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Lightwave99 · 29-08-2022, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueH2Obound

The mountains next to you are hollowed out to contain the secret lair of an evil genius, working on developing a doomsday device to blackmail the developed countries of the world into keep him in twinkies, cupcakes, and Starbucks coffee for the rest of his life. The humming will go away permanently when the next 007 movie is released when all will be told about how the evil genius met his end in the nick of time, 007 triumphing! Beware, if you are in the anchorage at the time the mountain explodes, we may never hear from you again!

Or, it COULD be shrimp. . . . just sayin'

Thanks for your humour, BlueH! I guess this topic has really gotten all of our cruising friends stretching out. It's DEFINITELY not shrimp. As said much earlier in this thread. Shrimp do not hum. And it is not that big fish that someone referred to. So, many options have been ruled out... Thank you all! Maybe the truth will surface! It would be really nice if the truth surfaced in the whole world, anyway! Have a nice evening. If you hum, make it to a happy song! Get out your ukulele!

More pondering & thoughts/suggestions welcome!
Bye bye.
Carllie Garett & Light Wave

desodave · 30-08-2022, 08:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lightwave99

There are no submarine bases in the area. This is Canada, not the US.

Don't be so sanctimonious. There has been a sub base in Nanoose Bay for at least 50 years and that Whiskey Golf thing you hear about on the Wx, and want to transit through going across the Strait, is a torpedo testing range. But obviously a long way from Desolation Sound. Imo the anchor rode resonance in the current is the most likely explanation so far .... if not as humerous as others.

Lightwave99 · 30-08-2022, 09:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by desodave

Don't be so sanctimonious. There has been a sub base in Nanoose Bay for at least 50 years and that Whiskey Golf thing you hear about on the Wx, and want to transit through going across the Strait, is a torpedo testing range. But obviously a long way from Desolation Sound. Imo the anchor rode resonance in the current is the most likely explanation so far .... if not as humerous as others.

You are right about the submarine base. Sorry. Did not mean to be sanctimonious. But the submarine base is a long long way from where we were hearing this hum. Anyway! I think this is the end of the discussion as readers have obviously tired of it. If you haven't heard it yourself, it is difficult to explain.

Will look up The Hum on Wikipedia. Thanks for that suggestion from...?

fgd3 · 30-08-2022, 09:17

After you've read the Wikipedia article let us know if it describes anything like what you've experienced.

Lightwave99 · 30-08-2022, 13:36

No, I don’t think Wikipedia has the explanation. This is not tinnitus. Three different people heard the same hum out on the water as I described in my first post and we do not have tinnitus symptoms anywhere at home or anywhere else so I don’t think so. All of the other explanations also don’t quite fit. From the beginning we have thought that it is anthropogenic in origin, i.e. man-made.

wyb2 · 01-09-2022, 05:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by southseasailor2

We were anchored close in in Boston harbour. Starting about 5 am every morning there was an in hull noise like a pump or electric motor running. It would last a few minutes, stop and then repeat. Nearly drove us mad searching the boat (Amel SM 2000). One morning, determined to find it I got up and went and sat in the engine room where all the pumps and electric motors are located. Then at last it dawned on me. It was the subway running under the harbour.

Had this exact experience in Boston harbor. I thought it sounded like chain being dragged over a hard surface on the bottom, which was scary at first as it would get progressively louder for 20-30 seconds as the train approached. Ended up looking up a train tracker and sure enough, I could watch the trains go practically right under our mooring.

Agree with others that something that starts and ends at the same time each day and makes a constant, unchanging noise is almost guaranteed to be man made. Ask some locals. If it’s some obscure defense/industrial/infrastructure thing it will be hard to google, but there are almost certainly locals that are angry about it.

Lightwave99 · 01-09-2022, 08:41

This is not a loud sound at all. It is a humming and you only hear it if it is very quiet and you put your ear close to the hull walls. But I agree, it has to be manmade. That is what we are trying to find out. Thanks.

MicHughV · 01-09-2022, 10:08

as an aside.....I'm a structural marine engineer...

some years ago, I was asked to come take a look at this aluminum railing which extended a good ways over the water. This railing was prone to cracking and breaking for reasons unknown. My guess is that the overall lenght of the rail was somewhere around 600' or so.
Turns out, that under certain wind conditions, this railing would start to thrum like a guitar string, you could put your hand on the railing and "feel" the vibrations. The thrumming was enuff to crack welds. The corrective measure was to cut the railing into several pieces so as the remove the "harmonic" lenght.

Fast forward now to a boat. I've notice this humming noise myself at odd times. Turns out that the stays, can also pick up a vibration induced by the wind. The hull, much like the box of a guitar, amplifies this sound, causing this humming sound.

That's my 2c.....

Lightwave99 · 01-09-2022, 15:30

It is interesting all the responses this mystery has elicited. This is a soft almost imperceptible hum, not a vibration per se although I guess all sound is vibration. And it is definitely not caused by vibration in the rigging. That was the first things we checked.

Thanks for trying, MicHughV!

MicHughV · 01-09-2022, 16:19

As is so often the case here on this CF to identify some or other noise or problem without actually being there, posters are deprived of " actually being there" to experience the sound in person..like trying to tune someone's guitar without actually being there....

Ah well, gave it a shot...

Lightwave99 · 01-09-2022, 16:25

Yes, that is true. But we just thought we would put this question out on Cruisers Forum as there are thousands of experienced cruisers who read this every day and, who knows? Someone may have found the answer! Thanks for your effort and your story!

**JPA Cate** · 01-09-2022, 16:55

If you have an oscilloscope app, maybe you can record it, and determine the frequency of the hum...... There may even be a free, open source one.

Ann

Lightwave99 · 01-09-2022, 18:33

Good idea, Ann. I will look into it. This seems to be taking up too much mental space! And all for solving the mystery of a little hum detected when we were relaxing during our wonderful Desolation Sound annual cruise.