tidal currents

hi everyone...

what do you use to predict tidal currents... headed through the gulf islands & to princess marina inlet.. thanks for your help..

Ports and Passes for printed, and Coastal Explorer for software.

I think you mean Princess Louisa Inlet. And there is nothing on Malibu Rapids (that I've ever seen), although slacks there can be calculated based on Pt. Atkinson times.

If I remember correctly, high water slack at Malibu Rapids is 24-25 minutes after Pt. Atkinson high water mark, and low water slack is 35-36 minutes after Pt. Atkinson low water mark.

You'll need to double check those numbers though. Many references online, and I think it's mentioned in Ports and Passes also.

We have several sources for current preditions. One is Ports and Passes as mentioned by Nsail.

We also have an application on our iPad called Navimatics. This is a charting application, not a navigation application (plotter). Navimatics has tide and current markers on the chart that when you tap them you get a table that you can set for the date and time you want.

Navimatics also incorporates Active Captain. So for Malibu Rapids at the entrance to Princess Louisa, there is an Active Captain entry that calls out the current speeds and the reference times to Point Atkinson, the same times as Nsail posted above.

We also use the Canadian Current Atlas with the relevant annual Washburn table booklet. This covers the Gulf Islands and Strait of Georgia but I don't think it includes Jervis Inlet. (The Washburn Table is now published as the Waggoner Table, but it's the same thing.)

We also have the big Capt.Jack's Current Atlas for the Pacific Northwest that covers the waters from Queen Charlotte Sound to Puget Sound. No longer in print, the annual current tables are still published. The Atlas itself can still be obtained used from places like Amazon, but the prices can be pretty steep.

Nsail said:

Ports and Passes for printed, and Coastal Explorer for software.

I think you mean Princess Louisa Inlet. And there is nothing on Malibu Rapids (that I've ever seen), although slacks there can be calculated based on Pt. Atkinson times.

If I remember correctly, high water slack at Malibu Rapids is 24-25 minutes after Pt. Atkinson high water mark, and low water slack is 35-36 minutes after Pt. Atkinson low water mark.

You'll need to double check those numbers though. Many references online, and I think it's mentioned in Ports and Passes also.

Click to expand...

OpenCPN (free) shows the Canadian currents including Malibu Rapids. OpenCPN will also work with the Canadian charts, but those you have to buy.

The official Canadian Hydrographic Service tables are free online. www.charts.gc.ca

If you are venturing anywhere near Egmont, I'd double and triple check the tables. A 14 knot current can mess up your day.

I use the Canadian current and tide tables. Vol. 5 & 6 for the areas I cruise.