Crossing Conditions

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.

Crossing Conditions — Bonthe - Town Tools

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.

On the water — Bonthe ↔ Yargoi

Right now: slight seas (waves around 0.5 m), light air (about 3 km/h, gusts to 8).

Today · Fri 12 Jun

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 0.7 m	up to 18 km/h in gusts	a shower possible
Afternoon — around the usual ~4pm boat from Yargoi	slight seas, a gentle breeze	up to 0.6 m	up to 28 km/h in gusts	about 13 mm of rain

Tomorrow · Sat 13 Jun

Much the same through the day.

When	Looks like	Waves	Wind	Rain
Morning — around the usual ~8am boat out of Bonthe	smooth water, a light breeze	up to 0.5 m	up to 19 km/h in gusts	a shower possible
Afternoon — around the usual ~4pm boat from Yargoi	smooth water, a light breeze	up to 0.5 m	up to 23 km/h in gusts	about 8 mm of rain

The crossing, normally

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.

The usual pattern: One wooden passenger boat (a "pam-pam", about 30 seats) a day each way: out of Bonthe around 8am, back from Yargoi around 4pm, roughly 2 hours on the water.
The other route: From Mattru Jong, the regular transport boat comes down the Jong River to Bonthe — most travellers overnight in Mattru Jong first.
Where to ask: At the wharf, or listen to Radio Bontico 96.4 FM. There is no published boat schedule anywhere — this page can read the water, not the boatmen's plans.

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 12 June at 19:22. 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).