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| Crossing the Strait of Georgia
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Updated February 26, 2008
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This is a subject that’s on many Northwest cruisers’ minds. My ideas are below, and we would be interested in the views of others. – Bob Hale
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Bob,
We are going north the month of July. Which is a better route – from Nanaimo to Pender Harbour or Silva Bay to Pender Harbour? Going back, do we go from Secret Cove to Nanaimo or to Silva Bay? We have heard that morning is the best time to cross as there is no wind. Is that true? This is our first time up there and we are a little intimidated by the weather. Your books are great!
Kathi
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Response
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You’ve asked the questions we ask of ourselves every year. We end up looking at the weather forecast, the times of slack water in Gabriola Pass and Dodd Narrows, and the time of day we would get to either Silva Bay or Nanaimo. Then we make a decision and hope for the best.
Going up-island we tend to leave from Silva Bay. We usually return down-island via Nanaimo. Part of the reason, however, is that we are sure to cover Silva Bay that way. I’ll already have been to Nanaimo twice by car, so even if we don’t stop in Nanaimo on the way home the book research will have been done. Coming home, if the wind has come up during the crossing from Pender Harbour (or down from Comox), Nanaimo and Northumberland Channel provide protection much earlier.
As to the best time of day to cross, there is no best time. We’ve seen 25-knot winds and those ugly Strait of Georgia seas morning, noon and night – sometimes for three days running. Statistically, there may be some general patterns, but there are so many exceptions that we narrow our thinking to the next four hours.
All this uncertainty can be scary for someone who hasn’t crossed the Strait of Georgia before. My recommendation is that you should be cautious and respectful, but not frightened off. If conditions are satisfactory, go. If conditions aren’t satisfactory, wait. Don’t talk yourselves into a crossing because you are impatient, or out of a crossing because of unwarranted fear. Said differently, if the other boats are going, maybe you should go. If the other boats are hunkered down and not moving, maybe you should do the same. While you should make your own decisions and not let other skippers run your boat, it doesn’t hurt to be aware of general patterns.
Listen to VHF channel 16 while you’re making up your minds. You might hear a request for a wind and sea condition report from a boat that’s out there. If you don’t hear one, you might transmit a request. It could sound like this:
“This is [our boat] calling any vessel between Silva Bay and Pender Harbour for a wind and sea condition report on the Strait of Georgia. Please come back on channel 16.”
Be prepared to switch any reply to a working channel. You might have to ask for a report more than once, since boats will hear your broadcast but wait for someone else to respond.
Also listen to the continuous marine broadcast, which might include a report from the BC Ferries boat crossing between Powell River on the mainland and Little River (Comox) on Vancouver Island. Those reports, when they are given, can be golden. Be sure to note the time of the ferry report. An old report could be misleading.
Your concerns are commendable. Remember, though, that thousands of boats cross the Strait of Georgia every summer. It’s a big, sometimes difficult body of water, with weather patterns that can differ from one part of the strait to another. But they make it.
Bob Hale
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Added Response
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Bob,
I have another Strait of Georgia tip to share for what it's worth.
Heading home one day I woke in Sturt Bay to see lots of "sheep grazing" (whitecaps). Strong wind was blowing from the southeast and it looked like another day before seeing Nanaimo. But, the forecast said the 15-20-knot wind from the southeast would become about the same from the northwest in the late afternoon. So I thought there ought to be a few hours of gentle breeze as the wind reversed direction. I waited until the wind looked to be easing and left about 11 a.m. and had a pretty boring, smooth crossing.
So, if the wind is forecast to do a 180-degree change I think there is an opportunity for smooth water for a while.
As for going when other boats go, a few years back we left Nanaimo with another boat, but when we got out there we found the strait wasn’t up to our standards. Even though our friends were saying to “come on in as the water’s fine,” we went back to Nanaimo. Our friends got beat up pretty good by the time they got to Secret Cove. We were stuck in Nanaimo two more days but we loved it. It was Canada Day or B.C. day or something, and we enjoyed parades and fireworks. Nanaimo is a good place to be stuck. It doesn't hurt to take a look and go back if you don't like what you find.
Also, when listening to reports from other boats out there, you need to be aware that those crazy sailboaters love a good blow. Just because some are enjoying the strait, you might not.
Bruce Evertz
M/V Tapawingo
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Added Response
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Bob, here are our observations from summers of 2006 and 2007:
August 1-3, 2006 had us waiting in Silva Bay for near gales to pass. The advantage of Silva Bay is ones' ability to take the dinghy within good sight of the real conditions outside. Upon analysis of the NOAA charts (weatherfax from our HAM radio and computer) we found that a strong high pressure area was located off the Queen Charlottes and a mild low was off Cape Flattery. During the daytime, the influence of the low (southerly winds) was helped by the warming of the land along the east side of the strait; hence the strong northerly winds from the high abated somewhat by 1400 until they began to build again around 1700. If we had a fast powerboat this respite would have provided time for a fast, but lumpy sprint to Vancouver. The crucial issue was the position of the high cell and closeness of isobars over our position.
Late June 2007, we crossed from Sturt Bay, on the northeast side of Texada Island, to Nanaimo. Canadian weather foretold 15-20 knots of wind . . . the crossing was in flat seas with less than 10 knots wind. There was a weak low cell (~1000 mb) centered within 150 miles of us. The day was overcast, indicating the weak low's influence. A great day for powerboats, but not sail. The crucial issue: crossing during the influence of a weak low (~1000 mb) will provide light wind and therefore, low seas. (One would expect the same if a high is centered over you.)
We have found this approach to be quite reliable along western coastal waters, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Strong highs and deep lows come with frontal lines, and they are always accompanied by strong winds. The position and orientation of the isobars is where the story is told. Sailors can use this to their advantage, but motorboats would prefer smooth seas. A portable shortwave receiver, and WxFx program and demodulator to couple the radio to the laptop, is the best source of information we have found -- and much easier than taking the report in code as was the case before laptop computers and WxFx machines.
Cheers,
Geoff Lerner
Yorba Linda, CA
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