Port Townsend, WA Bridge Clearance

[Borealis]

I have my sailboat moored just off Skunk Island next to Old Alcohol Plant Marina. i am a member of the Port Hadlock Yacht CLub and mooring field captain. If anyone is interesteed in seeking refuge immediately North of the bridge keep us in mind. Ajax Cafe is also close with a small dock and plenty of water depth. Write down my number to keep on your boat 360-765-3463 if you need a reciprocal buoy.

As mentioned before, sailing around Marrowstone to the East may be better, easier and fast becasue of broader space. Inside the Island you usually have to tack often and the wind directions change several times as you progress northward. Also note that in Oak bay just S of the bridge is notorious for calms when the wind is from North so staying outside of island may be better than starting engine and motoring through the calms.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Borealis

Also note that in Oak bay just S of the bridge is notorious for calms when the wind is from North so staying outside of island may be better than starting engine and motoring through the calms.

Boy! Did I learn that one day sailing back from the San Juans. Hadlock is a usual stop for us after a full days sail back across the inlet. I was low on fuel and thought I could sail to Port Ludlow until passing under the bridge. I ended up in a fog and had to use my spinnaker to get to Ludlow. The low tide that day was at 6 AM and I didn't know were there were any fuel docks in the North bay. Lesson learned!

Thanks Borealis, you may hear from me some day.

[Sand crab]

I know this is an old topic but we researched this exact thread for our "canal" transit last week.
My old tri now has a new owner and he asked me to help take the boat from Port Orchard to Port Hadlock. We carefully measured the stick by taping a 50' tape to the halyard and adding a bit for the stuff on top and the distance to the water. We came out at just under 54' off the water which is what I remembered. It was near MHW but we did have a 2+ knot adverse current which was ok because we approached the bridge pretty slow. We cleared with 4' or more but it did make me nervous because this is the closest bridge clearance for me. The math works but if you are a bit taller then you might want to wait for low tide.

Bobber

[senormechanico]

Just don't the believe clearance number on the Hood Canal Bridge.
It's not measured from MHHW, it's from ZERO TIDE !
It's the only one in Washington state AFAIK.

[Panope]

I wonder if the PT bridge has enough clearance to fly a plane under......

Steve

[Sand crab]

I'm not sure what zero tide is or was but I see a tide ht. of about 6' when we went through. I was going off of that previous post with the links to MHW which I think was 7.7'. And like I say we had around 4' clearance with a 54' stick above the water and a 58' bridge and the math was pretty close.

Senor is that your Dragonfly for sale? I paddled my kayak past one anchored in Gig Harbor awhile back? You again, maybe?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Just don't the believe clearance number on the Hood Canal Bridge.
It's not measured from MHHW, it's from ZERO TIDE !
It's the only one in Washington state AFAIK.

WSDOT seems to think it is MHW

. Vessel clearance:
Minimum vertical clearances at Mean High Water (MHW) is 31 feet at the west end and 50 feet at the east end. Clearances will vary based on tides, so mariners using this channel are advised to use caution

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

I'm not sure what zero tide is or was but I see a tide ht. of about 6' when we went through. I was going off of that previous post with the links to MHW which I think was 7.7'. And like I say we had around 4' clearance with a 54' stick above the water and a 58' bridge and the math was pretty close.

Senor is that your Dragonfly for sale? I paddled my kayak past one anchored in Gig Harbor awhile back? You again, maybe?

We went through the high end of the East passage at +2.5 feet tide.
Barely made it and we are 53' high.
The only reason we didn't hit anything is we aimed between the cross beams.
I've gone under lots of bridges and know how close it always appears, but this time was really freaky.

When returning from Pleasant Harbor, we called for a bridge opening.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

I'm not sure what zero tide is or was but I see a tide ht. of about 6' when we went through. I was going off of that previous post with the links to MHW which I think was 7.7'. And like I say we had around 4' clearance with a 54' stick above the water and a 58' bridge and the math was pretty close.

Senor is that your Dragonfly for sale? I paddled my kayak past one anchored in Gig Harbor awhile back? You again, maybe?

That was another DF called Strider (a friend of ours).
It recently sold to a couple from Victoria BC.