s/v IRENEThe Cruising Log · 1980 Baba 35

Season 2 · December 2026 – July 2027

Barra de Navidad → Cartagena

via Panama Canal  ·  s/v Irene  ·  Garry Hoffman, skipper

~2,400Nautical Miles
8Months
2Weather Gates
6Countries
3Crew Guests

The Plan

Three Goals, Eight Phases

Goal 01
Melissa's February Trip
Feb 1 – ~Feb 25, 2027

She flies into Guadalajara. Two days in the city together, then coastal cruising Barra → Zihuatanejo. Good anchorages, great restaurants, easy pace. She flies home from ZIH.

Goal 02
Offshore Sailing
Late April – May

4–7 day passages where possible. Puerto Madero → Costa Rica is the centerpiece: ~650 nm, ~5 days, with Felipe and Mike aboard. The trip I actually want to do.

Goal 03
Park in Cartagena
July 2027 onward

Transit the Panama Canal, deliver Irene to the Caribbean. Marina slip in Cartagena. Spend summer in Medellín — Spanish immersion, remote work. Return November for Season 3.


Phases at a Glance

Phase 0
Boat Prep
December 2026 – January 2027
LocationBarra de Navidad
ModeSolo

Bottom inspection, through-hulls, rigging, systems. Deep provision. Crew joins Jan 31.

Phase 1
The Melissa Trip
February 2027
LocationBarra → Zihuatanejo
Mode+Melissa

Guadalajara arrival, Tenacatita lagoon, Marina Ixtapa work window, Zihuatanejo. She flies home ~Feb 25.

Phase 2
Solo Push South
Late Feb – Early March
LocationZihua → Huatulco
ModeSolo

Acapulco 2 nights (Vicente's moorings), then Huatulco. Stage at Marina Chahué for the Tehuantepec.

Phase 3
Oaxaca + Florida
March 2027
IreneParked Huatulco

Oaxaca trip: Monte Albán, mezcal palenques, food markets. Then Florida — USPSA meetings, dad, work window.

Phase 4
Tehuantepec Crossing
Late April 2027
Distance~240 nm
Duration30–40 hrs
ModeSolo

Window-dependent. Haul-out and bottom job at Marina Chiapas. Felipe + Mike join via CDMX.

Phase 5
The Big Passage
Late April – Early May
Distance~650 nm
Duration~5 days
Mode+Felipe +Mike

Puerto Madero → Bahía Santa Elena, Costa Rica. Inshore of Guatemala, El Salvador. 3-person watch rotation.

Phase 6
Costa Rica → Panama
May – June 2027
LocationGuanacaste → Golfito → Chiriquí
ModeSolo

Crew flies home from Liberia. Solo south: Nicoya, Osa Peninsula (don't rush), Golfito checkout, into Panama.

Phase 7
Canal + San Blas + Cartagena
June – July 2027
Distance~400 nm post-Canal

Las Perlas, Panama City, Canal transit (~$4,500). San Blas — spend a week. Cartagena marina. Then Medellín.