas to Isla Mujeres: Attacked by the Pots & Pans….
Feathered Foes – Passage From Isla Mujeres
First Passage … Dry Tortugas to Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Going to Hell (or, Paradise) With Hand Basket
Sail Winterlude Adventures
US Navy Tiger Cruise
Who Should File a Float Plan?
Bahamas & Exumas
… Exumas … some of the best watercolors anywhere…
10 Reasons the Bahamas Belong On Your Cruising Bucket List
7 Things You Need to Know Before Cruising the Exumas, Bahamas
Albany Marina … New Providence Island (Nassau), Bahamas
Bahamas Customs & Immigration
Comparison of Bahamas Electronic Charts
First Day Cruising Paradise … Bimini, Bahamas
Fishing/Spearfishing In the Bahamas for Cruisers
Fun Things To Do On Staniel Cay, Exumas
Highbourne Cay Marina, Exumas, Bahamas
Invasion of the Mockingbirds! Beware at Warderick Wells, Exumas!
Jan’s 10 Favorite Cruising Destinations
Keys to Exumas Adventure Recap
Legend of BooBoo Hill (The Exuma Land & Sea Park)
Lucky Friday the 13th! We’re in the Exumas/Bahamas!
SeaTow Outside US Waters?
Warderick Wells Photo Essay
Warderick Wells, Exumas … Haunted? Or Just Voices in the Wind?
Why Do Most Cruisers Go to Nassau? How About West Bay?
Winterlude’s Route & Waypoints: Florida Keys to Exumas/Bahamas
Belize
one of our favorite cruising locations … especially the offshore atolls and Placencia.
Belize … a Cruising Destination
Caye Caulker, Belize to Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Christmas Past, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize … Caroling & Homemade Warm Scones Delivered
Cruising Route: Florida Keys to Northwest Caribbean: Mexico, Belize, Rio Dulce, Guatemala
Cruising Route: Belize to Panama
Jan’s 10 Favorite Cruising Destinations
No Particular Cut: Cruising Belize
One of the Many Reasons I LOVE Cruising
Placencia, Belize … A Bit of Heaven for Cruisers
Sail Winterlude Adventures
Colombia – Cartagena & Sapzurro
… we loved sailing the Columbian coastline islands when returning to the Eastern San Blas Islands of Panama – Sapzurro, the border town between Panama and Columbia was a highlight of our cruising years … (so far…)
Colombia – Providencia & San Andres
… sailing into Providencia for the first time was like discovering a jewel off the Nicaraguan coastline … go figure, why do these tiny islands in the middle of the big blue ocean off Nicaragua belong to Columbia?
Cuba
The forbidden isle … full of salsa, culture, music and cruising potential…
Cuba: What To Expect
Cuba: Our Check In ChaCha (US Citizens)
Documents Needed to Sail to Cuba
Hola Cuba!
How Do I Get to a Bank?
How Much Money Should We Take to Cuba?
Marina Hemingway
Returning From Cuba: Checking In On A Boat
Sailing to Cuba!
To Cuba and Back!
Transportation: Getting Around Cuba Without Breaking the Bank
Understanding Cuba: “Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba”
Viva Cuba! In Photos
Weather to Sail to Cuba
Florida Keys
The Lower Florida Keys present some amazing cruising opportunities! Unfortunately with our draft, the Upper Keys is beyond the limits of our exploration. Too bad!
6 Favorite Things To Do In Boot Key Harbor/Marathon/Florida Keys
Bahia Honda Anchorages, Florida Keys, Stuff to Know!
Cruising Route: Florida Keys to Northwest Caribbean: Mexico, Belize, Rio Dulce, Guatemala
Dancing With The Stars … Cruiser Style
Does Cruising Last Forever?
GREAT Christmas Lights Boat Parade!
I Live on a BOAT! :)
Keys to Exumas Adventure Recap
Marathon Boot Key Harbor: Stuff to Know
More Fun Things to Do in Marathon, FL Keys
Negotiating Crab Pot Mazes
Panther, Bahia Honda, Tarpon Belly Keys + : 2013 Photo Recap
Sail Winterlude Adventures
The Ancient Mariner Paying It Forward
The Boat Still SAILS! Changing Our Neighborhood
What to Do In Key West
Winterlude’s Route & Waypoints: Florida Keys to Exumas/Bahamas
Guatemala – Rio Dulce
…. sailing into the Rio Dulce (Sweet River) Guatemala where we were planning to leave our boat our first hurricane season outside US waters was totally different than what we expected.
Honduras/Bay Islands/Vivorillos Cayes
Despite being robbed in Utila, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras, we loved sailing here. The clear water and plunging reef walls within a few feet of the crystal clear water surface made for some of the best snorkeling and diving … and the Vivorillos Cays, on the corner of Honduras while cruising to Panama, were one of the wildest places we’ve anchored.
Buddy Boating off the Nicaraguan Coastline
Cayos Cochinos: A Honduran National Park, SAIL Magazine, January 2009
Cruising Route: Belize to Panama
Easting To Guanaja
Hawgs & Dawgs; Sailin’ & Sloggin’ Under the Southern Cross!
Jan’s 10 Favorite Cruising Destinations
Robbed in Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras
Sail Winterlude Adventures
Tips For Enjoying Christmas In The Caribbean
Traffic, Info and Conch … International Incidents?
Waiting on Weather to Sail to Panama: Guanaja & Cayos Cochinos, Bay Islands, Honduras
Why Go Cruising? Lucky Enough…
Mexico, Yucatan Coast
Isla Mujeres, just off Cancun, the traditional cruiser stop enroute from Florida to Mexico’s Yucatan Coast.
Panama, Bocas Del Toro, Rio Chagres, Colon, Portobello
Listen to the noisy green parrots, the howls of the howler monkeys, watch the spider monkeys swing and the sloths … well sloths don’t move, steep yourself in history while looking for the treasure of the Spanish Main in Portobello and watching towering ships approach Cristobal Jetty as they approach the Panama Canal.
Bocas Marina, Bocas Del Toro, Panama
Cruising Route: Belize to Panama
Easter (Semana Santa) in Portobelo, Panama
Finally Bocas Del Toro, Panama … a Winterlude Update
Jan’s 10 Favorite Cruising Destinations
Rio Chagres, a Jungle Paradise Next to the Panama Canal
Rio Chagres, Panama – anchor in a jungle paradise
Sail Winterlude Adventures
Shelter Bay Marina, Ft Sherman/Colon, Panama
Panama, Kuna Yala (San Blas Islands)
Kuna Yala … the original “corona” islands from the commercials inhabited by the Kunas, an isolated culture that wants nothing more than to be left alone.
A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to See Molas!
Jan’s 10 Favorite Cruising Destinations
Over the Mountain, Thru the Darian Jungle…Kuna Yala, Panama…
Sail Winterlude Adventures
San Blas Cruising Reality: Heaven With Challenges
San Blas Kuna: If You Only Learn One Word
San Blas: Every Kuna Village Has a Story!
Super Bowl Sunday Cruiser Style
The Pelican Ballet: San Blas Islands
Tips to Enjoy Interacting With Local Culture
Whew! What an Adventure! (Darien Jungle, San Blas, Panama)
Southwest Florida – Everglades/10,000 Islands to Punta Gorda/Charlotte Harbor
Our home waters these days, lots of good cruising … from the Sanibel/Captiva Islands and Charlotte Harbor to Marco Island to the 10,000 Islands and the Everglades National Park.
“Old Florida” Barrier Islands
10 Fun Things to Do in Ft Myers Beach
11,000 Miles: Where Will You Be At The End of The Day?
3 Mistakes … Our Sail from Marco Island to Indian Key
A Cruiser’s New Years Resolutions
A Favorite Anchorage SW Florida
Best Cheeseburger in Paradise?
Day in the Ditch
Ding Darling Sanibel Island Anchorage
Dinkin’ Around Boca Grande, SW Florida
Eagle Ray in the Dinghy?
Everyone’s In A Hurry!
Favorite Florida West Coast Cruising Guide?
Finally!
Ft Myers Beach City Mooring Field: Things To Know
Great Day for a Paddle & a Surprise Ending!
Great Day for a Sail
Great Sailing the ICW
In Search of Sharks Teeth
Indian Key, Everglades, Mini Photo Cruising Guide
Just Another Beautiful Day Anchored in Paradise!
Just Another Day at the Beach
Kayaking Tarpon Bay, Sanibel Island
Lovers Key for Valentines Day?
Negotiating Crab Pot Mazes
Never A Dull Moment
Nine Bridges, 7 Hours: Florida West Coast ICW
Not All Beaches Are Lucky Enough to Have Shells!
Panther, Bahia Honda, Tarpon Belly Keys + : 2013 Photo Recap
Pub Crawl & Beach Hopping
Red Tide Rising
Return from Boca Grande
Sail the Southwest Florida Coast to the Keys 8 Hours at a Time
Sail Winterlude Adventures
Sailing to Marco Island, FL – Photo Essay
Snap, Crackle, Pop …. Rice Krispies Under My Hull?
Sunset at Anchor
T-Storms = Free Amps & Boatwash!
Tale of Two Bridges
The Joy of Doing Nothing: Don Pedro State Park Barrier Island, SW FL
Underway!
Where To Go Now?
Why Do Cruisers Avoid Marco Island/Factory Bay?
Windy Cabin Fever
Wing on Wing
USA East Coast
So far the only US East Coast cruising we’ve done was Annapolis to Ft Myers in our very first commuter cruising — Annapolis to New Bern, NC; New Bern to Canaveral, FL and then Canaveral to Ft Myers around the Keys to Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, FL.
Commuter Cruiser Off Season Adventures
While we’re back in the US, we love to race Y Flyers – one design inland lake scows — yes, we’re Trailer Sailors as well as Commuter Cruisers. Racing from outside of Boston to Atlanta and as far west as Little Rock, AR and Kansas, we put some miles on our Y Flyer trailer annually! In addition you might find us slalom skiing or on a hiking adventure to a new National Park or other locales.