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Sucia Small Boat RendezvousTides |
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The tides in the San Juans can hurry you on
your way or they can stop you dead, even make you go backwards.
The main reason for this is that when the tide rises in Georgia
Strait and other areas to the north, all that water has to come
around the south end of Vancouver Island, flowing past and through
the San Juans on the way. Then, as the tide drops again, the
same volume of water has to get back out! The narrow passages
between and around the islands constrict the flow, causing it to
move more quickly. I have measured it as high as 5 knots, by
GPS. This means that those of us who travel slowly should include the tides in our plans. The best source I know of for information about tidal currents is the Current Atlas published by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and available at most (Canadian) chart outlets. This Atlas consists of 93 charts, each covering the same area but portraying differing tidal states. To know which page to use, you can do your own calculation as described in the Atlas or you can buy one of the commercial booklets which will tell you which page to use for each hour of the calendar year. The Atlas is forever, the booklet is annual. Murphy's Tables and Ports and Passages are two common booklets.
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