The biggest factor in making around the cape of “Gracia a Dios” (thank god in English) is the trade winds that blow predominantly from the east, exactly the direction of the first 350NM we have to travel to make it along the coast of Honduras before heading south east to the island of Providencia. The east coast of Nicaragua is not the most inviting of spots to get blown into as well, with lots of uncharted reef and the threat of a busy drug trade in the area, so with that in mind I planned to head well offshore to the Vivarillo bank before making the turn south. We got the break in the weather that we needed and on leaving Utila for the trip down I stocked up on as much fuel as I could as from the forecast it looked to be a few days of motoring east to make it around the cape before hopefully picking up some wind for the leg down to Providnecia.