Weather to go; Whether to go

We are really dependent on the weather here in the Bahamas.  We are only able to comfortably leave port and travel on some days; best to stay tucked in on others.

We hope to get a 2-day semi-calm window so we can make a jump to Nassau with one night of anchoring out in the East Berrys, without really strong winds and especially without a strong overnight anchor-dragging wind shift.

It looks now like we could have gone today (Monday) and tomorrow, but this place is really nice with beautiful beaches and friendly people and in a bombproof hurricane hole. So we will stay for a while.

Tuesday night and Wednesday will be awful, with another strong front coming through – best to stay here.  Looks like we might get good days for travel on Thursday-Friday, and even through the coming weekend. 

We are in no rush, as Nassau is more expensive to dock, crowded, noisy, and not that safe outside of the tourist areas in the daytime.  Our buddy boat, sv-Utopia, won't be leaving Miami until next week, so we can easily get to Nassau a week ahead of them.

For weather information, we rely on several sources:

1. Chris Parker.  We have never been able to pick up his SSB broadcasts on either of two SSB receive-only radios.  We subscribed to his daily e-mail weather updates, receiving them in the afternoons (except Sundays) by Internet if we have a land access point, or by Iridium Satellite Phone with X-Gate compression if no Internet (but only downloading these on days we need it).  EXCELLENT!  mwxc.com

We have been able to send a question ("when to go") to Chris by chat during his broadcasts, and get very good answers.

2. NOAA via VHF. When we can get it. Mostly for the Florida coasts, though.

3. NOAA Surface Analysis Map.  Current weather, interpreted by real meteorologists. http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/A_sfcbw.gif

4. NOAA National Data Buoy Center. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov

5. Other sources when we have a land WiFi Access Point and Internet:

o             Passageweather.com

o             Buoyweather.com

o             Windalert.com

o             Windfinder.com

o             WUnderground.com

o             Weatherbug.com 

6. Other boaters – everyone has a different idea about what is happening and when to go and where.  Interesting to hear, but not often to be trusted.