All around out ocean coastlines we have to deal with currents of one type or another. The rising and falling of the tide can create tidal currents that affect navigation and where we choose to anchor for the night. Here’s a good guide from our British fiends at Sailing Today who know a thing or two about sailing in thin water.
Clive Loughlin looks at the effects of tidal flow and how they can be managed and used to our advantage
If I had the choice between sailing in tidal or non-tidal waters I would chose tidal every time. However, many of the people I teach have only previously sailed in the Mediterranean or Baltic and regularly come unstuck in UK waters. My aim with this article is to pass on a ‘feeling’ for the tides and to highlight those areas that may trip up the unwary.
Tides show their presence in both the flow (tidal stream) of water and in the change of depth (tidal height). They follow a roughly six-hour cycle between high and low water. In the Solent, we regularly experience tidal streams of up to four knots and a tidal range of 4m. The streams are probably a bit higher than the average for the coast of the UK, but the range is very typical. Tides have a fundamental effect on our sailing activities and take up at least 50% of our considerations. Read more.
