It is Saturday morning and Vinni and I had planned on hoisting our anchor and sailing to the Tuamutos Atolls today. We have provisioned the boat and made Capri ready for sea (it is a four day passage to the Tuamutos). Yesterday we checked the weather forecasts and while the sailing conditions for the trip to the Tuamutos looked benign, they looked anything but benign when we would get there (Tuesday). The winds are supposed to increase from a normal trade wind (12-15 knots) to the double, 25-30 knots, meaning gale force.

28 knots, meaning gusts close to 40 knots!!!!

The swells will increase from 1.5 meters to over 4 meters. This absolutely not weather to arrive at the Tuamutos in.

Did I mention 4+ meter high swells (14 feet)

Such heavy winds and high swells will create currents through the coral passages of up to 9-10 knots. On top of that we can risk seeing the wind against the current raising one or more three to four meter high standing waves in the passage. Conditions like those make a reef passage extremely risky, if not impossible.

At any rate, Vinni and I have no reason to make the attempt. So we, and three-four other boats will simply stay here until next Tuesday or Wednesday. Assuming the forecast holds, the weather will have eased and conditions will be back to benign.

Being a cruiser means never being sure when or where you can sail.