Caribbean sailors--Swell Alert

[Agility]

Man oh man, I haven't been on the water for 4 years and planed a trip to the BVI this week. What timing.

Does this kind of surf create the rocking and rolling all night at most of the harbors or just those that are exposed to the North.

[avazquez]

Originally Posted by Chuck Baier

Perhaps someone in the area could give us a report as to the actual conditions during this big swell event.

Well I just came from watching the waves here in San Juan Puerto Rico. It is getting BIG. Some beaches are already closed and coastal roads closed. The Ferry between Fajardo, Culebra and Vieques has been suspended. I saw waves of at least 20ft (face) in the outer reefs and this is just begining. I wouldn't want to be out there sailing, it looks nasty.

[Hud3]

The swells are supposed to reach peak heights in the NE Caribbean tomorrow. The show should get interesting.

BlueRapCity, if I were you, I'd ask your charter company manager (not the dock boy) which anchorages would be best protected. Then be sure to catch a mooring each day before they're all gone--probably not an issue in mid-March, with the crowds down. The Bight on Norman is one of the best spots, as is North Sound on Virgin Gorda.

Three years ago, IFRR, two unattended yachts were ripped off their moorings at The Baths on Virgin Gorda and smashed into little pieces on the rocks by swells MUCH smaller than what we'll see tomorrow.

[Hud3]

St Martin is evacuating people in low lying areas. There are reports of many boats entering the lagoon at the morning bridge openings, but swells in Simpson and Marigot Bays were not large as of this morning.

As of an hour ago, the NWS in Puerto Rico reports coastal flooding and breaking waves of 15-25' height on the north shore. A quote from the bulletin:

"This coastal flooding is the greatest non tropical cyclone related swell event experienced in the local area since the perfect storm of 1991. Residents and local interests should expect major beach erosion...as well as structural damage to piers...boardwalks and structures directly adjacent to the coastline."

[little boat]

It takes a day and a half for the biggest swells to work down the chain to you, Hud.
I hope you have serious chafe guard and put out an anchor or two as well; not an inch of room in there for dragging and over in seconds if the pennants snap. Its only a couple of miles across the cut, I wish you'd move; if those swells make it down to you, Oalie will be breaking. Best of luck.

[MarkJ]

Holy snappin' Ducks-Bum!!!!!!!

So we get the surveyor on board at 8amsharp (Caribbean time, 8.25am) and he says the Gendarmes have closed the port of Oyster Pond (east coast of St Martin) because of the waves.
I, of course, am not going to screw up my survey, sail test and haulout at Phillipsberg (south coast of St Martin) so we head to sea.

The channel (Hud will be able to verify this) out of Oyster Pond is narrow... like about 50 meters wide. On the other side, ie dead ahead 2 huge rollers came in, like BondiBeach storm breakers, rolled towards us... Nicolle stuck to a winch like a limpet with an interesting look on her face... the French skipper said something like "we need to stay no more than 3 meters from the channel markers. Now, I don't get scared easy - big bronzed Anzac that I am - but I do have a fleeting thought of having to surf a bit of wreckage to the beach....

Sticking 3 meters from the surging seas next to the channel markers was interesting, it would have been more interesting but there were no breaking waves as we went out, we must have been between sets. Deeper water was then fine and we had a nice sail with some good wind and swell for a sail test. Nicolle enjoyed it after we got clear of the shore side lumpy bits!

Interesting that deep inside Pillipsberg bay there was quite a good ripple... Doppler effect of course, but quite surprising.

Anyway, that was our day!

And we found the boat works!!!!!!!!!!!


Mark

[Joli]

Congrats on the new boat. You got out of Oyster Pond on a day like that, you do have big brass ones.

Sorry I didn't know you were there. We would have bought you a drink last week.

Joli

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Joli

Sorry I didn't know you were there. We would have bought you a drink last week.

Joli

You were here??????
Damn it!!!!!!
We would have loved a drink/meet/meat!

Next time


Mark

[Joli]

Yea, we were in St Martin to race and would have loved to have met you guys. I'm working on Polly to repower Joli and sail the Heiniken in two years but... new racing sails or cruising kitty? I think I'm gonna loose Still miss racing.......

[little boat]

Marine Forecast : Weather Underground

[Vasco]

The swells hit Georgetown yesterday. There's been a rage running for two days. This morning a few braved it and got out through Conch Cay Cut. The big catamaran fast ferry nearly lost it coming in this morning. A sailboat stayed out on Exuma Sound all night, tried coming in twice, overturned his dinghy and finally left for Cat Island although his crew had a flight out of here today! The beaches on the sound side of Stocking Island are unwalkable. The surf is going right over some of the smaller cays. The plane that was buried on one of the beaches has been uncovered. All these years I thought it was just a bit of wing but the whole plane is there! The boats that got out say it's fine once you're out there.

[imagine2frolic]

Congradulations Mark,

Stay safe in your new vessel

[Zanshin]

I bet you the surfers on Tortola are gearing up. And I'm glad my boat is ashore and not anchored in Cane Garden Bay. And those charter boaters are going to be in for a rude awakening when trying to get into the North Sound on Virgin Gorda or the West End passage through to JVD!

[cagney]

Check the breakers on the reef at the entrance to North Sound
Virgin Gorda http://leverickbay.org/pancam.jpg. Normally you don't see many breakers here.

[MarkJ]

Thanks
Its on the hard getting some work done.
I love good vendors!!!

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

Congradulations Mark,

Stay safe in your new vessel