Would You Cross in These Conditions?

Jeremy nailed it. The passengers get nervous and don't like the ride when it comes to getting hit with spray all the time. The skipper is usually enjoying the ride (I know I do!) but remember the important phrase: Happy Wife, Happy Life.

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Gofirstclass said:
I'm just about the opposite of a fair weather boater. I don't mind wind and waves but the thing that makes me have second thoughts is if I have to pass through one of the locks. If the wind is howling those concrete walls can be very unforgiving to gelcoat.
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can you explain this a bit ? my experience is a lock at a given wind is easy peasy for the skipper comparing to handle the same wind at open ocean , especially when i assume you have twin engines and a bow thruster.

when the wind is howling that you have a hard time to enter a lock i would say do not even think of serious salt offshore ?
 
aero, these locks are not the typical locks one would find in most parts of the world. The one we use most frequently is Ice Harbor lock. The lock is 86' wide by 675' long and has an average lift of 105'. The highest lift we've experienced is 118' one spring when the water levels were very high. Here's a shot of the lock as one would enter with the water at it's low level.


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The problem with winds is when you're at the bottom, having been lowered from the upper water level. When the winds are blowing in the right (wrong) direction and they open the downstream guillotine gate it creates a venturi. They only raise the gate high enough to let your boat pass through. When the winds hit this venturi they are blowing hard enough to make exiting difficult. Similarly, when you come into the lock at the downstream end and the wind is blowing hard it again creates the venturi effect and can easily move even a large boat.

When you're in the lock there is very limited maneuverability. If the wind catches your boat wrong it can slam it against the concrete walls even faster than my bow thruster can maneuver the bow away. I've heard that sickening crunch sound as the fiberglass hits the concrete. In that battle, the concrete ALWAYS winds.
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Controlling a boat of any size is difficult inside the lock when the winds are really strong. Even a boat the size of mine at ~55,000 pounds, twin engines and a bow thruster can be blown around enough that fast handling of the shifters and thruster controls is a must.
 
I’m glad we crossed yesterday. We are inside Silva Bay on Gabriola Island just off the strait and the winds are howling today. Had to take down our aft sunshade for fear of damage and my squadron burgee is shredded. Must be steady 25kts and gusting to 35 here inside the bay! And we are somewhat protected here but not much apparently. We’re going to head further into the archipelago and see if we can find a more sheltered anchorage on another island for tonight. There’s no way we would have made it over here today.
 
@Gofirstclass : i understand but i crossed on my tiny 240 several times the kiel-canal with locks not for river ships but full oceangoing ships with the size of the panama canal , of course at fair weather only.





from this experience i would still say crossing the lock with wind is no problem comparing with dealing open opean at the same wind after leaving the lock . in fact the enourmous walls cut the side-wind inside the lock as they cut headwind also . tailwind can be tricky with the lock open , yes .

i,m just wondering you 'do not care' the wind underway but you care a lock . do you refer to the wind on a fresh water lake or open ocean ?
 
boatman37 said:
I have never been in those conditions so I can't add too much but if I had to dock in those conditions then no way. I think many here said it best, if you have to ask then you probably shouldn't go.

@Leardriver, I know that team no longer exists but Barney had a great operation and adding MTJ was the cherry on top. They defied all odds. True underdog story there. I know a few in the NASCAR community. My son raced against a few of them and we used to pit at nationals with a former NASCAR driver (Erik Jones-not the current one..lol) and former Indy car driver (Mark Dismore). Raced against a couple of NASCAR guys but raced against a bunch of Indy car guys. We sold all of our stuff about 2013 and gave it up.
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Barney is having way more fun now, life is good for all. We still cheer for Martin and Erik.
 
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aerobat77 said:
@Gofirstclass : i understand but i crossed on my tiny 240 several times the kiel-canal with locks not for river ships but full oceangoing ships with the size of the panama canal , of course at fair weather only.





from this experience i would still say crossing the lock with wind is no problem comparing with dealing open opean at the same wind after leaving the lock . in fact the enourmous walls cut the side-wind inside the lock as they cut headwind also . tailwind can be tricky with the lock open , yes .

i,m just wondering you 'do not care' the wind underway but you care a lock . do you refer to the wind on a fresh water lake or open ocean ?
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Didn't he explain why it's tricky locking thru on the Columbia River? Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the area. The Columbia presents some of the most challenging conditions for boating. The USCG specs their rescue boats to survive 360 degree rollovers and keep running without a loss of power. Ocean waves are typically less challenging.
 
ditto on the complexity of the Columbia River area (based on what I have read, no personal experience).

Roughest conditions I have been in were in one of the sounds in North Carolina - not in the Atlantic.
 
aerobat77 said:
@Gofirstclass i,m just wondering you 'do not care' the wind underway but you care a lock . do you refer to the wind on a fresh water lake or open ocean ?
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Aero, thanks for your continued questions about where we boat. We're on the Columbia River which, as others have noted, is not your usual river. It's almost a mile wide in many places and the winds can make it just about as treacherous as being out on the ocean. More so at times when the waves are very short duration.

Here are two videos I shot 4 years ago when heading downstream against a strong wind that was straight on our bow. My narrative in the videos is pretty self explanatory but I will add a note to the second video. That wave that came up over the boat knocked my anchor light lens off, and it sits 20' up off the water. I'm not suggesting the wave was a strong as a 20' wave out on the ocean, but this will give you and idea of what the conditions can be like around here.

 
Went out on the Ohio on my mothers pontoon today. A 41' Maxum came blowing by on plane about 100' away. We were cruising the opposite direction about 12 MPH or so. Step-father turned into the wake when it got to us. 3 of us were near the back of the boat and 3 near the front. Yep, stuffed the nose. Got about a 4' wall of water over the front. We got soaked but it felt good with the 95* heat. The river was already choppy to begin with and we saw something in the water and went over to investigate. The 3 in front all went to the front corner of the boat at the same time and it dug in and water up on the deck again...lol. Then coming back into the no wake area a big boat was just coming out and jumped up on plane. We had nowhere to go and got another little splash again.
 
How full are the Gulf Islands.
We have spent many days in Nanaimo waiting to go north. We have learned to make sure there are no loose items and and all the instruments work. Once we got into waves that splashed the upper helm. Upper helm is fully enclosed and heated so we are fine. Do not like driving from lower helm as it is difficult to see the logs.
Hope your trip back is better.
Let us know if you see any US boats; curious if they are letting people cross the border north and south.
 
No US boats seen yet. From what I’ve been reading on my Salish Sea FB group (Strait of Georgia is also known as the Salish Sea) people are taking the closure seriously on both sides. The islands seem fairly empty for July as a result I’d say. We had originally planned to go through the San Juan’s as part of this trip too. Plans changed!

Here we are for the night on south side of De Courcy Island. Now this is more like it.

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FootballFan said:
ditto on the complexity of the Columbia River area (based on what I have read, no personal experience).

Roughest conditions I have been in were in one of the sounds in North Carolina - not in the Atlantic.
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The Pamlico can be a bear with a stiff NE wind....

Bennett
 
If you have not been to Bush Gardens in your boat they have 4 buoys and a gate 200 feet away by dinghy. Very protected area and if buoys full the bay to the south makes a good place to anchor.
 
gofirstclass - sorry i forgot you already explained where you boat in another thread , i just got it again after remembering your video . yes its challenging on the video and i believe you the locks may be no fun if the wind blows stiff from wrong direction . your boat is also to big to keep it away by hand if the wind blows you towards the concrete , no question.

sbw1 said:
Ocean waves are typically less challenging.
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well... i do not think so . we of course boat open ocean only at kitty weather , but i assure you the open north sea or north atlantic can easily crush any searay regardless of the model into pieces if it gets angry .

i do not think you wanna taste e.g this with any recreational boat :

 
aero, that's a great video. The guy is speaking a foreign language until he comes to the "F*****g Awesome", then that comes out in English.

Nope, I would not want to be caught out in that type of sea.
 
aerobat77 said:
gofirstclass - sorry i forgot you already explained where you boat in another thread , i just got it again after remembering your video . yes its challenging on the video and i believe you the locks may be no fun if the wind blows stiff from wrong direction . your boat is also to big to keep it away by hand if the wind blows you towards the concrete , no question.



well... i do not think so . we of course boat open ocean only at kitty weather , but i assure you the open north sea or north atlantic can easily crush any searay regardless of the model into pieces if it gets angry .

i do not think you wanna taste e.g this with any recreational boat :

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Very exciting ride if your engines stay running. Remember and rest in piece the members on the El Faro
 
northern said:
If you have not been to Bush Gardens in your boat they have 4 buoys and a gate 200 feet away by dinghy. Very protected area and if buoys full the bay to the south makes a good place to anchor.
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It's also great to stay @ Brentwood Bay Marina, you can dinghy over to the gardens, but what really like is the pool and hot tub at the resort that you get access to when staying in their marina. Beverage & food service available poolside like a real vacation.
 
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