[C320-list] Lightning

[Jack Brennan]

Hi again, Tom:

One last note:

Lightning season basically coincides with the hurricane season, although you will get some at all times of the year.

>From November through March, the bigger concern is the cold fronts that tend to roll down from up north every seven to 10 days. They cause what people in the Caribbean call Christmas winds – 20 or 25 knots out of the northeast-east that make for some challenging sailing.

These conditions have been known to last for as long as two weeks at a time. The Gulfstream off Florida can reach 10 feet or higher in what are called square waves. Basically, you are running into solid walls of water. 

As you can imagine, everyone who sails down here has an opinion on how to deal with this weather in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. One semi-controversial book called Gentlemen Don’t Sail To Weather is thought to have many good ideas in it and some not so good.

In eastern Florida, most boats are trapped in harbor in these conditions because you have to run narrow, cranky inlets to get to the ocean.

The best time of year for sailing in Florida and the Bahamas is late March through about mid-June. Both cold fronts and thunderstorms are rare. Temperatures are in the 70s and 80s. That’s when I cruise.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Vere, Fl.



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