Sailboat struggling against fast current in Deception Pass

[TheMokamola]

that sailboat didnt even have the sail raised

[otissumnerbrown]

That boat has a maximum speed of about 6 knots.  (Water-line Length). Good luck!

[Clearly69]

I take it the sailboat dude isn't the sweetest cookie in the jar. Some people never learn.

[davemakesawave]

strange how the yacht didn't go very fast when travelling from right to left but it sped up a bit when it turned around and went left to right.

[NoiseMostBeautiful]

he needs more cowbell! actually what he needs is a tidal change... there's the easy way, then there's this way.

[AmericanFrog]

just check the tides, deception pass is the most notorious pass in the northwest south of canada. This guy was lucky not to get into more serious trouble. This stuff is easily avoidable with a little planning. And if one can't wait for slack, go through the swinomish channel past laconner, you might still fight the current but it will be much safer.

[grimreaper73051]

Hold on a sec... you are making fun of someone in a yacht sailboat and you are in a canoe? Not to mention you sound like a nerd in the video laughing with your lame remarks 'ride em cowboy'. If you capsize in your mighty canoe, you better pray someone comes by in a 27ft yacht to save you. They may just sit around film and laugh (as you do here) while you are struggling in the water capsized.

[aerodicus]

While waiting for the tide change at Seymour Narrows BC, I witnessed a large container ship plow into the current, get spun around, show it's bottom and loose half it's cargo. If you've got any type of deep draft, large keel, etc, you would be wise to wait for slack tide.

[aerodicus]

Typical sail boater.

[sailingandmusic]

Bosnsmate. that's not really correct. If he turned around (if it were safe to do so and not a risk of losing steerage and crashing into the shore), he would be able to go down current. Maximum hull speed refers to SPEED THROUGH THE WATER, not SPEED OVER GROUND. If the current is 7 knots, his boat could theoretically make 14 knots over ground if the engine could push his boat at 7 knots through the water. More info on wikipedia: hull speed.

[tausap]

It is only the relative speed of the boat through the water which affects hull speed and steerage. If the boat is drifting downstream in a 7 knot current with no power, it will be doing 7 knots groundspeed, but hull speed is not maxed-out because it is not moving, relative to the water, so there is no steerage. The boat can go faster than the current downstream.  It can add throttle and the groundspeed of the boat will be the boat speed plus current speed and it will have steerage.

[sunsetsbythesea]

lol, GO GO GO GO GO!

[bosnsmate]

A tanzer has say a seven knot hull speed and the current is say seven or eight knots. Being that he can't go faster than the current there is no way he can retain steerage way while pointing downstream. This is why he gets swept down after he opts to turn around. A better strategy would have been to throttle down his engine to six knots and let the current take him at one knot down stream while at the same time retaining control of his vessel.

[tigertensing]

@bosnsmate That is very interesting and informative. Thanks for your comment.

[lasersailorman]

@bosnsmate That may have worked but you have to remember the control of the vessel is not based on land speed but the speed of water flow over the control surfaces so powering with the current at hull speed (say 6 knots as you say) is relative to the water not the land so although the vessel is know moving down current at say 14 knot (as seen by an observer on land) he is not over his hull speed with only 6 knots of apparent water speed and as such still has stearage.

[lasersailorman]

@bosnsmate That may have worked but you have to remember the control of the vessel is not based on land speed but the speed of water flow over the control surfaces so powering with the current at hull speed (say 6 knots as you say) is relative to the water not the land so although the vessel is know moving down current at say 14 knot (as seen by an observer on land) he is not over his hull speed with only 6 knots of apparent water speed and as such still has steerage.

[froggener]

@bosnsmate A better strategy would have been to look at a tide table ahead of time and not try to go through the pass when the current is against you :)

[runnerdude1990]

@bosnsmate Except the fact that he is in the current. Which means if he was going at seven knots and the current was at seven knots then he would be traveling at 14 knots relative to the beach. Which means he could retain control of his vessel. It's basic physics man. So whoever this is don't listen to him.

[Tom6093]

Not the best Kayaking postions

[warspite2]

Any of you ever been in a motorboat when your motor quits? Think the sailboat was in trouble? If the motor quits on a motorboat you are in BIG trouble! Trust me I know, been there more then once. Pray to the lord you are not in high winds and waves, you won't have a trusty sail to hoist up and save you. You will be thrown around like a toy, no where to run or hide especially in open water. Eventually you will take on water faster then the bilge can pump it out. Next thing, you will sink.

[frewcc]

@warspite2 have you ever been on a sailboat when the sail rips? or the mast collapses? thats just as likely as a motor failing beyond repair. something has to go seriously wrong. i have been powerboating for 40 years and never had an issue that i could not repair at sea.

[warspite2]

@frewcc you are correct that can happen. the thing is, if it does i have 3 other sails that can get me back. if the mast collapses, i can turn my motor on. so there are just more options to get me back. most powerboats have one motor, if it dies you are stuck unless you can get that thing started. then it is scary if you are 30 miles out and a storm is approaching. if you have never had an issue in 40 years, you have been pretty lucky. oh and yes a sailboat's only motor can die too, lol.

[frewcc]

@warspite2 no youre ignorant about powerboats. all ocean going powerboats have more than one motor, usually counter rotating props. 3 or 4 is not uncommon. often one motor won't get you home on plane, but it'll still get you home faster than a sailboat. heck even most freshwater fishing boats have a kicker or trolling motor which will take you home if the main fails. i have had issues, but NONE that i could not repair on the sea. 99.99% of engine problems are caused by operator error.

[hmmcrunchy]

bet he crapped himself going with the tide.. no steering at all

[harveykarisma]

The sailboat operator is a fool to have gotten himself into that position. Anyone who navigates Deception or any other NW pass knows what the currents are. One should only attempt it at near slack water in a displacement boat.

[poopyapple1]

well if a sail boats under power with no sails then it too is a power boat but it common curtisy not to rock the crap out of sailboats from a larger non sail boat

[seahog32]

no, it is not...unfortunately...it only should be

[tigertensing]

I don't blame the power boats. My interest, as a kayaker, is that the power boat wakes, flowing into the tidal current, become higher and steeper causing great turbulence. This also happens with wind wave hitting an opposing current. The effect was worsened in this case because the waves were reflected off of the cliff at the side of the pass. This is a process that kayakers need to understand to be safe on tidal waters. It was the tidal current that held the sailboat back not the power boats.

[gary32080]

All this hate for power boats. Was not the sailboat under "power" too ? I didn't see the sails raised. The guy should have checked the tide schedule.

[WiiGeee]

@gary32080 indeed, she was a power driven vessel according to the rules

[awuma]

Sigh. Somebody doesn't know an elementary rule. The hull speed of a Tanzer like this is under 7 knots, no matter the power of its engine (within limits of sanity...), so he should have waited for the tide to turn. The powerboats had little effect other than causing discomfort. Of course, powerboats can plane, and even then you see they make slow headway.

[tigertensing]

That's interesting about the hull speed of that sailboat. If he had waited 2 hrs he could have motored through easily on the weakened current. The power boats did have a powerful effect in creating turbulence that bothered the sailboat. They were desplacement boats and were not plaining. Their wakes were flowing into and against the current causing the waves become steeper and higher. Uncomfortable for the sailboat, as you said.

[awuma]

I learned how to use tides to one's advantage going up the Hudson River, where the currents can be 4 knots (recall the A320 ditching recently...). With the flow, you motor. When it's ebb, you dock or anchor, and sleep. One can do the upstream run more quickly than the downstream. Funny how quickly the sailboat disappears downstream in this video when it turns tail :-)

[tigertensing]

Actually, the sailboat wasn't going anywhere against the current. He was going nowhere for almost 20 minutes before he turned away. The power boats churned the water and made for a rough ride, but it was the current that stopped him. His motor just wasn't powerful enough for the conditions. I think he should have given up long before the power boats came on the scene.

[svvillekulla]

I'm as prejudiced against power boaters as the next sailor, but in this case I agree. I've been through this pass many times and his way was not stopped by the powerboats. He tried to get through on a flood and just was too late after slack water.

[skriku]

stupid power boats... that sailboat was doing pretty good before everyone got in his way. probly could have made it too.

[JRC808]

fucking asshole powerboats, anyways are the currents always that bad or is it just tidal?

[tigertensing]

It is tidal current. There is a short slack period before the current reverses. Current was around 6 knots in the video.

[msf60khz]

Motor boats are really a menace.

[sperry06]

idiot

[ctmcmull1]

Ya know, sometimes you need to just chill out, find a calm eddy, throw down a hook, and wait for slack tide. You learn that pretty quick when you're under sail and oar alone