The British Isles lies in one of the most turbulent maritime regions in the world. Not only are our shores battered by the depressions that roll in with frequent monotony during the winter months, but every 12 hours the tide turns and billions of litres of water move in and out from our shores. This huge water flow fills and empties the English Channel, pours up into the Irish Sea and on up and down the West Coast of Scotland and up north it finds a way around the islands to enter the North Sea.
The tidal streams generated by this flow can be fearsome, running up to 10 knots in places and when the land gets in the way, impeding the flow of the tide, tide races can generate wild seas that can prove a significant hazard for sailing yachts, with short steep waves, where you can barely recover from one wave before the next one hits you. In benign conditions this need hardly trouble you. Where the seabed rises suddenly, tidal flows are concentrated around headlands or through narrows, and if the tide and wind are opposed, then swell with a long wavelength in open water will slow down and concertina up, making the waves build in height, with much steeper faces, crests that are much more likely to break and with the ability to swallow boats whole. You don’t want to get it wrong.
TACKLING A FEARSOME RACE
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Yachting Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Yachting Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TECHNICAL 'OUR BOAT WAS FULL OF WATER'
After an afternoon away, Roger Hughes had to act quickly when he found his schooner-rigged yacht sinking at its Florida marina mooring
HOW IT WORKS OPTIMISING SAIL TRIM
It is difficult to describe ‘correct’ sail shape, but the three most important things to consider are: sail draft (the fullness of the sail), draft position, and twist (controlled by the kicker /vang and leech tension).
HEBRIDEAN HIDEAWAYS
There are some incredible hidden harbours along the west coast of Scotland, many offering 360° shelter, although some may be rather challenging to enter
Mark lines to save miscommunication
This year, I spent my holidays working in the French Figaro class. My role was to be a préparateur – the French name for someone whose job it is to prepare and fix boats before and after races.
It's time for Deliveroo by canoe
Can we agree that it’s an old myth that sailors survive entirely on Fray Bentos pies and ‘pot mess’? Certainly on Skylax mealtimes are something to look forward to as both Rod and I love cooking.
Freak waves are lurking closer than you think
Salvage tug captain Nick Sloane can claim a library of feats of derring-do.
£33m government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships
Maritime Minister Lord Davies has announced the winners of £33 million of government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships as part of the decarbonisation of the sector.
Eight bells for C&N yacht designer Raymond Wall
Yacht designer Raymond Wall passed away in November at the age of 91 after a long and illustrious career.
OGR IRC leader returns with severe damage
Translated 9, the leading IRC yacht in the Ocean Globe Race was forced to divert to the Falkland Islands after discovering two cracks on the hull, one of which was big enough to sink the boat in heavy weather.
Celebrating 200 years of the RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) officially celebrates its 200th birthday on 4 March.