# Route from Key West to Isla Mujeres/Cancun?



## Michaelbergeron910 (May 8, 2015)

I'll be sailing my 67 Morgan 34 from Key West to the Cancun area. What routes has anybody taken, or what do you suggest? I'll be leaving mid-June. I was told heading to the Dry Tortugas then Cuba then Mexico, or dry Tortugas straight to Mexico.. What's every bodies opinion? 

Also, what should I be aware and prepared for before I head out? Any chart recommendations? What's going to be my biggest concerns? Any ideas and opinions will help vey much! Thanks everybody!


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## svzephyr44 (Jun 26, 2000)

Your biggest concern should be hurricanes.......

Any of the routes you mention work. One way or another you have to deal with the Yucatan and Loop currents.

Fair winds and following seas


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

From what I read on another post of yours, you have little or no sailing experience. This is not a trip for a novice sailor, even one with a crew. You will encounter currents that can nearly bring you to a standstill, and contrary winds that are often in opposition to the currents, which will build standing, stacking waves that will beat you to death.

The best route is likely Key West to the Marquesses Keys, then to the Dry Tortugas, follow the Cuban coast, then head across. It's a very, very long trip, even for an experienced captain.

All the best,

Gary


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## flyingriki (Sep 27, 2012)

travlin-easy said:


> It's a very, very long trip, even for an experienced captain.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Gary


Weird advice. A boat just came into our marina that made the reverse trip to Ft. Myers in 4 days. Not very, very long unless you're a day sailor I guess.
Any newer (better) advice on this trip down to Mexico? Getting ready to go in November 2018.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

As mentioned above, early in the hurricane season, hurricanes can develop in the western Caribbean giving little or no warning. Some progress east while others travel north. Certainly, no place to be if one is inexperienced and on a small, slow boat.
As for going from the Keys to Cuba on your way to Cancun, why? Cancun is almost a direct shot west from the Dry Tortugas with the prevailing winds from the east. Why would you want to go across the Gulfstream where the wind is against the current, often causing some pretty dangerous conditions? And it's not like you are going to be allowed to cruise the coast of Cuba to a good spot to jump off for Cancun, so you'd most likely gain no sailing advantage by going there. What you would do is put the stream, once again, on your beam for the crossing to Mexico, a foolish thing to do for no good reason.
There are a lot of variations in the currents in the southern Gulf and your encounters with those can be frustrating and slow your voyage to a crawl. There are plenty of sources for finding out about these currents, just as there are pilot charts for the winds, which a prudent sailor would use to plan his trip. But these are just guides and averages which don't even necessarily hold true in these days of climate change, so really, one is back to seat of the pants sailing. Still, why push your luck by doing long sails in the hurricane season, if you don't have to?


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Old thread.....

I dont see hurricane season being a part of this trip. Its a relativly short run....but the current and forecasted conditions must be known.
You can find gulf stream current info online. Match that with wind.
Thats the yucatan channel...squeeze...very powerful.
So plan it well....to arrive safe.


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## flyingriki (Sep 27, 2012)

Sorry CAPTA but most of your post is wrong. We have folks that spend the season in Cuba and YES you can cruise there just fine. Along the north coast is a way to avoid the current until you get to the end of the island. Then head south west to cross the current and let it take you back north to Isla Mujere. Direct from Dry Totugas to Cancun is about the most ugly route imaginable given the typical currents.
As for long voyage in the hurricane season. We usually have several days of notice of any build ups and can easily sail perpendicular to their route. And YES the spaghetti models are getting very accurate. Nothing builds up to destructive strength in a day or two and that means most boats can go a couple hundred miles in the right direction to avoid them.
Granted our neighbor got here from there with the current but he also made the whole trip in 4 days!


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

flyingriki said:


> Sorry CAPTA but most of your post is wrong. We have folks that spend the season in Cuba and YES you can cruise there just fine. Along the north coast is a way to avoid the current until you get to the end of the island. Then head south west to cross the current and let it take you back north to Isla Mujere. Direct from Dry Totugas to Cancun is about the most ugly route imaginable given the typical currents.
> As for long voyage in the hurricane season. We usually have several days of notice of any build ups and can easily sail perpendicular to their route. And YES the spaghetti models are getting very accurate. Nothing builds up to destructive strength in a day or two and that means most boats can go a couple hundred miles in the right direction to avoid them.
> Granted our neighbor got here from there with the current but he also made the whole trip in 4 days!


Admittedly I have not been to Cuba, but have done a great deal of research about visiting the island, and to the best of my knowledge, there are only a very few ports of entry, and not one is west of Havana. However, that may have changed, so I cannot state that for certain. As it is once again illegal for Americans to visit the island, it may not be prudent to suggest that an American do so.
As difficult as you purport the voyage from the Tortugas to Mexico to be, being basically down wind and into the current, I would prefer that to being beam on to the wind and an opposing Gulfstream. Having professionally operated a 65' aluminum crew boat in *all* weather conditions in the Stream between Lauderdale and Bimini (no weather windows when one is working for the US government), I can with absolute certainty tell you that I would never willingly choose a course that would put me beam on to opposing wind and current in the Gulfstream. Should you choose to do so, that is of course, your right.
Have there not been two tropical weather systems in the exact area we are discussing, already this year? Tell me, did you not find the complete *lack* of 'spagetti' models for both rather disconcerting? I believe both sat out there stewing and never did develop, though either could have done so. However, had you decided to chance a crossing in early June, that decision this year could have very well been disasterous. It doesn't take much more than 15 knots of wind to turn the Stream into a pretty nasty bit of water. I operated a sport fisherman out of the Keys for several years (mostly south, not bay side) and know those waters intimately. It certainly is no place for an amateur to mess about when the Stream is in a bad mood! *Nothing* is uglier than an angry Gulfstream!
I'm overjoyed that your voyage to Mexico went well, but I certainly wouldn't count on it being that way all the time. I prefer to use the historical data for voyage planning, rather than count on luck, and June is definately the time of year where storms traditionally develop in that area and a developing storm is rather difficult to predict, especially several days before they change from a tropical wave into a tropical depression. It can be a long, very dificult trip, even with your destination in sight, if adverse growing winds and rising seas set in.


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