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Old 28-10-2013, 12:30   #1
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What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

heard this as a throwaway remark somewhere recently - "Vancouver harbour is the 2nd biggest natural harbour in the world, after Sydney, Australia..."
Really? So...sydney - biggest, Vancouver - 2nd...3rd?, 4th?
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Old 28-10-2013, 12:32   #2
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

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Old 28-10-2013, 12:33   #3
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

Hmmm...

Having sailed on both Sydney and the SF bay, seems to me that SF is way bigger than Sydney. Makes me wonder what they measure in making this ranking?

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Old 28-10-2013, 12:35   #4
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

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Old 28-10-2013, 12:45   #5
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

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Hmmm...

Having sailed on both Sydney and the SF bay, seems to me that SF is way bigger than Sydney. Makes me wonder what they measure in making this ranking?

Jim
I've most often heard san francisco referred to as a bay - ? But as an enclosed area of water it is way, way bigger than syney
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Old 28-10-2013, 12:51   #6
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Bay of Bengal is the biggest


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Old 28-10-2013, 12:55   #7
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

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Hmmm...

Having sailed on both Sydney and the SF bay, seems to me that SF is way bigger than Sydney. Makes me wonder what they measure in making this ranking?

Jim
Or how they define SF bay. If it includes all the way up the delta, then for sure it is huge.

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Old 28-10-2013, 12:58   #8
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

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I've most often heard san francisco referred to as a bay - ?
So, ships come into SF bay and anchor/moor and load/unload stuff. Ships come into Sydney and do the same. What is the discriminating factor that makes one a harbour and the other not a harbour?

They are both interesting and picturesque places and fun to sail in (but dodging the Manly catamaran ferries can be interesting!).

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Old 28-10-2013, 13:07   #9
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

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So, ships come into SF bay and anchor/moor and load/unload stuff. Ships come into Sydney and do the same. What is the discriminating factor that makes one a harbour and the other not a harbour?

They are both interesting and picturesque places and fun to sail in (but dodging the Manly catamaran ferries can be interesting!).

Cheers,

Jim
i would think the difference between a bay and a natural harbour is a bay only has protection from the open sea on 3 sides,where as a natural harbour has protection all around,from 4 sides
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Old 28-10-2013, 13:42   #10
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

Agree with Atoll. Also shouldn't count tide flats & shoal areas where you can't anchor a keeler.
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Old 28-10-2013, 14:03   #11
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

Collectively, San Francisco's interconnected bays (everything west of Pittsburg: the Delta is to the east) are large even after discounting for the shallows. I've read it is the largest natural harbor in the world. Would you believe that little Port Costa on the Carquinez Strait was once the busiest port on the West Coast? Its wharves are long gone now, however.
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Old 28-10-2013, 14:12   #12
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

The Med is a pretty big harbour if no limits to size.
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Old 28-10-2013, 15:36   #13
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The Med is a pretty big harbour if no limits to size.
You must have a whole heap o chain ...

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Old 28-10-2013, 16:14   #14
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

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i would think the difference between a bay and a natural harbour is a bay only has protection from the open sea on 3 sides,where as a natural harbour has protection all around,from 4 sides
Well, that sounds like SFB... once inside the Golden Gate there is 360 degree protection, and large areas of anchorage suitable for ships... lots more than Sydney for sure. Those old photos of row upon row of square riggers moored off the east side of the peninsula come to mind!

Really, I couldn't care less about "biggest harbour" ratings. I was only asking why the rankings were as stated.

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Old 28-10-2013, 16:20   #15
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Re: What Is The Biggest Natural Harbour In The World?

Listing harbours, not bays, this is the largest 6 that I turned up.

Sydney, Australia
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom
Cork, Republic of Ireland
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