Tag: Bahamas weather

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.

 

The first week of March is living up to the saying, “In like a lion”. When the forecast is for winds with a “W” in them, meaning with a west component, we usually find a protected place to go hide in. Currently NNW 18-25Kn/gusting 32. Our weather here is being driven by the bomb cyclone that is currently blasting the US east coast. As it pulls away the trailing winds are touching us. We are getting off easy, but still a bit uncomfortable.
This says, “marina” to us so a few days ago we crossed over from the Exumas to Eleuthera and Cape Eleuthera Marina. That crossing, from Staniel Cay, was quite pleasant. Winds under 10 knots and calm seas, perfect for fishing, except we didn’t catch anything. Frustrating as all the other boats following us in had Mahi aboard. Hamburgers tonight I guess.

This is a very nice marina, although the entrance is open to the west. Since there is some westerly component to the current winds, we are getting some slop in here. We are not moving much but the sailboats next to us are bouncing around a bit. I would guess that if the winds were directly out of the west, and above 15 knots or so, this place would be uncomfortable for small boats. Luckily, strong west winds are quite unusual,…except for this week and next.
The winds are predicted to lay down tomorrow and Tuesday, before again blowing from the west. Since the forecast is for 20 knots or more directly from the west on Wednesday, we will bail out of here and head up to Spanish Wells. We had planned to cruise the leeward coast of Eleuthera as we wandered north, but I don’t like the options for anchoring around here with 25 knots out of the west predicted; Rock sound is crowded now and Hatchet Bay has more underwater hazards to anchoring than I care for.
So we are headed to a marina in Spanish Wells for a few days. The town is supposed to be attractive, with some nice restaurants. We will play land vacation for a while, rent a car and see the sights. When the weather improves we will head over to the Berry Islands.