Sailboat struggling against fast current in Deception Pass

Movie taken from a canoe sitting in an eddy at Deception Pass while a sailboat struggles against overpowering currents, and turbulence caused by passing power boats

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Deception Pass
• tidal
• currents
• races
• tide rips
• eddies
• waves
• boats
• ocean
• speed
• against
• nature
• water sports

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[TheMokamola]

that sailboat didnt even have the sail raised

[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.

[otissumnerbrown]

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

[WiiGeee]

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

[Clearly69]

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

[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 :)

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.