January 25, 2010
An unusually strong weather system pushed down the North Atlantic over the New Year's holiday, sending high swells into one of the charter season's busiest Caribbean weeks.
Waves were so bad on New Years Eve that St. Barths marinas asked vessels to leave Gustavia Harbour.
"The swells were coming up over the docks," reported one captain who asked not to be identified. "Our guests requested to be at anchor so it was no big deal for us."
"We were in the BVIs [for New Year's] and the weather was terrible," said Capt. Brad Tate of M/Y El Jefe. "The swell was menacing for two weeks. We had a lot of high surf warnings on the north-facing coasts. Made for some rolly times at anchor. The surge is pretty bad right now [Jan. 5] just in the harbor here at Yacht Haven Grande [in St. Thomas]."The National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico, described the event as the "remnants of a frontal boundary/shear line" causing a group of "large, long period, north-northwest swells".In addition, local tradewinds increased when strong surface high pressure moved across the western Atlantic."The combination of these winds and swells will produce rough and confused seas," the service reported on Dec. 30. Breaking waves of 10-16 feet were expected through the holiday weekend. One buoy a bit east of Puerto Rico reported a 7-foot swell.Despite the "confused seas," some mariners enjoyed the event."The anchorage was beautiful filled with yachts of all shapes and sizes: Pelorus, Octopus, C2 and ... the new Oasis," reported a captain. "The fleet stretched from Grande Pointe east of Shell Beach into Colombier Bay. It would be cool to have an aerial shot of it."
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