There is nothing worse than spending nights wide awake in terror fending off other boats in an anchorage.  Distances are deceiving at night and it is also impossible to tell who is the offending party to a collision.  Last night, January 20, we were surrounded on all sides with boats and fairly boxed in.  The [text missing] only to see the boat moving at first toward one boat, then spinning back at another, and then barely missing another.  With the engine started, my crew mate and I spent the rest of the predawn hours "motoring" the boat while anchored in order to miss the other boats, who were also spinning in the wind and current, just kattywampus enough to bring us frightfully close at times.   The moral of this story is, 1) try not to get yourself cornered in an anchorage, 2) make sure your windlass is in excellent working order before you leave (the device is not just a convenience, it can mean your safety if you have to pull your anchor out of the water in dangerous conditions), 3)  Just because your anchor has been dug in for days doesn't mean it can't shift, 4) In difficult holding conditions, dive on your anchor daily to see if it is dug in and still where you left it, 5) Just because your GPS distance alarm doesn't go off doesn't mean you aren't spinning on your anchor line, and 6) megayachts are much mo [text missing] lso need to know what those conditions are IN ADVANCE of setting sail so that once you get to your destination, you can find the proper anchorage.   By proper anchorage, I mean a spot that provides some protection from the wind and wave conditions expected so that you can have a comfortable and safe place to anchor your boat.  Unless you enjoy rolling from gunwale to gunwale, a stressful "will-it-hold" anchor watch, or heaving and pitching all night, selecting your anchorage rather than a location in general is a vital component of your trip planning. 

I listed several sources of weather information available through SSB, VHF Radio, and AM/FM radio before my trip to the Bahamas.  Although all were somewhat helpful, some of the broadcasts provide just a "that day" forecast, or a general weather broadcast, or one so detailed (latitudes and longitudes of frontal movements, but no wind speed and direction forecasts for your particular area) that would take a meteorologist to interpret practicably.  My wish list for future trips would be to get an SSB modem and subscribe to a proprietary weather forecasting system.  A fellow cruiser showed me his system and says he can "download" a useful weather report for up to five days hence for any areas he requests.   Short of this, you need to modify your daily schedule to be at the radio listening to the NWN, Bahamas Net, or other source of information, so that you not only know which days you should travel, but which anchorages will likely provide the most comfortable and safe location while you are on-the-hook.