Traveling to the Caribbean? Or not.

Grenada is around 12 degrees North, so very close to the equator. Old wisdom had it that Grenada was safe sailing grounds during hurricane season. Usually Hurricanes are rare the closer to the equator you get, but certainly hurricanes are possible, and recent history has changed our views on this supposed 'safe zone'. August is around peak time for hurricanes in the Caribbean. So, as long as you are prepared fully, and understand that you may need to get back to land in a hurry, and keep your eyes on the weather and receive weather reports at least three times a day, and never be more than 6 hours sailing away from a safe harbor, I would do it. But then we keep our eyes on the weather and we are safe sailors. If it was me, I would lay off the cocktails though.

It all depends on what kind of sailor you are and if you are prepared to run from weather. If you are doing a bare boat cruise, check in with your company at least 3 times a day. If you have a captain on board, ensure that he/she checks the weather at least three times a day. If anything is looming, get back to land pronto.

(Yes, yes, I know, not DR related...)

Dank said:

I'm planning a sailing trip around Grenada for mid to late August. Some family members have had issues with this time frame. What would you guys recommend? is this a bad Idea? Should I put it off a couple months?

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No, not a bad idea. If that is a good time for you to go sailing, go. I'm sure Chris, another sailor, would agree with that. Hurricanes and tropical storms don't just drop out of the sky. Normally they form between the Caribbean islands and Africa and work their way west or northwest, moving slowly. Good weather information is available by VHF in that area, and you can keep track of what is happening. Even more info available if you have SSB. Assuming you are living aboard during your cruise, if it appears as though Granada may be threatened, you can go to Trinidad. You can easily make that in an overnight passage. There are good anchorages available in Trinidad, and being south of Grenada, even less likely to be hit by a hurricane.

Have you sailed in that area before? If not, ypu should know that the normal wind speed is higher than it is further north, around St Lucia, for example. When we were cruising in that area, we used the jib and put the genny back on when we got further north.

If you're not experienced, then perhaps postpone the trip till after hurricane season. Chances are that nothing will happen. But, if you have to handle running away from bad weather, nothing beats experience. You may also decide to get a captain on the Cat... Then you can chill out, the captain can teach you more than what you know now and can take care of weather related things.