Canal Tide Question

[mayday1019]

Hey Guys,

Quick question about the canal's tide and current. When the tide is coming in at the east entrance (Sagamore Bridge), does that mean that the tide in the canal's current is moving from east to west? Then when high tide at the east entrance hits, and the tide moves back out from the east entrance, does that mean that current will move from Buzzard's Bay to Mass Maritime?

I'm sure there's alot that goes into it. If so, is there a web site that shows the tide/current at the canal?

Thanks guys and GO PATS!

[BS4Shore]

when the current is coming into the east end it is going from east to west.
The current are oppostie of wind direction. When you have an easterly wind, the wind is coming from the east. When you have an east tide the tide is going to the east.
The currents in the canal do not change direction when the tide changes.

If you take two large barrels and run a piece of pipe from one to the other and fill them both with water. If the level of water is even in both barrels then the water will not move through the pipe.
As soon as one barrel becomes lower than the other then the water will start runnning from the barrel with more water in it to the barrel with less water in it until they are even again.
The canal ist the pipe between the barrel, Cape Cod Bay being one barrel and Buzzards Bay being the other barrel.
When the tide is higher in CCB than it is in BB the current will flow from east to west and vice versa. For a short period of time during each tide the tide level is the same in both CCB and BB which is when you will get slack tide.

Hope that helps.

[CanalGuy]

Easy explanation: If your standing at the Sagamore Bridge on the Cape side, The incoming tide is running left to right till High Slack then will run right to left until Low Slack.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by CanalGuy

Easy explanation: If your standing at the Sagamore Bridge on the Cape side, The incoming tide is running left to right till High Slack then will run right to left until Low Slack.

The flood current runs that way, and the ebb current runs the other way.

The incoming tide rises, and the outgoing falls, right at your feet.

The current and tide aren't synonymous. If high tide and high slack happened exactly at the same time, there would be no current--it would always be slack tide

The same is true in every inlet and breachway in the world. The water continues to rise and fall for a period of time after slack current in the inlet. Inshore currents can only result from differing times of water levels in different bodies of water.

Keep Bob's barrel and pipe in mind.

[CanalGuy]

I understand just keepin it easy.

[mayday1019]

Great information guys. Thank you.

[plankton]

Here's a link to the USACE tide table, look at the first column, it gives the times when the current changes direction.

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recrea...eChart2008.htm

It only goes up to September, you have to click on a link to download a PDF to get the whole year.

[gone fishin]

Originally Posted by BS4Shore

when the current is coming into the east end it is going from east to west.
The current are oppostie of wind direction. When you have an easterly wind, the wind is coming from the east. When you have an east tide the tide is going to the east.
The currents in the canal do not change direction when the tide changes.

If you take two large barrels and run a piece of pipe from one to the other and fill them both with water. If the level of water is even in both barrels then the water will not move through the pipe.
As soon as one barrel becomes lower than the other then the water will start runnning from the barrel with more water in it to the barrel with less water in it until they are even again.

The canal ist the pipe between the barrel, Cape Cod Bay being one barrel and Buzzards Bay being the other barrel.
When the tide is higher in CCB than it is in BB the current will flow from east to west and vice versa. For a short period of time during each tide the tide level is the same in both CCB and BB which is when you will get slack tide.

Hope that helps.

Simple, but accurate explanation. Now we should confuse him with double negative tides -- breaking tides etc.

[eelskimmer]

What you have failed to take into consideration is the lunar
cycle. In the Spring the tides move in one direction and in
the Fall the opposite happens. If you have never noticed
this before I suggest keeping a log starting next May 15
thru Oct 25. Normal tide tables do not fully explain the
phenomina.

[BS4Shore]

Originally Posted by eelskimmer

What you have failed to take into consideration is the lunar
cycle. In the Spring the tides move in one direction and in
the Fall the opposite happens. If you have never noticed
this before I suggest keeping a log starting next May 15
thru Oct 25. Normal tide tables do not fully explain the
phenomina.

what?