While February weather was pleasant, 28 straight days of trade winds, March has presented a challenge for us. When winds change by 180 degrees we need to move our anchorage to find protection from some land mass on the opposite shore, if one exists. In most of the Bahamas there are plenty of protected anchorages when the winds are from the east, not so many when winds shift to the west. Lots of boats cram into the few decent protected spots.
Take a look at this weather pattern for the next few days. Some time on Monday, if we were at anchor, we would need to move. So would every other boat near by. For some reason, these breaks between fronts rarely occur during daylight.
For us, these anchorages end up to be too crowded for our comfort. We swing differently than the sailboats around us and, considering our displacement and wind drag, we dare not short scope our anchor in response to the crowding. When we do anchor in one of these spots, some late arrival is bound to anchor too close to us. Maybe OK if they were anchoring next to another sailboat, but not next to us. The worst combination of conflicting swing behavior is between trawlers like us and catamarans.
So here is what we do. If we need a spot to weather a westerly wind we find an area that does not have an Active Captain green sticker over it. Spots like this are often slightly less protected than the 5 star locations that are so popular. We look for protection from fetch and disregard the wind. A good spot for us may be behind a large sand bar, for example. As long as we are not getting bounced around by wind driven chop, I have confidence that our tackle will handle most anything and we will sleep comfortably.
Our other option is to go find a protected marina. Unfortunately, not all marinas in the Bahamas are protected from west winds and seas. Nothing worse than paying top dollar to hide in a marina, only to be rocked all night by the swell.
Given the March weather pattern, we have spent a good portion of the month in one marina or another. As I look at the forecast for the next few days I contemplate where we will hold our evening happy hour. May be too windy for the fly bridge. The cockpit will do nicely.
Its a tough life.