Caribbean sailors--Swell Alert

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by rigamarole

Hud, how are you getting this forcast? I'm chartering a boat out of Tortola starting next Thursday. How long will the swells last?

rigamarole,

For swell forecasts, I look at four sources. Buoyweather (a subscription service), Windfinder Wind & weather forecast / Wind & Wettervorhersage St. Thomas, PassageWeather - Wind, Wave and Weather Forecasts for Sailors and Adventurers, and Carib WX - Caribbean Weather Information.

The first three display model data in different foremats--there is no human interpretation or manipulation. CaribWX.com is Chris Parker's website. He has a swell forecast on his "Marine" page. He usually gets it updated by about 10 or 11 am.

The Windfinder link that I posted is for St. Thomas. There are many other locations available.

The Windfinder forecast for the last swell event was very accurate; Buoyweather understated the swell heights.

Here's one of the daily emails that I get from Buoyweather for a location near Nevis (hope the formatting survives):
BUOYWEATHER.COM Virtual Buoy Forecast
Location : 17.186N 62.63W
Model Cycle: 2008 MAR 29 00Z
UTC - 4 Hours
----------------------------------------------------
WIND SEAS
DATE HR dir/deg range(kt) dir/per range(ft)
---- --- ------------------ -------------------
3/28 20 E 87 10 - 14 N 11sec 3 - 5

3/29 02 E 80 13 - 18 NNE 11sec 3 - 6
3/29 08 E 91 14 - 20 NNE 10sec 3 - 6
3/29 14 E 95 12 - 16 NNE 10sec 3 - 6
3/29 20 E 85 14 - 19 NNE 10sec 3 - 6

3/30 02 ENE 79 15 - 21 NNE 9sec 4 - 6
3/30 08 E 87 15 - 20 NE 9sec 4 - 6
3/30 14 E 87 14 - 19 NE 9sec 3 - 6
3/30 20 ENE 69 16 - 22 ENE 9sec 3 - 6

3/31 02 E 80 16 - 22 ENE 8sec 4 - 6
3/31 08 E 88 14 - 19 ENE 8sec 3 - 6
3/31 14 ENE 79 14 - 19 ENE 8sec 3 - 5
3/31 20 ENE 66 15 - 21 E 3sec 3 - 5

4/1 02 ENE 69 15 - 21 ENE 3sec 3 - 6
4/1 08 ENE 76 15 - 20 E 3sec 3 - 5
4/1 14 ENE 68 15 - 21 ENE 3sec 3 - 5
4/1 20 ENE 68 17 - 23 ENE 3sec 4 - 6

4/2 02 ENE 73 17 - 23 ENE 3sec 4 - 7
4/2 08 ENE 75 17 - 23 NNE 9sec 5 - 8
4/2 14 ENE 72 17 - 23 NNE 10sec 5 - 9
4/2 20 ENE 76 19 - 25 NNE 10sec 6 - 10

4/3 02 E 82 19 - 25 NE 10sec 6 - 10
4/3 08 ENE 78 19 - 26 NE 10sec 6 - 10
4/3 14 ENE 76 19 - 26 NE 10sec 6 - 10
4/3 20 ENE 73 21 - 29 NE 10sec 6 - 10

4/4 02 ENE 75 20 - 27 NE 9sec 6 - 10
4/4 08 ENE 75 18 - 25 NE 9sec 6 - 9
4/4 14 E 82 16 - 22 NE 9sec 5 - 9
4/4 20 ENE 76 18 - 24 NE 9sec 5 - 8

[EDIT: well, the column spacing was lost in translation, but maybe you can parse it out.]

[billyehh]

In Prickly Bay Grenada the swells were quite small at anchor. However, I was not able to beach my dingy to clean the bottom. On the other side inSt. Georges, the tunnel was flooded and the cruise ships could not use the dock, but tendered passengers into the Lagoon.

[Palarran]

Thanks Hud3. Big help. Another link to add to my "favorites"

[MarkJ]

More weather and waves!
I thought this was the Caribbean! Soft, gentle breezes playing in the palm leaves while girls dance on white sandy beaches.....

.Caribbean E of 77w NE to E winds 20 to 25 kt seas to 8 ft and to 10 ft Atlc passages east of Hispaniola. .24 hour forecast E of 78w NE to E winds 20 to 25 kt seas 8 to 12 ft and to 14 ft Atlc passages east of Hispaniola. .48 hour forecast from 11n to 18n E of 79w E winds 20 to 25 kt seas 8 to 12 ft and to 14 ft Atlc passages E of Hispaniola.

[avazquez]

20-25 knots.........lets do some real SAILING....I was out in FAJARDO last week and it was awesome....18 to 23 knots steady all day. We sailed all day and had a great time....IN THE SEMI PROTECTED WATERS OF COURSE...

[Hud3]

Mark,

It seems like we've had an unusually breezy season this year.

But as Avazquez notes, there's some great sailing to be had. I was out a couple of days ago in 20-25kts, sailing back and forth in The Narrows, between Nevis and St. Kitts. The winds really funnel through there.

BTW, I'm seeing the swells building up again this afternoon, breaking on the reefs east of The Narrows, and over Cow Rocks. I took the precaution of moving my boat out of the surf zone this time (I hope!)

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Hud3

BTW, I'm seeing the swells building up again this afternoon, breaking on the reefs east of The Narrows, and over Cow Rocks. I took the precaution of moving my boat out of the surf zone this time (I hope!)

We're due to pick up the boat from Oyster Pond and I'm not going through that entrance with breaking waves on our maiden voyage. My maiden may get off!

I love a nice stiff breeze but want to dial up a beaut day or 2 for starters.

And if we can't go for a sail right away it means I am going to have my head in the bilges scrubbing till the sea flattens. Guess what I would prefer?



Mark

[Hud3]

Mark,

The forecast looks pretty rough until next Sunday or Monday,unfortunately.

Wind & weather forecast / Wind & Wettervorhersage St. Maarten

[camaraderie]

Since this seems to be the spot where the active Caribe sailors are hanging out...just thought I'd report that according to someone in Simpson Lagoon /St. Maarten...the bridge is closed for repairs indefinitely and the only way in and out is through the French side...some mega-yachts are apparently stuck there for a while.

[Steve Pope]

MarkJ, if you are thinking of coming down the milk route to NZ the more practise with 15 to 25 knot winds and 3 + metre seas you can experience the better. A lot of US yachties coming down our way get their first taste after leaving Tonga or Fiji and often get a fright as they havn't had winds in this range before.Great cruising, good daily averages, 8 to 12 days to the Bay of Islands (NZ)

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Since this seems to be the spot where the active Caribe sailors are hanging out...just thought I'd report that according to someone in Simpson Lagoon /St. Maarten...the bridge is closed for repairs indefinitely and the only way in and out is through the French side...some mega-yachts are apparently stuck there for a while.

Well, if I were to be stuck in the Lagoon, I'd just as soon be stuck on a mega-yacht!

[Joli]

Good thing it didn't happen during the Heineken Regatta but I bet the islanders are happy. Traffic backs up terribly when it opens.

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Since this seems to be the spot where the active Caribe sailors are hanging out...just thought I'd report that according to someone in Simpson Lagoon /St. Maarten...the bridge is closed for repairs indefinitely and the only way in and out is through the French side...some mega-yachts are apparently stuck there for a while.

[MarkJ]

Thanks Steve

What I meant was that the lagoon I'm bringing the boat from can be closed some days as breaking waves go across the entrance.
I went out there the other day with a local at the wheel and it was an 'interesting' experience. Not one I want to repeat the first day on my new boat with just me and Nicolle

Chris Doyle had said about it in his indispensable Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands: “The approach to Oyster Pond can put hair on your chest. ... Occasionally the seas get so bad they break right across the entrance, and at such times it would be foolhardy to go in.”

Foolhardy to go in and absolutely freaky to go out
We would have got some photos but the camera decided to be a landlubber.

I would prefer a calm day for the first voyage!

Mark

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Joli

Good thing it didn't happen during the Heineken Regatta but I bet the islanders are happy. Traffic backs up terribly when it opens.

We went for a beer there yeasterday at the Yacht Club to watch the bridge... and it didnt go up. But weirdly enough no one mentioned it and I didnt ask why.

There are about 6 or more Spua-Mega-Biggie-$200k per week boats in the lagoon and a squillion yachts.

Can the French side take yachts? We havent been there for a look yet.


Mark

[Joli]

No, the French side is too narrow and too shallow. But the food is better.

Originally Posted by MarkJ

We went for a beer there yeasterday at the Yacht Club to watch the bridge... and it didnt go up. But weirdly enough no one mentioned it and I didnt ask why.

There are about 6 or more Spua-Mega-Biggie-$200k per week boats in the lagoon and a squillion yachts.

Can the French side take yachts? We havent been there for a look yet.


Mark