I think it's ironic, that the worst sailing usually happens in the nicest weather. At least, in the northwest this seems true. During the summer when the days are warm, and the skies are clear, there is rarely a consistent breeze to catch. Still, I try.
I took some friends out this last saturday for their first ever sail. It was a beautiful day, and there was some wind in some places. I think it is becoming a tradition for me to be sucked into Colvos passage by the tidal currents. This time, I even knew what was going on.
I checked the tides before we left, and realized the currents were going to be at their strongest. To compensate, my plan was to sail towards the Tacoma narrows, against the current. That way, then loop back. This way, any movement by the current would push us back toward Gig Harbor. Ahhh, the best laid plans....
What really happened was no wind. We tried sailing towards the narrows, but could find no wind in that direction. There was wind toward Colvos passage, and as we focused more and more on finding a good channel of breeze, we failed to notice that we were now sailing across the mouth of Colvos passage. It wasn't long before we realized we were being sucked along.
Tidal currents always amaze me. They can be so large, that you can easily fail to notice them. Its only when you watch yourself sailing (or motoring) backwards that you realize they are there. In this case, we were motoring backwards. Very slowly though. And timing was on our side.
We only had to motor for about 15-30 minutes against the current before it slacked off and died. After that we motored in and packed it away.
It is always beautiful out on the water so it was worth it. My passengers had fun.
Happy sailing.
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