profile

Yacht Warriors

⛵ Navigating the Great Sargassum Bloom of 2023

Published about 1 year ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader,

It's Matt Weidert with the Yacht Warriors.

By now, you've surely heard the news...the sargassum is coming to ruin your Caribbean vacation. It could be a record breaking year.

And, there are already reports of the stuff washing up in large quantities, and on beaches it's not usually seen.

But let's not let it ruin all of the fun. I'm chartering in Antigua/Barbuda in a few weeks, and I'm not concerned about it. If you're sailing this year too, I have some tips so your crew can have an unforgettable trip, in spite of the stinky stuff.

  • Sargassum tracking
  • Finding the idyllic beach
  • Changing your fishing tactics
  • Sargassum-related maintenance fix

Sargassum tracking

The Sargassum Watch Project from USF is a helpful tool to track the larger patches of sargassum by satellite imagery. This rendering is from March 21, 2023. Reds indicate higher concentrations.

Here's how to see the latest sargassum map:

  • Open the webpage and click "SaWS Clickable Map"
  • Select the region
  • Choose the date, there is usually a 1-2 day delay
  • Click "Composite DOY 080", and then click "FA_UNET_DENSITY 7 Day Information"

Try the "Animate" to see how the sargassum is progressing over time.

While this is helpful to identify larger trends, there's no way to know for sure if your favorite beach will be impacted.

The Sargassum-free beach is out there

Beaches most exposed will be windward/eastward facing, but any beach is a potential victim. Passing disturbances or changing local ocean currents can wash up sargassum in unexpected places.

For example, check out this Virgin Islands map of local currents.

My advice? Keep looking, check webcams, ask around. The idyllic Caribbean beach is out there. And if you're on a yacht charter, you have plenty of flexibility.

Take our visit to Culebra for example. While Flamenco beach was partially impacted, the western (leeward) coast of Culebra was business as usual.

Last point on this: the Caribbean is dependent on tourist $$. I'd expect popular beaches with local establishments to make attempts at clean-up efforts.

Change your fishing tactics

There's nothing more frustrating than clearing weed from lines every 5 minutes. If you plan to go trolling, this is what I'd recommend:

  • Check the lines more frequently
  • Keep the lures closer to the boat and put out a smaller spread, to make clearing easier
  • Skip the diving lures - the resistance on a hung lure makes it difficult and time consuming to reel in

Another idea? Heave to next to a sargassum patch, toss out some chum, and drop down a jigging lure. Mahi love to hang out underneath the weed.

Have some ballyhoo? Try these weedless ballyhoo rigs.

Get ready for some DIY maintenance

You are motoring along in light winds, and then suddenly one of your catamaran engines dies. Or perhaps an engine alarm is blaring from overheating.

Sargassum present? It very well could be the culprit.

If you are bareboating, troubleshooting the water intake for the engine (or generator) is a great skill to arm yourself with. It might be clogged by sargassum at the intake, at the strainer, or somewhere in between. We even once successfully attacked the “somewhere in between” clog with our dinghy pump.

Fixing this yourself beats waiting for a charter company chase boat.

Check during your chart briefing about the proper way to handle this, and get the OK for the DIY fix. Either way, it's usually worth calling base ops to inform them of what you've encountered.

Not familiar with the approach, this youtube video from the Offshore Sailing School is a good intro.

Best of luck this year, and hope these tips were helpful!

-Matt

Yacht Warriors

Sailing Vacations

⛵ Ready to take the trip of a lifetime? I write a twice monthly, free newsletter with planning ideas for your next yacht charter trip: insider destination guides, sailing itineraries, and the latest news.

Read more from Yacht Warriors

Hi Reader, Reports are in: the BVI is buzzing with activity, reaching its peak around the Easter weekend. As the Yacht Warriors crew gears up for our BVI next adventure next month aboard a Lagoon 51, I’m hopeful the crowds will thin a bit. Meanwhile, I kicked off the provisioning for our journey, stowing away those essential hot sauces that no sailing trip can do without. Matouk's and Marie Sharp's are my two favorite hot sauces Safety update: recent groundings in BVI A quick note on safety,...

about 19 hours ago • 5 min read

Hi Reader, We just returned from an amazing land-based trip to St. Thomas for Spring Break. We stayed on the north shore, close to Magens Bay, and enjoyed wonderful vistas stretching all the way to the palm tree-lined shore of White Bay, Jost Van Dyke. Though our sea legs took a brief hiatus, our spirit for exploration remained as we ventured into locales beloved by bareboat charter crews. Here are the pearls of wisdom we unearthed during our visit that might help you on your next USVI or BVI...

9 days ago • 3 min read

Hi Reader, You may have heard the news already, but last week an incident occurred in Grenada that has sent ripples through the yachting and cruising community. In light of this, I want to offer our support to their family and guidance on charter safety. What happened? A catamaran located in Grenada, with two beloved members of the cruising community, was boarded by three recent prison escapees. The cat was later discovered by a good Samaritan abandoned off a beach on the southern coast of...

30 days ago • 2 min read
Share this post