Seasonal· Cat Island· Bahamas — Eleuthera, Andros & the Out Islands

Cat Island west-coast exposure in fronts

24° 17.3′ N · 75° 25.7′ W · approximate

Almost every Cat Island anchorage faces west across Exuma Sound, so each winter cold front, as the wind clocks south, west and north, sends 30-plus miles of fetch straight into them.

Eleuthera

Practical

Coordinate is the New Bight anchorage, used as a representative point. Leave before the wind goes SW. Refuges: Hawk's Nest marina (all-round), Smith Bay harbour (tiny; arrive early), Howe Bay/Port Howe on the south-east coast (good in W-N but rolly), and Bennett's Harbour or Alligator Point once the wind is N-NE. Swell lags the wind by hours, and cruisers say to skip Cat with any west in the forecast (2015). Fronts typically pass every week or so from about November to April.

Best for

Planning your Cat Island stay around winter fronts

Season

Nov–Apr cold fronts

Nearby