Don’t F with Mona

You can’t just go from A to B whenever you feel like it. Well, I suppose you can – free will and all – but you wouldn’t last very long.

For the more prudent sailor that bows to the will of the weather (which really seems to be most sailors I’ve met – you get stuck in 35 knot gusts, torrential rain, and fifteen foot seas once, you don’t want a repeat performance), one goes from A to B after much careful consideration of the wind/wave trends; after picking the brain of the local sailors; after reviewing multiple weather forecast tools; after discussing pros/cons with other sailors hoping to make it to B; after consulting Mr. Chris Parker, weather guru.

And, more often than not, one finally heads out for B after much waiting.

Our A to B:
Samana, Dominican Republic to Puerto Real, Puerto Rico via the MONA PASSAGE.

It will be our last major passage of the Caribbeans.

It is the second deepest part of the ocean in the world and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea.

It is known to commonly have boat-smashing, spirit-crushing weather.

It is home to such horrors as “the shock wave” and “hourglass shoal” and it sends fierce storm cells charging off the PR coast daily.

So, basically, don’t F with Mona.

And, we wait.