San Pablo Bay, early afternoon.

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Waynepj4

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30904
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Hello All,

I'm planning a day trip from Martinez Marina to Angel Island in the next month or so. Ive crossed San Pablo bay in the morning, during slack tide with no problems whatsoever.

My question is, since this is a day trip, what is the latest in the afternoon you would recommend coming back across San Pablo Bay. If I come across SP Bay at say, 2pm does that drastically increase my chances of running into rough water and large swells due to afternoon westerlies? When do they really start to ramp up?

The plan so far is to leave at 9am sharp, reach Ayala cove by 10am. Take a tore until about 1130. Eat lunch at Sams across the way and then start to head back at 1pm.

I have a 2001 Bayliner 2855. Total passengers, 5.

I have an 01 Bayliner 2855.
 
Wayne,

That will depend a lot on the local weather pattern. When the Delta starts to heat up, the warm air rises and draws the cool air from the bay. Most of that funnels through San Pablo Bay. So the warmer it is in the Delta, the more likely you are to have higher winds in San Pablo. The waves will also stack up a lot more during an outgoing tide as the wind and tide oppose each other. Check out this weather prediction site for a very informative graphical representation of the wind patterns: http://www.met.sjsu.edu/wind/streaklines.shtml
 
quote:
Originally posted by AbsoLoot

Wayne,

That will depend a lot on the local weather pattern. When the Delta starts to heat up, the warm air rises and draws the cool air from the bay. Most of that funnels through San Pablo Bay. So the warmer it is in the Delta, the more likely you are to have higher winds in San Pablo. The waves will also stack up a lot more during an outgoing tide as the wind and tide oppose each other. Check out this weather prediction site for a very informative graphical representation of the wind patterns: http://www.met.sjsu.edu/wind/streaklines.shtml

Click to expand...

So that is to say when the tide is going from HIGH tide to LOW tide in the delta that means its an outgoing tide. The current is traveling from the delta into the SF bay..is that correct?

So westward wind against an outgoing tide=big swells in San Pablo.

Is if the tide is going from low tide to High tide in the delta than that's an incoming tide and I'm less likely to encounter big swells.

Got it.....I think.
 
You are correct in that the most difficult time is when the current is flowing "out" ("ebb"). The current varies, and is not strictly "between" high and low tides. The standard (table format) tide books have current information for the Carquinez Bridge, and that's an excellent indicator. The simpler, graphic tide books don't include much (if any) current info.

BTG
 
quote:
Originally posted by BayTrawlerGuy

You are correct in that the most difficult time is when the current is flowing "out" ("ebb"). The current varies, and is not strictly "between" high and low tides. The standard (table format) tide books have current information for the Carquinez Bridge, and that's an excellent indicator. The simpler, graphic tide books don't include much (if any) current info.

BTG

Click to expand...
I always wondered that if they can come up with tide tables, why not current tables? Anyone know of a good reference for currents?
 
They do have current tables. The "thicker" tide books, which are free or a buck at most marine outlets, have current data, with corrections for many points in the Bay and Delta. The current tables differ in that there are two of them, one based at the Gate (for the Bay) and one based at Carquinez (for the Delta), but all three sets of tables are in the same book.

BTG
 
As mentioned above, the key is to look, listen and feel for the conditions at the moment you traverse ANY body of water and have the presence of mind to change your plan. It's all about your ability to take in the information and make decisions.

Take the time to learn were your marinas are. Have their numbers handy. If you run into some weather, duck into a safe harbor.

People with their 7 knot trawlers go out with the tide and return with the incoming. Wise boaters may wait out the weather a few days.

The people who are getting into trouble are completely blind to the information that's available. IE weather radar, wind charts, tide books, visual observations, NOAA weather radio, local knowledge, etc etc.

Keep in mind the differences in people. An experienced skipper with a well founded boat will be crashing through the slop and will tell you it's a "beautiful day on the bay". Next to him will be a panicked new person who's bent on running his boat onto the rocks to "save his life".

I remember once, we were down in Capitola on my 17' aluminum Starcraft. We were powering into a 15 knot wind headed back to Santa Cruz. As we went around a point, the conditions worsened.(as they do around a point)

We looked towards the point and saw a boat burning a flare. Just inside him the waves were booming down onto the reef.

I couldn't see anything wrong with the boat, motor or crew, but we changed our course to see what his problem was. I yelled above the howling wind and booming waves. The two boaters said their boat wasn't capable of handling the seas. In my mind, they were doing alright, but they were certain to be in deep trouble when they got into the waves crashing onto the reef. I told them to follow me.

We turned into the wind and beat a course through the slop, away from the reef and to the safety of the harbor. The concerned boaters followed along behind us just fine.

What I'm trying to get across is that they had lost their nerve and were allowing themselves to drift into the worst reef on the coast.
 
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