What is the issue?
Sailing in tidal waters requires constant vigilance and quick maths to make the best use of currents. As the tide times are constantly changing and there are many distractions on a sailing vessel, it is easy to forget the tidal times or make an error of maths.Why address this?
Not paying attention to tidal conditions, or making an error of judgement on the tide, could prevent you from entering and exiting a harbour or having to slog for hours against a foul tide. It could very well result in the above pictured lean of shame.How to address this?
A very simple way to keep track of the tides is to make a simple tidal indicator out of cardboard and mount it around the ship's clock. Then just nudge it on each tide cycle.
With this mounted on the clock, as illustrated above indicating high water at 1 pm, it makes it possible to see at a glance what the current status of the tide is. This is a zero cost and very effective guide.
With thanks to:
Michael Harpur, Yacht Obsession.
A photograph is worth a thousand words. We are always looking for bright sunny photographs that illustrate this experience. If you have some images that we could use please upload them here. All we need to know is how you would like to be credited for your work and a brief description of the image if it is not readily apparent. If you would like us to add a hyperlink from the image that goes back to your site please include the desired link and we will be delighted to that for you.
Add your review or comment:
Please log in to leave a review of this tip.
eOceanic makes no guarantee of the validity of this information, you must read our legal page. However, we ask you to help us increase accuracy. If you spot an inaccuracy or an omission on this page please contact us and we will be delighted to rectify it. Don't forget to help us by sharing your own experience.