The Harbour Wall

The open ocean is the most dangerous area to sail in. There are two key reasons for this. It is very hard to spot anybody in trouble, due to the distance away from the beach and the sizeable swell that can be present. The second reason is that the current in the open ocean does not flow into the bay, but towards the right and past Montana Roja. Right next to the mountain the water can accelerate to between 4 and 6 knots. This means that any sailor who is in trouble or can’t sail upwind effectively will get carried away. The only thing the sailor can do is to sail perpendicular to the current and clamber up whatever rocky shoreline presents itself on the other side of Montana Roja.

The Harbour Wall is a short upwind sail away from the sandy launch beach at South Bay. This is the windiest part of the bay, and there is nearly always a decent wave to ride. It is accessed by launching at the sandy beach at South Bay, then sailing upwind and putting in a few tacks inside the shelter of the bay before arriving to the outside of the harbour wall.

The north-east trade wind blows cross-onshore from the left of the harbour wall, and the waves break onto the reef of the wall’s outer edge.

In the area of the harbour wall there are two wave spots, the ‘Wall’ and the ‘Bunker’.  Both are well positioned to catch swell and they regularly do. The best waves are on lower tides when the period between them tends to stretch out a bit more, but the shallow water on the inside can catch your fins.

The ‘Wall’ is an ideal location to try wave sailing, as the current drags less experienced wave sailors away from the reef into the deeper water if they make a mistake. Advanced wave sailors can wait upwind for the best sets which allow five or so bottom turns before the wave closes out.

To the left of the ‘Wall’, the ‘Bunker’ can provide a very big wave which allows two or three frontside turns, but is not sailed very often due to its shallow reef and strong currents. It is very easy to end up on the rocks if you fall in. It can also be popular with surfers due to the quality of the wave, and they must be respected by keeping a distance away from them.

The only time to avoid the harbour wall is from two hours before to two hours after high tide. At that time the waves hit the harbour wall and bounce back forming a backwash that mixes with the original waves and results in very choppy water. The stronger wind found at the harbour wall area also means that a slightly smaller sail can be used, for example a 4.7m rather than a 5m if sailing elsewhere.

The spot also works with a southerly or south-westerly wind from the right.