GL: Current flow

[LRZeitlin at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/28/08 12:00:36 AM, Randy writes:


> The only two exceptions I can think of are where knowing the current
> important
> are Hell Gate on the East River in New York City and Delaware Bay.  If you
> take a trip out to Long Island Sound from the Hudson River carefully read
> the
> Waterway Guide and Skipper Bob's advice on timing the currents of the East
> River and your passage through Hell Gate will be pleasant and interesting. 
> If
> not, you are gonna have one hell-of-a sea story to tell! 
>

Randy's advice is right on, at least as far as New York's waterways are
concerned. Bear in mind that the current in the Hudson River and the East
River are
out of phase. One is flowing south while the other is flowing north. Long
ago, when I was reckless and foolish, I circumnavigated Manhattan Island in a
15
ft. Grumman canoe. I got a free ride south on the Hudson from above the George
Washington Bridge to the Battery, paddled a few strokes to round the tip of
the Island, then got a free ride north up the East River and the Harlem River
to the starting point just south of the Bronx county line. The trip took about
6 hours and I paddled no more than 1/2 hour. Every year there is a swimming
race around Manhattan following the same route. Obviously it would be
impossible
for swimmers or canoes to make the same trip opposing the current.

But the current flows we are considering are trivial compared to some parts
of the world. A few years back we lived in Wales, on the island of Anglesy.
The
island is separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait. The Menai Strait
itself is about 14 miles long, quite wide at each end and narrowing down to a
constricted channel of a few hundred yards at the Telford Bridge. There is a
regular 26 ft. tide in these parts. At the full and new moons the tide can
swing
up to 30 ft. The different water levels between each end of the strait force
a swift current through the narrow portion that can reach almost 15 miles an
hour. On a mild day the strait looks peaceful enough but when the wind picks
up
the waters can be stormy. The tidal currents are said to be the fiercest in
the British Isles.

Compared to that, Hell Gate is a piece of cake.

Larry Z


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