144 OBSBEVATIONS ON THE WINDS. 



across and breaks heavily on the Northern shores of these islands. — 

 Lieutenant Carpenter, B.N., 1880. 



(67.) The Bahama Islands are aU within the influence of the Trade 

 Winds. Their lowness, of course, exempts them from the rogular land 

 wind ; but in the summer season a light breeze frequently comes from the 

 Florida shore in the night, and reaches the Western side of the Little 

 Bahama Bank, but no farther. At this period the wind generally prevails 

 to the Southward of East, and the more so as their N.W. extreme is 

 approached ; the weather is then very variable, and squalls rush down 

 with great violence, accompanied with heavy rains and an oppressive 

 atmosphere. They are within the zone of Hurricanes, and a year seldom 

 passes without their being visited by a heavy gale at least, from the S.E., 

 which inflicts serious damage both on shore and at sea. 



In the winter months, from about November till the middle of March, 

 the Trade Wind is fiequently interrupted by N.W. and North winds. In 

 December and January this may be expected almost weekly. Previously 

 to this change the wind will draw round to the South and S.W. In about 

 twenty-four hours, or less, dark masses of clouds will be seen rising from 

 the Westward, and in a short time the wind wiU rush down suddenly from 

 that quarter with the force of a double or treble-reefed top-sail breeze. It 

 vnU soon veer round to the N.W. and North, with clear weather, and re- 

 main between these points two or three days. It will then haul gradually 

 to the N.E., perhaps with increased force, accompanied by heavy squalls, 

 and wear itself out at East in the course of a few days. The barometer is 

 scarcely any guide. 



(68.) Among the local winds of the West Indies are the Bayamos, violent 

 gusts which blow from the land on the South side of Cuba, and are so 

 termed from being felt more severely off the Bight of Bayamo or Buena 

 Esperanza, than off any other part of the coast. 



When heavy and dense clouds gather over the mountains, a Bayamo 

 blast may be expected ; after this, the surest prognostic is the thunder, 

 which invariably precedes the gust ; it is therefore advisable to take in all 

 sail with the greatest expedition, so soon as the first or more distant clap 

 of thunder is heard, the wind following it almost immediately. Fortu- 

 nately, however, these dreadful squalls are of short duration ; but, as a 

 repetition of them frequently occurs at intervals of half an hour or an hour, 

 great attention is necessary, especially during the night, to prevent the 

 ship being unprepared ; as it is almost certain that, if she were overtaken 

 by one of these squalls, whilst under sail, she would either upset or lose 

 her masts. 



These sudden tempests are attended with sheet and forked lightning, 

 vivid in the extreme ; and the flashes following each other in quick succes- 

 sion, have the momentary effect of illuminating every object, and leave 

 behind them a sort of blue indescribable appearance ; the sea is whitened 

 with foam, and the rain falls in torrents, surpassing any, perhaps, witnessed 

 in other regions ; for it appears as if the clouds had opened their store of 

 waters to deluge the earth ; in fact, we cannot better describe the extreme 

 heaviness of the shower, than by giving the sailor's observation on it, 

 namely, that it "comes down by buckets full." The Bayamo Squall, how- 



