Sailing Weather - Module C: case ID = w22, page 3

This module was not based around a specific incident, but was based around a particularly strong inflow into Howe Sound. Bowen Island is also a popular weekend destination for sailors, since it is only a few hours from downtown Vancouver by boat and so this is a common trip that people make.

In this instance, the winds had actually picked up to 15 knots by 08:00 and continued to build throughout the day, reaching almost 30 knots by 17:00, hence the strong wind would have prevented any fog formation. The current was ebbing until about 13:30 at First Narrows, meaning if you tried to go any earlier, you would have been travelling against the current, which would slow you down considerably. Given that you can only motor at about 5 knots, and the current was ebbing 4.8 knots under the bridge at 13:29, you would have been travelling exactly 0.2 knots if you happened to leave early and reach the bridge by this time. However, if you left near the turn of the tide (12:38), you would have the current travelling with you (flooding) as you returned to Vancouver. So if you were motoring at 5 knots, and you had 3 knots of current going with you, you could have actually been travelling 8 knots over the bottom!

The winds were coming from the south, fluctuating between the southeast and southwest throughout the day. This could create dangerous conditions in the short segment you travel from Snug Cove to Point Atkinson when it blew against the ebbing tide. Wind against current can create some pretty big choppy waves and you would have had to make lots of small tacks to reach Point Atkinson before turning towards Vancouver.

You didn’t know the winds were going to build, so you could argue for leaving around 17:00 and using the current to travel quickly back to Vancouver, however it is always a good idea to use precaution. The last time you checked the weather was on Friday and you can’t be sure of how the weather is going to behave on Sunday. Given this uncertainty, you should always allow extra time to reach your destination so that you don’t meet with unexpected conditions and arrive after dark.

Related Stories and Links

There is an annual ‘Martin Marine Round Bowen Race’ every June with over 100 boats and a single start, making it one of the biggest single start races on the west coast!

Bowen Island is also a popular destination for commercial charters taking tourists out for day or overnight sailing adventures.

Here are some useful links for weather in Howe Sound and southwest BC:

Sailflow

Weather Talk for BC

GlobalSailingWeather.com

“The anchorages and marinas in Howe Sound are pretty well all protected from weather. The only mild downside is the rolling wake of the ferry traffic which is really insignificant considering all the positives here. In my sail boat, Bowen [as a] destination is only a couple of hours from Vancouver motoring or sailing so it's a great outing for an overnight trip.” – William Hay. See full blog post here.

“Currents from Howe Sound and Burrard Inlet meet off Point Atkinson, and create rough seas. Wind makes them worse. When the wind is up it produces a difficult 4-5 foot chop-sometimes higher in the middle of the strait away from land influences. Strait of Georgia seas are steep and close together. A well-handled boat often can run with these seas, but taken on the bow or beam they are no fun at all. Dangerous 8-foot seas are not unknown, especially off points or in channels where mountains funnel and accelerate the wind. Even in calm conditions, you will find tide-rips off many of the points, and wherever passes or channels join the strait. When the current flows out of a pass or inlet into the strait, confusion results. Add wind, and big confusion results.” Source

“Howe sound is famous (infamous) for the [inflow and] outflow winds. Things can look and be normal out in the strait but you will have strong winds that come down off the mountains and funnel right down Howe Sound. Years ago I worked at a marina on the sound and have witnessed several water spouts making their way down. Weather channels on the VHF is usually good with forecasting ‘strong outflow winds’. They can make an otherwise normal day a bit more ‘interesting’.” – Cruiserforum.com

If you could start over for this particular case study (knowing the actual outcome from Step 7), what would you do differently?

For example, would you make a different decision?

Would you want more or different data to help you make your decision (if so, which data), etc.

Enter your statements into the UBC Canvas system, for the module: Sailing Weather w22 Step 10.

These count towards your grade (for grade weights, see the Evaluation link from the course home page). The grade is based on the relevance of your statements for the scenario of this learning module, and on the indication that you learned from your mistakes (if any), not on the amount of statements you make. Please be brief/succinct.