I thought the Cap'n had been bought out and retired?

I purchased the trial version and never used it except for a quick look. I
still have the tide program running on my computer since it didn't expire
with the trial. Very nice. However, I scheduled a whole trip segment around
hitting the notorious Hell Gate between Bath and the Sheepscot River at
slack tide. The channel is narrow and current runs 4 - 6 knots at times with
a visible drop of a few feet. Quite the spot for a deep draft sail boat.

We arrived right on schedule to find the current running hard enough that we
were making only about a knot over the bottom at full power, 6.5 knots
normally. Fortunately it was against us so navigation was very easy but we
had a long line of powerboats behind us like a RV going up a steep Hill.
Several were hoonking and hooting to pass in a channel narrow enough that
there is no way the boats wouldn't have sucked together and contacted, even
aside from random current swirls making it very hard to maintain a straight
line. If I'd given an inch, one of those turkeys would have tried it. The
general level of seamanship and courtsy never ceases to amaze me.

I don't hold the inaccurate slack water time against the Cap'n thought. The
currents here are caused by the differential between two large tidal rivers
and I'm sure the overall algorithm of the program would have a hard time
predicting actual current. It was a very windy day and wind driving water
down the rivers could have had a large effect.

Picture he

http://home.maine.rr.com/bmssez/06C8.htm

although this is far from the narrowest part.

--
Roger Long