Georgia Strait

Different postings over time have talked about crossing Georgia Strait. On a good day it can be great, other days less so. I thought to upload a very short clip from earlier this year. Picture worth a thousand words sort of thing. Weather was nothing too extreme - 20-25 kn from memory. Imagine what it can get like in a real blow!

This is a 50' trawler. Bow is about ~7' up from the waterline.

http://youtu.be/9WFBFS5NZA4


(Apologies about the radio squelch...)

Steep & deep, with a short wave period...sounds familar!

We've been out in similar conditions once with our 30 footer, and it's something I'll endeavor to avoid doing again

Georgia St 25+K J/44 working sails beating close on the wind 8k for several hours. I have also been there in my 38 ft lobster boat. The sailboat has its rail down(it takes a bit of wind to rail down a J/44 with working sails) but was a much dryer and better ride than the power boat. The power boat was heavy water on the windshield constantly and an uncomfortable motion. With my present boat I try to cross when flat and turn on the afterburners so I am not caught out there if wind picks up.

Several years ago we were following a 45' power boat with our old Camano 31. As we made the turn out of Gabriola pass and past Silva Bay we saw the boat ahead hit several waves. When we saw his bow and anchor rise up over his flybridge we decided to turn around. So did he. We both anchored in Silva Bay and 4 hours later it was calm as glass.

oh great look I get to look forward too next year. Well no time schedule so sit and wait till I like the weather....

Best time to cross the Strait of Georgia is as early in the morning as one can go. This gets you across before the winds start coming down out of the valleys. We always use Silva Bay as our jump-off harbor as a straight course across the Strait to Merry Island takes one south of Whiskey Golf so it doesn't matter if it's active or not.

An often bad spot on the Strait is off Qualicum Beach on the Vancouver Island side. As I understand it the wind comes through the mountains from the Pacific up Alberni Inlet, the big fjord that leads from Barkley Sound back to Port Alberni and sweeps out onto the Strait in the area of Qualicum Beach. The rest of the Strait can be like a lake but it can be quite wild in that one area.

I cross Georgia straight regularly from my home berth in Captains Cove on the Fraser river. One of the most dangerous areas is the mouth of the Fraser river with an ebb tide and North West winds. A few years ago a Herring boat capsized with four lives lost at the mouth of the Fraser. Another scary spot is coming out of Porlier pass, into the straight with a North west wind. If your not aware of it, the rollers and wind will catch you abeam.

Another bad spot can be off Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island south of Comox. The winds come in from the Pacific through the mountains up Alberni Inlet and spill out over Georgia Strait in the vicinity of Qualicum Beach. The Strait can be a lake everywhere else but be riled up pretty nasty right there.

Marin said:

Another bad spot can be....

Click to expand...

You mentioned Merry Island up the page and two of my roughest hours were just south and just north of Welcome Pass.

Heading south it was so bad we could barely make headway; it was one of those "too late to turn back" times. We and a couple other boats struggled to the lee of Trail Islands, sat in Davis Bay for about an hour and it calmed right down.

Going the other way, same thing off Cape Cockburn with a howler coming out of Jervis Inlet. Once we made it past Scotch Fir Pt. again it flattened out.