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Worst Inlet ever?

Discussion in 'Marinas & Waypoints' started by NEO56, Jan 15, 2015.

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  1. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    The DAs in the fancy canoe were not wearing PFDs
  2. GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    OK, here's a couple of questions from a boater with many years of experience but none crossing an inlet like those shown. I have been across the Columbia Bar a couple of times but it was pretty mild.

    Q#1, When lining up and picking your line, what are you looking for? I know about waves coming in sets, and timing your run to go with the smaller ones, but what else are you looking for?

    Q#2, In watching those vids it appears it was the waves hitting the stern that caused the boats to broach. Why not just power up a bit and try to keep up a speed (and course) that prevents the waves from hitting the stern of the boat. I understand this may not be possible with a full displacement boat, or maybe not with a semi-displacement boat, but would that work with a planing hull boat that has plenty of power to move faster than the waves?
  3. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I'm looking for both the current and the waves. Which way is the current running and where. It is possible with a planing hull and a lot of times I'll run near the top of the backside of a wave and ride it all of the way in almost like surfing. It depends on the situation.
  4. NEO56

    NEO56 Member

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    I watch how the waves "bounce" back from hitting the sides of the Inlet, the waves then become confused, in a following sea not only do you have waves behind you, you have waves coming back into the middle at different angles which can cause a larger broaching element.

    In a planing hull like a center console you have to be careful overpowering the wave and falling over the front, because the second you do you have a the wave you were riding now is pushing you into a pitch pole scenario, but amplified. If you have a following sea, with the tide in the same direction, you have to be moving faster than the two in order to maintain steerage, which can be very dangerous. As in most of the videos, the captains sit outside of the Inlet, not only to wait for the smaller waves of the set, but to visualize the dynamic of waves and current inside the confines of the Inlet. Inlet seamanship cannot be taught it has to be learned by doing. The Coast Guard uses the self righting boats they have to teach the newbies up in the Pacific Northwest. You have to be centered, wide stance, knees slightly bent, one hand on the wheel and one hand on the throttle(s). With twin inboards throttles alone will reduce the broaching effect 8 times out of 10. With outboards, you don't have that luxury, it's throttles and wheel. Every boat I've ever had, had an Edson steering knob mounted on the wheel, you can't switch between both hands on the wheel and then reaching over for throttles.
    A good learning experience is to go out on a real snotty day, and practice, slow down to displacement speed and run in the trough so the seas pass under the beam of your boat, it's a little UN-nerving, but you'll learn to feel what your boat is capable of. Then try and surf the back of a wave in a following sea without going over the front, then try the same drill at a 45 degree angle, and make the corrections to keep the boat right where you want her. And by snotty day, I'm talking 10-12 foot seas, regardless of the size of your boat. When you've mastered every drill you can think of, then you might be ready to run an Inlet. It's like NYCAP123 said "If I ever die aboard a boat, it'll probably be in an Inlet" or something very similar to that.

    Personally, I would never take the helm of a boat I was not familiar with and attempt a snotty Inlet. I don't know if you read I think it was NYCAP123 post, where he went from full throttle ahead, to full throttle reverse one time in an Inlet, and he doesn't run center consoles. Well GFC that's about all I can tell you, the rest you have to learn.

    I went back and reread Q#2 the waves weren't coming from one direction, if you look at K1W1's video, the waves were coming in from at least six different directions. Those Captains know from experience they are going to get tossed around, but they maintain enough speed to maintain steerage and they do their best to stay as close to the middle of the channel as they can. I would dare say they are commercial fishermen and have run that Inlet in snotty conditions at least 500 times. They've learned slow and in the middle is the best way to navigate. It took me 45 minutes to write this...I was in the process of cooking and enjoying two Venison steaks I got last week. My Neighbor shot a couple last week.
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2015
  5. Kafue

    Kafue Senior Member

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    The one factor I try to avoid is coming into an inlet, or Bar in Australia and NZ, with a run out tide. I the swell and winds are strong then you have steep waves and a washing machine effect. The more turbulence the less bight your props have..
  6. GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    Thanks for the replies. Here on the Columbia River we often get ~6' waves in some stretches of the river, but nothing larger.

    Last year I helped take a boat from Seattle to Stockton, CA and we encountered some 10'-12' waves on about 12-15 seconds interval. That wasn't much of a fun day, but it was doable. The boat we were on (58' Bayliner MY) seemed to bounce around a lot more than my boat (55' Sea Ray Sedan Bridge). It seemed like we were on a cork because we were being tossed around so much. I asked the owner about the weight of the boat and the number he gave me was about 10,000 pounds lighter than mine. I expect that would make some difference, but also make it a bit slower to respond to throttle changes.

    Kafue, timing the entry to an inlet or bar is crucial. When we crossed the Columbia Bar twice (in and out) on the way to CA we timed our arrival to coincide with the slack tide and that made a big difference. The waves were only about 2' and not an issue at all.

    Thanks again guys for sharing your experience.