For any cruisers planning a passage to the Caribbean this winter, here is a round-up of some useful articles, advice and links from Noonsite.

Published 6 years ago, updated 1 month ago

Before You Go

• Considerations for marine lightning protection – survey results
• Citizen Science Programmes for Cruisers
• Join a Rally: World Cruising Club Events
• Salty Dawg Caribbean Rallies
• Pre-Passage Checks & Preparation
• Find out as much as you can

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Passage Planning

• Atlantic Crossing Reports and Links
• Atlantic Ocean West Reports and Links
• Mr Weatherman: Tracking hurricanes, tropical storms, and threatening weather — in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and tropical Atlantic.
• PredictWind Atlantic Crossing Webinar 1
  Predict Wind Atlantic Crossing Webinar 2 (for anyone wanting to know how to use PredictWind tools for offshore passages).
• Grab Bag: What should you pack for a long voyage?
• Unknown Crew on the passage? A word of warning…
• Ocean Crew Link

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The Environment

• Cruisers Help Clean Up Spanish Water – Curacao
• A sailor’s guide to whales and dolphins
• Fishing from yachts for beginners
• The Atlantic Ocean – The Sargassum Phenomenon is a Serious Issue for Atlantic sailors
• Garbage Disposal at Sea and in the Eastern Caribbean
• Aluminium Cans and the Ocean
• Small Caribbean Island’s Waste Management: How Cruisers can Help
• Wider Caribbean’s Marine Protected Areas (CaMPAM)
• Caribbean: Expansion to the Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS)

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Cruising in the Caribbean

• Doyle Guides App. [free]
• Tropical Paradises with Diversity and History
• Dominica:  Why Cruisers Should Visit This Less-Travelled Island
• Caribbean Sea Routing advice and articles
• Caribbean sailing tips: Chris Doyle on making the most of your time there
• Cruising West from Trinidad: Cruisers give their advice
• Three Families on a Caribbean Sabbatical
• Barbuda:  Land Developments Could Affect Cruising Locations

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News Sources

• All at Sea
• CARICOM – Caribbean Community
• Caribbean Safety and Security Net
• Caribbean Compass
• Caribbean Journal

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Publications and Cruising Guides

• Chris Doyle’s Caribbean Sailors Guides
• USA: Print-on-demand Imray Caribbean charts now available
• Atlantic Islands Cruising Guide -7th Edition.
• Voyaging with Kids – A Guide to Family Life Afloat
• A Thinking Mans Guide to Voyages South

Freecruisingguides.com was a website that housed all of Frank Virgintino’s FREE cruising guides for the Caribbean. This website is no longer in operation and all Virgintino’s guides must now be purchased through Amazon. The SSCA [www.ssca.org], however, have all Frank’s guides on their website – available to members.

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Arrival and Departure Formalities

• SailClear Announces Subscription Fee for Service
• Antigua and Barbuda:  Clearing out in Codrington
• Eastern Caribbean Cruising: Simplified Clearance Procedures Explained
• A Guide to Checking in and out of Countries with your Sailboat
• Demystifying international clearance for cruisers

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Cruising the Caribbean with Pets

• Warning if cruising the Caribbean with pets
• St George’s University Grenada – Small Clinic
• Trinidad & Tobago – Entry for Dogs and Cats

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Communications

• Cruising Radio Nets Atlantic
• Cruising Radio Nets Caribbean
• Caribbean, Bahamas and USA East Coast: SSCA HF Net is a Valuable Service to Cruisers
• Caribbean Cruisers’ Facebook pages
• Kids4Sail Facebook Group
• Cruising VHF Nets Caribbean
• Caribbean Cruising and Cell Phones
• Optimizing Iridium GO use on board

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Marine Services

• Seasonal Haulout Guide & Directory of Caribbean Boatyards from St. Martin to Trinidad by Caribbean Compass/Doyle Guides (updated annually)
• Boat Repair and Storage: Caribbean Boatyard Updates (All at Sea, September 2020)
• Caribbean Boat Boys
• eZone: Clearance and delivery of online purchases into the Caribbean, Latin and Central America
• Caribbean Boatyard Safety: Good Grounding Saves Lives
• Getting work done on your boat whilst long-distance cruising: Cruisers Tips
• You, the shipyard and your insurance policy

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Weather

• Caribbean Compass: Marine Weather Resources – Shortwave Weather Nets & Websites for Winter 2024/5
• Caribbean: National, Regional and Island Weather Websites and Reports
• WMO Worldwide Met-Ocean Information and Warning Service (WWMIWS)
• Gulf Stream Weather
• Marine Weather Center – Caribbean
• Free Forecast Services
• Mr Weatherman: Tracking hurricanes, tropical storms, and threatening weather — in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and tropical Atlantic.

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Resources for Hurricane Season

• National Hurricane Center
  Concerned boaters can subscribe to the NHC Facebook page and get their Tropical weather information directly.
• Weather Resources for the hurricane season
• Mr Weatherman: Tracking hurricanes, tropical storms, and threatening weather — in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and tropical Atlantic.
• Caribbean Hurricane Holes
• 20 tips for surviving strong winds
• Preparing a marina bound boat for a tropical storm
• Seasonal Haulout Guide & Directory of Caribbean Boatyards from St. Martin to Trinidad by Caribbean Compass/Doyle Guides (updated annually)
• Bahamas: Lessons learned from a sudden storm at anchor
• Hurricane Season is Here: Tracking hurricanes and more

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2024 Hurricane Season News

• NOAA Predicts Above-Normal Hurricane Activity for 2024 Season
• Oscar Becomes Hurricane Number 10 for the Season
• Windward Islands Face Serious Threat From Hurricane Beryl

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Yacht Security

• The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN)
• CSSN Annual Report Highlights Rise in Violent Crimes Against Yachts
• Cruising the Caribbean Safely: Tips & Resources for a Secure Journey (All at Sea August 2024)
• SAR Contacts – Find Rescue Coordination Centres Worldwide
• Cyber-Crime Scams Against Yachts in the Caribbean – CSSN Special Report
• Caribbean Security for Cruisers: Everyone’s Concern, Everyone’s Responsibility
• Caribbean Navigator – Facebook Group supporting all cruisers who wish to share safe sailing, navigation, and boat security information for the Caribbean Sea.
• Securing your boat from intruders
• Protecting yourself from boat theft
• Island Theft – Our Thoughts

Note: Every Caribbean Country and Port listed on Noonsite has its own “Security Reports” Section under the blue Explore Country tab – click on Info, then Related Content.

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Health

Keep an eye on the World Health Organisation website to check for any health alerts in the Caribbean countries you are planning to visit so you can prepare you and your crew accordingly. It may be that certain vaccinations are required and certificates carried, or that restrictions are in place at ports of entry if coming from a country with an epidemic and further health paperwork needs to be carried by all crew. To be on the safe side, the following documents should be kept on board should they be needed:

• Past itinerary and previous ports of call (up to 14 days prior)
• Recent crew member and passenger travel history
• Health clearance from the last port
• Crew medical records
• Crew immunization cards

There are on-going Dengue Fever outbreaks throughout the Caribbean and the Zika virus is still present on a number of Islands. See the Health sections on all country/Formalities pages for further details.

• Mosquitos: Chances of a Dengue Fever Outbreak increases in all Caribbean Islands (2019)
• Mosquitos: Chikungunya disease in the Caribbean
• Mosquitos: Zika Virus
• Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
• Bugs: Nine Ways to Keep Bugs at Bay
• Dangers of the Manchineel Tree

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End of Season

• Caribbean: When to Leave and Which Way to Go?
• Caribbean: Where are the Yachts? (end of Season 2021)
• Choosing a boatyard for the hurricane season
• How to lay up a yacht abroad
• Lessons Learned from the 2017 Hurricane Season
• Yacht Transportation
• Warning Regarding the International Transport of Yachts
• Shipping Your Boat – a Guide for transportation
• Seasonal Haulout Guide & Directory of Caribbean Boatyards from St. Martin to Trinidad by Caribbean Compass/Doyle Guides (updated annually)

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Helping Others

• Hurricane Beryl’s Destructive Path:  How You Can Help
• Northern Bahamas: Hurricane Dorian – How you can Help
• School Supplies still needed in Dominica’s Schools
• Caribbean Volunteer Projects
• Bahamas:  Hope Fleet Expands to Exuma to Support Local Children

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Caribbean Cruiser’s Blogs

• Around’n Circles – south to the Caribbean and beyond
• Becoming a Sailor
• The voyage of a concrete gaffer

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Editor’s Note:

Any updates to the above articles or suggestions of links you have found useful for Caribbean cruising are very welcome. Either register on Noonsite and post a comment at the bottom of this report or send your feedback to editor@noonsite.com, thank you