What is with these wacky tides lately?

[Mark42]

Saturday I left out of the Sag Harbor marina, heading toward Cedar Point, driving on water I have been on many , many times. Saturday the water was smooth as a pool table and me, my Daughter and Dad were out for a ride.

Suddenly I see a large sandbar/shoal show up and I had to make a hard left and found myself running in very shallow water, maybe 2 feet deep. I went to full throttle to keep high on the water and we eventually found deep water and all was well.

That shand bar has always been there, and I have motored over it many times. But the water is always around 3 or more feet deep. Saturday it is breaking the surface! What gives?

 

[LubeDude]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

I hear that it has something to do with the pull of the moon!8)

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Global warming

 

[QC]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Global cooling = lower sea levels. I've been trying to tell you guys . . . Can you say Buffalo?

Edit: May be a good time to get in the prop and lower unit biz . . .

 

[stevieray]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Maybe that Nor'easter that hit last week shifted the bottom around some. It got pretty bad down here - didn't see how far up the coast it got before it petered out.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Don't know about the global cooling thing, but there was an article from Reuters that a 1,255 square mile chunk of ice broke off the Larsen B ice shelf in 2002, & scientists say it is directly linked to global warming....
Mark, I'm assuming we are talking Hudson River?...
Maybe it was just an extreme low tide, when we get them out here it is amazing what is uncovered by a good minus tide.....
I think it is amazing that it affects the water level in a river as big as the Hudson, but when I lived in Chelsea, NY., the tide had effect there 70 miles upstream......JK

 

[Mark42]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Haut, this is not the Hudson, but not too far away either. We were out on Long Island NY near Shelter Island.

I heard that full moon tides are extreme, and we have had full moon lately.

I am just suprised at what is uncovered by these low low tides. I checked and double checked the chart for the rest of the day. Never did touch bottom!

 

[tommays]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Mark

in another 50 ft it will be 40 ft deep

i am really finding my 3500C GPS usefull this year

I dont know how much they have changed BUT at least i dont have to remenber were they all are


Tommays

 

[Mark42]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Here is what it looks like from satellite. The marker at the bottom of the pic is about 50 feet across. The sand bar above it is usually 3 or more feet under water, but was exposed on Saturday morning. That was as real surprise, let me tell you!

Pretty neat what you can see on google earth.

 

[Mark42]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

tommays, how close are the charts to your fish finder readings for bottom depth?

 

[tommays]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

I use the lowarance nautipath chip and for 99 dollars its great the base map on the 3500C is pretty useless on the water

I was able to go through the canal and pick my way west in August with out finding the bottom which would have been a real pain with a paper chart

Tommays

 

[PW2]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

The thing about sand bars is that they are formed by wave action and currents. They can change their size and shape depending on a whole host of variables.

Tides also are affected by the relative position of the moon and the sun, as well as the barometric pressure.

I'd be cautious if you assume that all conditions remain static all the time. They don't.

 

[QC]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Saturday's (14th) tides were not very low in your area (+ 0.8 ). Despite my silliness above, I think I am with PW2, shifting sand . . .

 

[tommays]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Mark is just spoiled with that shallow draft outboard

i kept my 4' draft sailboat out there for 7 years so you really had to keep on top of the shoal area locations

Tommays

 

[Mark42]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Saturday's (14th) tides were not very low in your area (+ 0.8 ). Despite my silliness above, I think I am with PW2, shifting sand . . .

QC, where did you get that info? From a website?

The more I boat, the more I learn and the more cautious and respectful of the water I get.

 

[QC]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

Mark,

First I Googled: tide charts New Jersey Sag Harbor

#1 was: http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/newyorksites.html 8)

 

[rwise]

Re: What is with these wacky tides lately?

dIt must be Bush's faultd