Pacific Coast · Six Months · February 2027
Working Our Way to Panama
Casting off from Barra de Navidad next February and pointing south — about 1,650 miles down the Pacific coast to the Panama Canal.
Leave the boat's home waters in Mexico, take six unhurried months to work south to the Panama Canal. The route hugs the coast nearly the whole way — day-hops, anchorages, a few good layover towns, and two weather gauntlets that demand patience.
Below: the route on a map, the month-by-month plan, and the two weather windows that run the show.
The Route
Barra de Navidad → the Panama Canal
Down the Mexican Riviera, across the two big gap-wind crossings, through Central America, and into Panama.
Barra de Navidad to the Panama Canal — roughly 1,650 nautical miles. Hover waypoints for names. Not for navigation.
The Plan, Month by Month
From a hauled-out boat in January to the locks in June
Four phases: a month of boat prep, a gentle warm-up down the Mexican Riviera, a committing middle through the gap winds, and a reward run through Costa Rica and Panama to the canal.
Dates assume a February 2027 departure. January and the first six weeks are firm; from the Tehuantepec on (~mid-March) everything floats with the weather windows — read the later dates as targets, give or take a week or two.
Getting the boat ready — Barra de Navidad
The warm-up — Barra de Navidad to Acapulco
The committing middle — the gap winds
The reward run — Costa Rica, Panama & the canal
The Two Things That Run the Show
The gap winds
Gulf of Tehuantepec
Caribbean wind funnels through a gap in the mountains of southern Mexico and dumps onto the Pacific. In winter it can hit 50 knots and build dangerous seas far offshore. The move: stage at Huatulco, wait for a calm slot, then hug the beach a quarter-mile off the whole way across so there's no fetch to build on. You don't cross on a schedule — you cross on a window.
Gulf of Papagayo
The same phenomenon, this time through a gap in Nicaragua. Blows hard and reaches well offshore. Stage near the border, pick a window, and once you're past Cabo Santa Elena it's done — Costa Rica opens up and the sailing gets easy. The plan carries three or four weeks of slack across both crossings.
At a Glance
The legs & the miles
| Leg | Distance |
|---|---|
| Barra de Navidad → Acapulco (with crew, Feb) | ~391 nm |
| Acapulco → Huatulco (stage) | ~240 nm |
| Tehuantepec crossing → Chiapas | ~260 nm |
| Chiapas → El Salvador | ~250 nm |
| El Salvador → Nicaragua | ~150 nm |
| Papagayo crossing → Costa Rica | ~175 nm |
| Costa Rica coastal → Golfito | ~250 nm |
| Golfito → Panama → Las Perlas | ~410 nm |
| Las Perlas → Panama City + transit | ~80 nm |
| Total | ~1,650 nm |
Planning sketch, not a navigation document. Always check current cruising guides and live weather before you go.
Casting off in February. Follow along as I work south.
Route and weather notes drawn from Latitude 38, SAIL Magazine, Bluewater Cruising's gap-wind guides, and Noonsite. Conditions change — always verify before you go.