Please reassure my navigation

[blue otter]

I’m trying to travel through the cape cod canal this Friday 8/24 I’m going from buzzards bay toward Boston.....Eldridge’s says the flood starts at 3:18 pm......do I have this right anticipating the flow?.......also if the flood starts at 3:18 toward Boston can I go a little earlier and assume slack around 3? ....

Thanks for the help....I need to get this right

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy.

The Cape Cod Canal is an interesting trip. The current can be strong, so good timing is essential, and a good watch for oncoming traffic. I enjoyed my transit of the canal, and was impressed by the flow.

There was a recent thread started on a very similar topic.
See the helpful comments posted in that thread, as some CF Members have transited it many times. They posted good tips based on their experience.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...al-205712.html

Also, this link may help you too. Make sure you look at the appropriate date. The data chart shows several days.

Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts Current Predictions

Hope that helps.
Bon Voyage!

[Suijin]

That’s accurate and yes you can.

The current builds remarkably quickly in the canal...a current graph, instead of looking like a sine wave has “squarer” shapes. I would not enter much more than 45 minutes before slack.

[psk125]

Trying to arrive right at slack water is nice, but isn't really be worth the effort. So long as the current is with you, you'll be fine in the CCC. The one surprise we had going through was the Bourne train bridge coming down for a train! It used to be that the bridge only lowered once a week, for a train that took garbage off the cape to a landfill on the 'mainland', but they've now added passenger service from Boston and the bridge is lowered much more frequently. We got stopped by it lowering last year when we headed up to Maine and on the way back as well. The other problem we've hit each time is lack of wind upon exiting in Mass Bay.

[Sparx]

Echoing what others have said I would aim for entering the canal 3:20 to 4:20 pm and riding tide through.

Cape Cod would be a good destination to aim for, arriving for a late dinner.