Land breeze - by Geert

One of te remakable things about sailing along the coast of large, mountainous islands like Puerto Rico and Hispaniola is the land breeze. During the day the tradewinds blow steadily out of the east. At night, when the land cools off faster than the sea, the wind first dies, and than shifts to the north (along the southern coast, at least). This land breeze is often strong enought for good sailing. It is aslo quite predictable.

In order to reach the Bahia de las Aguilas we have to round Cabo Beata. This cape is known for strong currents and especially for big swells. The waves are biggest during the day, when thay are pushed up by the tradewinds. We will try to reach the cape at daybreak, when the land breeze dies. The tradewinds usually pick up around 9 AM, and today blow at 25 knots.