Sooner or later regulars to the San Juans learn to love or hate Swinomish Channel. Many skippers form an opinion on their very first transit through this popular eleven mile alternative to Deception Pass. Sailors and under powered puttsters fighting the current, hate it, but turn them around and suddenly their tune changes as the current whisks them along at four miles per hour.
One day we pulled in to the city float at La Conner and I grumbled to a local boater about how we had been battling the current for hours on our way from James Island. I remember his comment, he said, "The current flows one way for twenty three hours and then reverses, and no one knows when." We all laughed and I figured I should get over it.
I came across this rule of thumb posted on the Port of Skagit County website for estimating the current direction.
The rule of thumb for estimating Swinomish Channel current direction at La Conner goes like this:
The current flows north from 2.5 - 4 hours before high tide to 2.5 - 4 hours after high tide
The current flows south from 2.5 - 4 hours before low tide to 2.5 - 4 hours after low tide
Slack water occurs 2.5 - 4 hours after high or low tide, not at the tide change like in some areas.
You will still need to consult with high and low tide predictions for La Conner to put these rule of thumbs to use. Be forewarned, many people consider La Conner tide predictions as hocus pocus because they are often wrong.
I cannot remember this rule so I am going out on a limb here and offering my own memory trick as follows. We already know that in the San Juans a rule of thumb is that the current flows north on an incoming tide (flood) and south on the ebb, and we know in the Puget Sound and southern area it is basically the opposite. So my memory hack is to consider Swinomish Channel as part of and subject to the San Juan rules of thumb. This means, Swinomish Channel flows NORTH on the flood just like the San Juans, but it is late due to distance.
FYI - did you know that all of Swinomish Channel (at least where land is) is a "No Wake - Slow Zone"
