Culebrita to the Turks and Caicos (Day 1, Friday 18 January 2019)

We lifted our anchor in the beautiful Bahia de Tortuga on Isla de Culebrita at 1040hrs on Friday 18 January. It’s a couple of days earlier than we had wanted to leave but we have been following the weather forecast for several days, in particular listening to the broadcast on the SSB radio first thing in the morning, and the prognosis is not good.  We need to be making progress west in a short weather window now or risk being held up for over a week.

Leaving Culebrita and Culebra

With Culebrita slipping away behind us and BV making just 4.5 knots in the light wind, it’s hard to believe that in a few days’ time we’ll be in for a pounding from some strong winds.

The north end of Culebra close by on the left of the picture and Puerto Rico in the distance

We are heading 320 degrees, west-northwest, and have a passage of 420 nautical miles ahead of us to get to our next destination, South Caicos in The Turks and Caicos Islands on the southeastern edge of the Bahamas.  Our routing will take us north of Puerto Rico which sits at the north end of the Caribbean Sea.  Technically, therefore our passage is out in the Tropical North Atlantic Ocean (though it feels very like the Caribbean!).

Light winds and smooth seas for the start of our passage towards the Turks and Caicos

We had planned on the passage taking about 72hrs which puts us arriving at Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos just as the strong winds and big seas start and so our initial slow progress is a concern. Chris Parker, the weather guru for this area that we listen to on the SSB, has been highlighting the strong wind effects of a weather front that will move south from Florida to stop just north of the Dominican Republic somewhat southeast of the Bahamas; essentially where we are heading to.  The 25-30 knot winds with gusts up to 40 knots in squalls are an obvious concern for us but so is the predicted sea state.  Chris Parker has been forecasting 10ft swells from the north and from Tuesday/Wednesday also from the east.  The combination of these 2 swells will create what he calls a “washing machine effect”. Rather than be trapped in Culebra for a week, our challenge is to get to Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos before this “washing machine effect” starts.

Passage Statistics:
Position at Midday 18 January: N18 23  W65 19
Position at Midnight 18 January: N18 55  W66 11
1040hrs to Midday distance:  6 nautical miles
1040hrs to Midnight distance:  69 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  69 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go:  347 nautical miles

End of day 1 position Culebrita to the Turks and Caicos