Sail Scotland

tides
Standing waves in Gulf of Corryvreckan
© whirlpool-scotland.co.uk
Tides can be of signiﬁ cant assistance to Rather than attempt to try and summarise the Gulf of Corryvreckan (pictures above and
sailors, whether simply out for a day sail tidal patterns for the whole country in a few below) and Pentland Firth; peak ﬂ ows during a
or when trying to put the miles under the words it is perhaps more useful to try and spring tide at all three locations can exceed ten
keel whilst on passage, as they can often focus on the important issues. knots. At all of the tidal gates, and especially
provide a signiﬁ cant ‘lift’ if the timing is these three, it is very important to ensure that
right. There are several ‘tidal gates’ at which the the direction of both wind and tide is the same.
strength of the tide is sufﬁ cient to prevent It may sometimes be necessary to push against
On the whole tidal ranges are less than most progress of even a large sailing yacht if the the tide for the last hour of the counter tide in
people expect, but there are some areas navigator gets their sums wrong. As the ﬂ ood order to achieve a comfortable passage through
where the ability to read and use both a tidal tide follows a clockwise direction around the the gate, as once the tide turns standing waves,
stream atlas and tide tables is important. Scottish coast the main tidal gates will also be overfalls, eddies and whirlpools can quickly
Many sailors are surprised to learn that the listed in this pattern: Kyles of Bute, Mull of develop. At other times the distance that
strength of the tidal ﬂ ow is not related to Kintyre, Sound of Islay, Dorus Mor, Gulf of has to be covered (for example the Pentland
the range (other than being greater during Corryvreckan, Sound of Luing, Cuan Sound, Firth) may dictate that you simply have to sit
springs than neaps). For example, typical Duart Point (entrance to Sound of Mull), Kyle back and enjoy the beneﬁ ts of one of the many
tidal ﬂ ows of approximately 1 knot within of Loch Alsh and Kyle Rhea (Skye), Pentland anchorages, marinas or harbours whilst you
the Firth of Clyde during ‘springs’ (3.1m Firth (Orkney) and the inner Firth of Forth. wait for a fair wind and tide !
range) are signiﬁ cantly less than that found
in the Sound of Islay (0.6m range, up to 8 Some of these tidal gates have an infamous Tony Bennett, Argyll Yacht Charters
knot tides) reputation- most notably the Mull of Kintyre, www.argyll-yachtcharters.co.uk
Western limit of the Gulf of Corryvreckan
© whirlpool-scotland.co.uk
www.sailscotland.co.uk
Charter & Sailing Schools.indd 4 11/12/09 14:13:53
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