Wind and waves on the Yargoi crossing, today and tomorrow, in plain words — plus the standing pattern and how to cross as safely as possible.
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Bonthe has no bridge and no fixed timetable — the way on and off Sherbro Island is a boat across open water. This page reads the wind and waves on the Yargoi crossing for today and tomorrow, in plain words, so you have some idea what the water is doing before you walk to the wharf.
Right now: slight seas (waves around 0.6 m), light air (about 5 km/h, gusts to 22).
Much the same through the day.
| When | Looks like | Waves | Wind | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning — around the usual ~8am boat out of Bonthe | slight seas, a light breeze | up to 0.5 m | up to 20 km/h in gusts | a shower possible |
| Afternoon — around the usual ~4pm boat from Yargoi | slight seas, a light breeze | up to 0.6 m | up to 27 km/h in gusts | about 9 mm of rain |
Much the same through the day.
| When | Looks like | Waves | Wind | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning — around the usual ~8am boat out of Bonthe | slight seas, light air | up to 0.6 m | up to 17 km/h in gusts | about 3 mm of rain |
| Afternoon — around the usual ~4pm boat from Yargoi | slight seas, a gentle breeze | up to 0.7 m | up to 26 km/h in gusts | about 8 mm of rain |
Departures follow the tide and the load, not the clock: boats leave when the water and the number of passengers allow. The times above are the pattern people report, not a promise.
This water has taken lives
In January 2023, eleven people drowned in Bonthe District when an overloaded market boat capsized in heavy waves — a vessel that had been suspended for failing safety checks and was operating anyway.
Travel on registered vessels, let the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration staff record your name at departure, and wear the lifejacket if one is offered. If a boatman or the Maritime Administration says the water is not right, believe them.
Nothing on this page is a green light. The decision to cross belongs to the people at the wharf who can see the water — the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration is the authority on which vessels may sail.
Forecast updated 9 July at 22:26. Wave and wind figures are open-water model forecasts for the open water of the Sherbro estuary, on the Yargoi crossing, not readings from a boat — conditions in channels and near the shore differ. The words follow two published descriptive scales (the Douglas sea scale for waves, the Beaufort scale for wind); they describe the water and are never a judgement that a crossing is safe to make. Weather and marine data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).