Hello, I’m George and this site describes the weather analysis I used with my family while sailing in the Bahamas aboard the sailing vessel Oneiro in December of 2018. I was fortunate to learn from first-hand experience and experience the results of the planning. We waited for a good weather window before leaving George Town, Exuma to sail to Mayaguana Island. We had an easy passage in good weather and it was well worth waiting for the early stormy weather to pass.

Oneiro is a Hallberg-Rassy 46 built for blue water cruising. She is a sloop rig with removable cutter stay, which is used for a “hard wind Stay Sail”. Our communication equipment is also critical to our ability to receive and assess current and forecast weather data before and during passages.

The specification of the boat is very important in weather analysis as each boat will have different handling characteristics in windy and sea-state conditions. Oneiro has a heavy lead bulb at the bottom of her keel that helps to provide stability. Oneiro can heel (lean) over to about 60 degrees before she will be at risk of tipping over. Heavy seas and wind can reduce that angle considerably, which is why this topic is so important to safety. In addition, the length at the water line is proportional to her ability to withstand a broadside wave, i.e. short boats are more easily knocked down than longer boats.

Sunrise in George Town, Exuma. Photographer George Brownrigg Dec 2018