Estimated read time: ~2 minutes

Hi, this is Matt with the Yacht Warriors, the only newsletter that makes makes sure someone will be at the fuel dock to help you with your lines.

Here's what I have for you today:

• 🦑 Record amounts of sargassum seaweed has invaded the Caribbean
• 🏝️ A better way to plan for your next charter trip
• ⛈️ The resources I use to monitor hurricane season

Sargassum invasion of the Caribbean

This season is on track to be a record breaker for sargassum.

The Biden administration has even issued a Disaster Declaration for the US Virgin Islands to help with water production in St. Croix, affected by the sargassum.

How the Sargassum can affect your charter trip:

• It can clog your yacht water intakes, which could put engines or generators temporarily out of service (make sure you know how to clear the impeller!)
• The atmosphere at your favorite beach might be ruined, and it stinks
• Watch out for those fishing lines, you might be clearing them frequently
• Marine life can be killed

The good news is that even if the nuisance seaweed is present in your charter area, it's usually possible to find anchorages that are sargassum-free due to prevailing weather conditions.

Charter trip planning: a better way

Last year, I wrote about how our crew uses a collaboration tool, Notion, to help plan for our sailing trips.

It keeps everyone informed, minimizes emails, and centralizes resources such as weather links for quick access.

I cleaned up the tool, using BVI as the destination, and I would love to share it with you, it's free!

It's packed with good stuff. Customize it and invite your crew to design the trip together.

• Boat briefing checklist
• Sailing itinerary
• Crew manifest
• Packing list
• Sailing resources, and more

Here's how to get it:

• Visit the product page hosted on Gumroad
• Enter "$0" and click "I want this"
• Enter your email (it is not shared with anyone)
• Click the Notion link and the template will open
• Explore the template or click "Duplicate" to make it your own
• That's it!
• If you like it, please give me a rating to help others find it

Hurricane season resources

So far it's been a relatively quiet hurricane season, which is a relief after the last couple of years.

In early November 2020 (which became the most active hurricane season on record), I had a bareboat trip booked to Key West and the Dry Tortugas. Safe enough right, towards the end of hurricane season?

Wrong.

Hurricane Eta was beginning to form and was forecasted to move directly in our path during the middle of our trip.

I'd been following possible model developments for weeks, so I did what any prudent skipper would have done.

I saved the trip 48 hours before departure by moving far out of the path of the hurricane, to the Spanish Virgin Islands!

So what was I watching to help inform that decision?

1. ​NOAA's Hurricane Center provides the official forecast and should be consulted for any decision making
2. If you want to see a greater range of outcomes, perhaps before there is actually a named storm, I use Tropical Tidbits to look at the different weather models. Dr. Levi Cowan, the site's owner, is also a great follow on Twitter/ Instagram/ Youtube for unofficial, but extremally helpful information.

Anchorage of the month: Salt Whistle Bay, Grenadines

Salt Whistle Bay in Mayreau, St Vincent & the Grenadines, offers a laid-back old school Caribbean vibe.

If you enjoyed the newsletter, I'd appreciate if you could share it with others who do the boat trip thing! Here's a link you can use. Thanks!!