3-1 Update

We're still in Boqueron and it appears that our departure will be delayed for a few days. The issue is weather. There's a strong cold front that should reach the northern Bahamas today and travel E-ESE. If we left tomorrow across the Mona passage for the approximate 415 nm run to Great Inagua Island, that front would greet us on arrival with 35-40 knot winds and high seas. No thank you; we'll wait a bit. At this time of year, fronts are a cyclical occurrence, some stronger than others. For passage planning, the trick is to try to time departure and arrival to avoid the peak wind conditions and allow enough time to anchor some place that affords protection from the prevailing wind direction, especially in the low lying islands like the Bahamas. The challenge is that those fronts often don't behave the way the forecast predicts them to, hence a margin of safety is also called for. Since we have internet (slow but, hey...), we pull our weather forecasts from a variety of sources, including SSB and VHF as well. One day at a time...patience. The good news is that it's been raining every day and our water tanks are full; the rain catchment system works beautifully. Sue's been cooking up a storm, and we also are walking around quite a bit. This is a weekend town. Most places are closed Monday through Thursday so it's quiet at night as everyone prepares for another long party weekend.
Pic: anchorage as seen from shoreline

No comments: