
Primo Conditions for Puddle Jump Migration

©2009 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
During the past week, at least 10 boats have set sail from a variety of ports in Mexico, Central America and Ecuador bound for French Polynesian landfalls — and according to initial reports, conditions could hardly be more ideal.
According to three-time Puddle Jumper Bob Bechler of the Seattle-based Gulfstar 44 Sisiutl, "Boats out there on the passage are finding trade winds in the teens off the aft quarter and seas under a meter high — great conditions!"

As far as we can tell, the Rhode Island-based Valiant 40 Brick House is currently the farthest out, roughly 1,200 miles from the Marquesas, having left from Panama in mid-February, with a pit stop in the Galapagos Islands. As in years past, the bulk of the fleet is leaving from Mexican ports. Within that group, the Mapleleaf 50 Love Song, with the Simis family aboard, was the first away and is currently leading the fleet by roughly 200 miles. Look for a complete report on this year’s fleet in the April edition of Latitude 38.