Seasonal· Culebra· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Winter north swell (Flamenco Bay)
18° 20.3′ N · 65° 18.9′ W · approximate
From late fall through spring, cold fronts and distant Atlantic storms send long northerly swells onto Culebra's north coast, turning Flamenco and the other north-facing bays dangerous.
Practical
Position is the Virgintino guide's Flamenco entrance waypoint (18°20.30'N, 65°18.92'W), used here to pin the hazard. Coast Pilot 5 (ch. 13): waters are roughest off the north and west coasts in winter and midsummer; from November to April cold fronts shift winds south, then southwest and northwest before returning northeast. The Virgintino guide warns Flamenco is vulnerable to swells and northers and that Culebrita's Tortuga Bay, open to the northeast, is untenable in a norther. In north swell, retreat to Ensenada Honda.
Best for
Knowing when to leave the north-coast anchorages
Season
Nov–Apr fronts and northers; also occasional midsummer